Interior Design Hall of Fame

A sense of finesse, the delightful surprise of common materials taken to uncommon heights, the sensitivity to light and nuances of color associated with refined painting. These are the qualities that pervade a Walz interior--be it a commercial setting or residence-created honestly and directly to enhance the quality of life of its occupants.

The reference to the fine arts is not an arbitrary association, but one grounded in fact. Until 1978 Kevin Walz was a painter, having studied fine arts at Pratt Institute and painting at the New York Studio School under Philip Gustion and Esteban Vicente. He turned to interiors (Walz Design, New York) when unsolicited commisions came from clients intrigued by the design of his own living/working loft located in the then-unfashionable section of Chelsea. Yet he cites painting and sculpture as his continual and primary sources of influence along with "non-architectural structures, industrial and agricultural forms."

Mr. Walz's biography lists a selective array of small-scaled and finely detailed interior installations coupled with industrial design projects, numerous awards and acclaim by the design press worldwide. But Mr. Walz has taken a hiatus from professional practice and a leave of New York as the recipient of the American Academy's prestigious Prix de Rome fellowship. Living in the Eternal City with his two young daughters, Jersey and Addison, he speaks of a new-found joy in life that comes from discovering the ancient beauty of his surroundings and investigating his feelings about the city's spaces as the basis of thesis. "I left all my design equipment in New York and brought paint brushes, pencils, pens and ink," he says, hinting at the return to his roots and the form his year-long project will take. And, if further evidence is needed of his artist's sensitivity, it comes from the terse and articulate description of his situation. "I am looking," says Mr. Walz, "at the most extraordinary city. Things are built to last, and people can respond to that from whatever culture and whatever time they come from."

Clients and projects include: the Amy and John Wickersham residence, Mamaroneck, NY; the Nicole and John Wilmot residence, NY; the Treat and Pam Williams residence, NY; The American Academy in Rome, Villa Chiaraviglio, Rome; the Richard and Carole Rifkind residence, Amagansset, NY; Time Life Photo Laboratories, Time Warner, NY;The Island Trading Company, NY; Fenn Wright and Manson, NY and LA; the Dana Delany residence, Santa Monica, CA; The American Felt Building, New York; Patisserie Lanciani, NY: The Lillian August Collection, Greenwich, CT and other retail locations; Otto Tootsi Plohound, NY; Bronstein Berman and Associates, NY; the Adri residence, NY; the Jade Alpert residence, NY; the Richard Price-Judy Hudson residence, NY; the Dick Tarlow-Sany Carlsen residence, Shelter Island, NY; Vittorio Ricci, NY; Midtown Electric, NY; the Barbara and Ira Sahlman residence, NY; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Portland, ME.

Licenses: Arc International, Artistic Tile, Baldinger Architectural Lighting, DesignTex, Jado, KorQinc, Pucci International, Tufenkian Carpets. Mr. Walz's product designs include: Pucci International, a furniture collection; KorQLife by Kevin Walz, a collection of vases, trays and platters for KorQinc; The KorQ/Walz Flooring Collection for KorQinc; Designer's Reserve, two new collections of handmade rugs, Tufenkian Carpets; The Kevin Walz Collection for One Plus One, wall coverings, DesignTex; KorQ/Walz Collection of Architectural Products, KorQinc; Designer's Reserve, the second collection of handmade rugs, Tufenkian Carpets; The Kevin Walz collection, lighting, Baldinger Architectural Lighting; The KorQ/Walz Collection, residential/contract furniture, KorQinc; The Kevin Walz Collection for One Plus One, collection of fabrics, DesignTex; Designer's Reserve, collection of handmade rugs, Tufenkian Carpets; The Kevin Walz Collection, bath fittings and hardware, Jade; The Second Collection, furniture and lighting, Arc International; The First Furniture Collection, furniture and lighting, Arc International.