Kenneth Wingard has designed home furnishing merchandise for major retailers such as Crate & Barrel, Martha Stewart, Restoration Hardware, and Target. His designs have been featured in museum shops and appear in home decor magazines. He started his television career with making personal appearances on the Christopher Lowell Show and holiday specials for House & Garden Television. Currently he’s starting his fourth season as the lead on-camera designer for the Oprah Winfrey Network’s Prime Time Emmy Nominated Home Made Simple as well as his second season as a family member on Hallmark’s Prime Time Emmy Nominated Home & Family.
An architect, designer and entrepreneur, he formed his own company in 1997 to produce and market his designs and in 2003 became a retailer with his first boutique. In 2006 he created a larger, flagship store, Kenneth Wingard San Francisco.
Mr. Wingard grew up in a military family and traveled the world, living in Europe and Asia during his childhood. Influenced by local historic architecture, he went to Princeton University to study architecture. After graduating in 1986, he traveled extensively for the next several years in Europe, Africa, and Asia studying art, sculpture, and architecture. It was during this time in countries such as Italy, India, and Thailand that he developed an appreciation for the skill of the local craftsmen and began to formulate combining those talents with his own design sense.
Mr. Wingard returned to the U.S. and began working for Williams-Sonoma in 1989. Eight years later he was the Divisional Director of Pottery Barn designing their assortment as well as being instrumental in the re-launch of the brand. He left Pottery Barn at the end of 1996 and within a year launched his first line of decorative accessories, which included brushed metal vases, bowls, and candlesticks. He later explored other materials such as wood, acrylic, and glass He continues to work with his favorite materials, in a growing number of categories, including apparel and interior design projects from retail stores to vacation homes. Along the way, he has also been commissioned by clients such as W Hotels and Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn to design items for their distinctive properties.
Visit Ken Wingard at www.KennethWingard.com and follow him on Instagram @KennethWingard.
