Meet Kelly Shannon | Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Shannon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
While this probably sounds both cringey and cliche, it really pursued me. I’ve always been a creative-minded person, and I was working a very corporate job… I had so much constant anxiety and stress that my body began to fall apart. When I remodeled my home, it just felt like my true calling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love making a clients home uniquely theirs. My mom gave me such great advice when I first started my business saying, ‘You don’t live in their home, so design for them, not for yourself.’ It would be easy to copy and paste what I do for every client, but what fun would that be? I certainly wouldn’t learn much. It’s that constant push of boundaries and creativity that keeps my abilities growing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d take them down to Laguna Beach, not only because it’s insanely beautiful (and where I was lucky enough to grow up), but it’s so art-forward and has such a unique vibe. The beaches are the best in the area (there’s no contest), some favorites being Woods Cove, Crescent Bay, Shaw’s Cove. The Pageant of the Masters is something any visitor has to experience. It’s located in the Festival of the Arts and is truly where art comes to life. Some favorite restaurants in Laguna include Dizz’s As Is, Avila’s El Ranchito, and Hapi Sushi. And there is no one who comes to town without going to, what we call ‘The Dirty Bird,’ but known on Google as the Sandpiper Lounge. I’ve yet to find a bar on this earth more special.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I owe almost all of my inspiration to my cute mom. She is both an artist and an interior designer, and I’ve learned so much from her about the creative world. While our styles are different from one another, I’ve weaved so much of what I’ve learned from her into my everyday work. She is so wildly creative and always takes risks.

Secondly, my sister-in-law, Leslie Shannon, is an absolutely incredible interior designer. She has always been so beautifully creative with each home she’s designed. Every time I’m in their family home I’m in total awe – it’s so perfectly detailed, so effortlessly. She truly knows how to make a house a home.

I could never not acknowledge my dear friend Lauren, a close family friend who I’ve known since she was born. Her and her husband were the first to hire me and to light the fire under me to start my business and become an interior designer. I can’t thank them enough for pushing me over that ledge.

Lastly, I have to give a shout-out to the book, The Alchemy of Architecture, written by Ken Tate and Duke Tate. This book, which I read in a day (and that is not my norm), was exactly what I needed at the time… A great reminder to put your soul into your work and to always follow your intuition. It’s a very needed reminder in today’s world – on all fronts – but especially with social media feeding us the same content over and over again. My overall take from this read was ‘don’t copy… create.’

x

Website: https://kshandesign.com

Instagram: @kshandesign