Cover Story
Untitled Page
Top O.C. designers, continued ...
Celebrity interior designer
Kelli Ellis
Founder of Kelli Ellis Interiors
Orange County
<<< Photo by Carla Rhea
Advice
to aspiring designers: “Remember you are there to help the homeowners
create their dream home, and be honored they’ve asked for your
guidance.”
If she looks familiar, it’s probably because
you’ve seen Kelli Ellis working her magic before a television audience.
She’s appeared on TLC’s “Clean Sweep,” HGTV’s “Takeover My Makeover”
and Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Orange County,” wooing homeowners and
celebrities alike with her award-winning interior design expertise.
It’s
a talent that Ellis has been nurturing since the age of 5, when she
renovated her Barbie dollhouse. That she made a career out of it may
come as a surprise to her college classmates, given her course of
study. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from
Cal State Fullerton and attended law school before pursuing her real
passion and earning certification from the Interior Designers Institute in Newport
Beach. She put her professional goals on hold for a few years to focus
on motherhood; her two daughters were born only a year apart. But it
picked up again after hearing from a former law school colleague who
was working as a voiceover agent in Los Angeles. She told Ellis that
TLC was holding auditions for one of its home-design shows. Soon after,
Ellis landed a spot on “Clean Sweep.”
In addition to her
many TV appearances, Ellis recently worked as the wardrobe and prop
designer for the self-help documentary “The Compass” and spoke at the
Las Vegas Furniture Market.
As a design psychologist, Ellis
strives to be intentional about the positioning of light, color and
space. It’s about understanding the effect of one’s surroundings on the
psyche, she says, using techniques such as color or light therapy.
“You’re always trying to create your haven,” she says. “We want to walk past our rooms and love them.”
Ellis
lives in Dove Canyon with her daughters. And when she’s not designing,
she enjoys road biking with her fiancé, fitness expert John Spencer
Ellis.
Derek Jenkins | Barclay Butera | Mariana Stoopen
Matt Tubergen | Jane Elia Schwartz | Marc Entin
Kelli Ellis | Dan Parks | Oday Shakar | Lin Shen
Readers Feedback:
Kelli is the love of my life! I am so proud of her! And..... she is incredibly talented!
Comment at 9/2/2009
I think Kelli is absolutely AMAZING!!! She is my Inspiration congrats Kelli love Julie :)
Comment at 9/2/2009
Top O.C. designers, continued ...
Celebrity interior designerKelli Ellis
Founder of Kelli Ellis Interiors
Orange County
<<< Photo by Carla Rhea
Advice to aspiring designers: “Remember you are there to help the homeowners create their dream home, and be honored they’ve asked for your guidance.”
If she looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen Kelli Ellis working her magic before a television audience. She’s appeared on TLC’s “Clean Sweep,” HGTV’s “Takeover My Makeover” and Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Orange County,” wooing homeowners and celebrities alike with her award-winning interior design expertise.
It’s a talent that Ellis has been nurturing since the age of 5, when she renovated her Barbie dollhouse. That she made a career out of it may come as a surprise to her college classmates, given her course of study. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cal State Fullerton and attended law school before pursuing her real passion and earning certification from the Interior Designers Institute in Newport Beach. She put her professional goals on hold for a few years to focus on motherhood; her two daughters were born only a year apart. But it picked up again after hearing from a former law school colleague who was working as a voiceover agent in Los Angeles. She told Ellis that TLC was holding auditions for one of its home-design shows. Soon after, Ellis landed a spot on “Clean Sweep.”
In addition to her many TV appearances, Ellis recently worked as the wardrobe and prop designer for the self-help documentary “The Compass” and spoke at the Las Vegas Furniture Market.
As a design psychologist, Ellis strives to be intentional about the positioning of light, color and space. It’s about understanding the effect of one’s surroundings on the psyche, she says, using techniques such as color or light therapy.
“You’re always trying to create your haven,” she says. “We want to walk past our rooms and love them.”
Ellis lives in Dove Canyon with her daughters. And when she’s not designing, she enjoys road biking with her fiancé, fitness expert John Spencer Ellis.
Derek Jenkins | Barclay Butera | Mariana Stoopen
Matt Tubergen | Jane Elia Schwartz | Marc Entin
Kelli Ellis | Dan Parks | Oday Shakar | Lin Shen
Matt Tubergen | Jane Elia Schwartz | Marc Entin
Kelli Ellis | Dan Parks | Oday Shakar | Lin Shen
Readers Feedback:
Kelli is the love of my life! I am so proud of her! And..... she is incredibly talented!
| Comment at 9/2/2009 |
I think Kelli is absolutely AMAZING!!! She is my Inspiration congrats Kelli love Julie :)
| Comment at 9/2/2009 |
