Autumn Issue, Oct./Nov. 2002
Interview by Kevin L. Davis
Photography by Kennon Evett
Additional photography by David Chridt and Jay Branson
Kelly Gale Amen likes the purity of the elements in his designs, whether in metal or his fabric furniture. In his description of the KGA Daybed (right & front cover) he says, “It’s made from an antique Kelim, from striped velvet; it’s got brocade, quilted suede, ticking, fringe, braiding, silk, velvet, hand painting. It’s multifaceted but you look at it and you see it as one assembly. You don’t see it as disjointed parts. So that’s really the key of what this is about for me.”
“legacy and style.”
Hip parties, social pages and almost every charitable event have been graced with the presence of Kelly Gale Amen, ASID. He has been seen and written about as the man about town as well as the consummate designer of both interiors and custom furniture. He was also named Humanitarian of the Year by the HRC last year. Most recently, the City of Houston Parks & Recreation Department chose six of Kelly’s benches for the Eleanor Tinsley Park on the edge of Downtown at Allen Parkway.
Recently he has been hosting his own events all related to his dearly departed pet Dalmatian, Fire. Most recent, the Fire Sale has liquidated a large inventory of personal treasures he had collected through the years. After the sale of a majority of the items in his home last week, Kelly describes the new found interior as “open, spacious and alive.”
In his 52 years Kelly has established a “legacy and style” and amassed the respect of admirers and critics. He has changed the design of furniture to reflect his own opinion and in doing so created timeless pieces of art.
Trying to peg what period or style his furniture could be classified in is not as easy as one might think, not necessarily contemporary or traditional, in his own words he says, “The best of any period works with the best of any period. Good contemporary ultimately becomes good traditional. Traditional is what stands the test of time; the contemporary of the 40’s becomes the traditional of the 90’s. I don’t know what period it is, all I know is it is beautiful. Everyone wants to come and sit on it, lay on it, rub on it, whatever. They don’t want to leave.”
Kelly now has several new pieces in his line of custom crafted metal furniture. They are all numbered and sequenced. Referring to the materials he makes the furniture from, he describes his line as the “Thousand year furniture. Time and nature may patina it, but it will outlast all of us.” In his metal furniture he speaks of the casting process. “The simpler the cast, the more difficult. Most of this ornate mass produced furniture just hides the imperfections and the cracks and the flaws. My furniture is a square knee, with a tapered leg, which is as simple as you can get. But it’s graceful and it’s wonderful and there’s no time to it — it’s forever.”
Kelly’s current Mantra is, “Work — discipline and be creative. Go forward and people will find you.” Kelly stressed the need for people to be aware of what a designer really does for their project. Anyone can buy case goods, but adding the “imagination, liveliness and spirit” into a project is what Kelly’s expertise is in. Whether adding the magical element of surprise through color and his use of mirrors or placing a custom piece of designed furniture in a room to “spark conversation”, Kelly’s interiors always exceed the client’s expectations and his level of perfectionism shines throughout the project.
Altruism is one of Kelly’s best traits; he is constantly giving to the community, to artisans and artists and to his friends. I asked him how this fit in with his life’s work. He replied, “I am only as good as the freedom of the clients and the brilliance of the craftsmen.” By using local artisans and craftspeople, Kelly keeps his designs alive and fresh and gives to the artisans of the American crafts. Of his altruistic nature, Kelly says, “You can’t take if you don’t give.”
In describing more about himself as a designer he puts forth “I don’t want it thought that I only work for the rich and famous. I want it to be that I work for people who want the creative process to be a part of the mysteriousness.” When asked what the driving force behind his creations are, Amen replied “To embrace Life, to participate and to not be just a voyeur. To not be afraid that the candle on the table is going to overflow. To give the dog a bone and let him sit next to me, we’ll get the hair out of the rug. It’s really all right.”
Further he added, that “To buy it, to own it, but not to embrace it is like having a relationship that’s dead, I don’t want trophies, they’re not interesting to me. The trace of human element is not alarming. That’s the Life — that’s the reality of it — that’s the good part — that’s the sweetness of it. You follow?”
Reprinted with permission of ME Magazine
