40 Under Forty: Christopher Kennedy

President and Principal Designer, Christopher Kennedy Inc.

Site Staff 40 under Forty 2014

 

Christopher Kennedy
President and Principal Designer, Christopher Kennedy Inc.         
Age: 38

 

It would be difficult to go a week and not read something in the news about Christopher Kennedy and one of his interior design projects.

Kennedy moved to Palm Springs 11 years ago after a short stint as a stockbroker.

“It just wasn’t my passion,” he says. “Life is too short not to do what you love. Palm Springs has such a great history of healing and rejuvenation, and there is something magical here that powers transformation.”

The magic seems to be working for Kennedy, who began his interior design firm 10 years ago and has expanded nationwide with new projects and exciting ventures on the horizon.

“I launched my furniture line about four years ago,” Kennedy says, “and I am doing a lighting collaboration with Lamps Plus. In the fall, I will be on-air to debut a line of home accessories on a home shopping channel.”

Although Kennedy’s new products will appeal to audiences nationally, he stresses that there is an element of Palm Springs in each one. Kennedy feels you can change lives through design and is involved in architecture preservation.

“My generation grew up privileged, but we are not resting on the laurels of previous generations,” says Kennedy, who at age 27 lost his father and his mother when he was 32. “I try to honor them every day by how I live my life,” he remarks. It’s safe to say his parents would be proud.

 

VIDEO: Christopher Kennedy says he is passionate about creating spaces that change people's lives.