Local Interior Designer Competes on Nationally Televised 'Design Wars'

Roswell Patch recently caught up with Kerry Howard, an up-and-coming interior designer who finished a project in Roswell late last year. We got to the heart of why he does what he does and what inspires him most as a designer from the South.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I was born and raised in Easley, South Carolina, which is a small town located about fifteen miles outside of Greenville, South Carolina.

Q: How did you become an interior designer?

A: From a very young age I have felt a connection to the creative world, but I have always felt a particular pull towards the interior design industry. The thought of helping someone create a personal space that reflects their individual personality has always fascinated me. I started my career by attending Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina, where I received my Bachelor of Arts, with a Concentration in Interior Design. After college I decided that I would take a huge leap of faith and move to Atlanta to open my own interior design firm. It was scary at first, but it was the best decision I have made in my life, since my career has been extremely rewarding for me both personally and professionally.

Q: What inspires you as designer?

A: Personally, I would have to say that my first source of inspiration is my mother, who has supported me from the very beginning of my career. Professionally, I have always looked to other designers for advice and inspiration. In the interior design industry, it is critical to be aware of what your colleagues and/or competition are participating in and inspired by, whether they are located in your city or elsewhere. It has always been helpful for me to follow designers that have accomplished goals that are the same or similar to mine. I consider them to be the guiding lights for my career. Right now I would have to say that my top three interior design inspirations are Jamie Drake, Suzanne Kasler and Kelly Wearstler.

Q: Tell us about your recent interior design project in Roswell?

A: The town home in Roswell is architecturally transitional in style. My goal with the interior of the home was to reflect the homeowner’s clean and transitional style, especially since the common areas have an open floor plan. I like to take items that are sentimental to my clients and incorporate them into my designs, so that when all is said and done, they feel that the space I have created for them is their own. This family had a beautiful photo of a magnolia which I knew I wanted to incorporate into the design from the first time I saw it. The print was originally taken by the homeowner, and I took the negative and had it blown up, cut into three pieces and hung the framed pieces side-by-side above the living room sofa. Voila! The once small, pretty photo became a larger-than-life piece of art that actually means something to the family.

Q: Where is the Roswell home located?

A: It is located in the heart of downtown Roswell.

Q: How did you come to be involved with HGTV and what was the experience of being on their new show “Design Wars?”

A: I first heard about the opportunity to try out for the new HGTV show “Design Wars” from a client. I knew that it was something that would be right up my alley, since the whole premise of the show is for interior designers that are located in the same city to compete against one another and to ultimately win the homeowner’s vote for the opportunity to decorate their home. My overall experience on the show was one of the best in my career! I learned so much from the other designers, the crew and the producers. There are so many steps involved in filming, which is why I think I like it so much. It takes four days to film a 30-minute episode of a show, so it is definitely not as easy as it looks! I was on two episodes of the HGTV show, the first of which aired on Friday, March 9, and which I can now brag about because I won! Winners of the show get an online portfolio on the HGTV website; you can find mine online.

The second episode of “Design Wars” that I am on airs on Friday, April 6 at 1 p.m. Be sure to  tune into this one to find out whether or not all of my hard work pays off the second time around!