Sense Houston, November 1999
Kelly Gale Amen
Designer of Home and Heart
Everything about Kelly Amen is a statement in style. You see it in the way he looks, dresses, makes his living, entertains, gardens, creates and contributes.
Here is an award-winning, nationally acclaimed interior, furniture and home accessory designer. He is presently one of eight designers featured in Traditional Home’s new design book, Signature Style. It is not a surprise that his personal home is dynamic. The unexpected is the transporting experience of his space.
Tucked behind a tall fence and towering bamboo in the Montrose area is the house Amen calls his “utopia.” The property is a small compound comprised of a 1940’s bungalow and adjoining honeymoon cottage. When he moved here 19 years ago he did not imagine that this house was where he would remain. Keeping true to his design philosophy, the space has continuously evolved. What has emerged is a unique, personal expression which is his home for life, his design studio, and the creative headquarters for the furniture and accessory lines he designs.
To experience his space is to be on a journey of constant discovery. Amen has utilized his own design signatures throughout: mirrored walls, layers of color, irreverent furniture and accessory combinations, undressed windows, beloved art and always the touch of the unusual detail, frequently born out of a “beautiful mistake.”
Unlike most designers, Kelly Amen loves small rooms. As you enter the house you are greeted by such a room. It is completely mirrored and surprisingly void of furniture or accessory. The juxtaposition of such apparent space in this small area is transforming. It shifts the senses in preparation for the adventure that is about to unfold.
The living room is bathed in high-intensity color and dramatic art. What should be overwhelming is embracing. Rather than paint, paper or fabric, the walls are again covered in mirror. Immediately the confines of the room dissolve. One’s own reflection merges with the suspended art to create a montage effect.
With each glance there is the discovery of sensory delight. A chocolate orchid plant (and yes, the blossoms do smell like the real thing) sits on a fine antique table surrounded by a potpourri of personal treasures. A stately chair is dressed in the most exquisite silk and has one of Amen’s “chair brassieres” (a clipped- corner fabric cover) tied to it. A closer look reveals a hand-painted salamander peeking his head up through the seat of the chair. This is the result of what Kelly calls “a beautiful mistake.” Apparently the cleaning lady inadvertently set a bottle of lemon oil on the seat cushion, leaving an unsightly ring. Rather than making the obvious choice to reupholster the chair, Amen commissioned the salamander detail. The result: stain gone, infinite charm achieved.
Amidst this splendor, the sights and sounds of Amen’s lush garden spill through the undressed open window, completing the experience of this truly “living” room.
The magic moves from room to room reflecting the genius of its creator. Recognizing the blessings of great success and acclaim, Kelly Amen mindfully extends his magical talents to numerous humanitarian efforts. Two projects close to his heart benefit The Texas Children’s Cancer Research Center and Aids Foundation Houston. Whether he is designing for the home or the heart, the signature of Amen’s prolific style is unmistakable.
