Here at Kathy Kuo Home, we recently announced a new series of interviews here on The Kuotes blog! For our sixth installment, we are thrilled to be chatting with Kesha Franklin, the founder and owner of HALDEN Interiors. Kuotable Women is our way of celebrating brilliant female entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs–both in the design world and in other lifestyle categories like health and wellness, fashion, food, and parenting.
In these ever-evolving times, I wanted to spotlight how some of our favorite women in the design business are making it work as they change our industry for the better, work from home, and balance life, work, family, and wellness.
Kesha Franklin; photo by Rayon Richards Photography
Tell us about your professional background–what were some of the key milestones that brought you to where you are professionally today?
My career began in funding management and later transitioned to corporate event production working on 1,500-guest galas and stage designs. I also did backstage production and management for the Iconic Mercedes Benz Fashion Week for brands like Michael Kors, Vera Wang, Jason Wu, and Donna Karen.
Every role I’ve had prior to becoming an interior designer serves as a key milestone for where I am in my career today. The creativity, the business acumen, and the work ethic I developed have prepared me to run a successful design firm that aims for excellence.
How would you describe the core mission of your business?
The core mission of my design firm is to be unapologetically client-centric. Every detail curated at HALDEN begins from a place of deep exploration of our client’s individual story so we can clearly interpret their needs and expectations, that becomes the footprint to our process and the cornerstone of our design philosophy. We start by listening and we keep listening.
Tell us about any of your design projects that you’re particularly proud of–what made them special and how did you approach executing them?
I’ve had many proud moments along my design journey but one in particular is the home I designed for Colin Kaepernick in San Jose, CA. It was my first West Coast project which presented some initial challenges with regards to assembling a team and accessing needed resources in an area that was unfamiliar.
I had a solid team in New York, but being on another coast felt like I was starting from scratch. I had to do a lot of research and build a new team based on trust and respect. To be honest the process brought me to tears at times but, it allowed for some growing pains that made me a better designer. In the end, I was fortunate to have an outpouring of support from relationships both in and out of the design community that afforded me the opportunity to manage and execute the eight-month project with success and pride!
Above: One of Kesha’s projects for HALDEN Interiors; photo by David A. Land Photography
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Tell us about your home–whom do you share your space with (partner, kids, pets, etc), and where do you live?
My home consists of myself, my husband, and my 21-year-old son. My daughter who is 26 moved out on her own a couple years ago, so I guess you could say I’m almost an empty nester! We had a home in Brooklyn where we raised our family for 19 years but recently moved to New Jersey.
I am in the interior design process of designing our new home and excited to curate the living experience based upon me and my husband’s likes and wants and not worry about whether it’s kid-friendly.
With many professionals working from home in the wake of COVID-19, how are you approaching working from home and balancing the other aspects of your life?
I’ve had a full-fledged home office since 2012 that accommodates myself and two employees so there was no real adjustment there. I’ve worked hard over the years to create a very strict routine while working from home because as we all may now know working from home can be distracting. My routine consists of me being in my office at the desk by 9am, fully dressed with blush on my cheeks and coffee in hand.
I will say, the sudden Stay-At-Home order did throw that routine off for the first few weeks. One day I realized that it was 1pm and I still had my pajamas on with a pint of ice cream and Doritos in hand. I knew I was in trouble so I had to get refocused and manage the amount of time I was spending in front of the TV, on social media, and inside the kitchen. I had to re-establish work life balance with a daily to do list that outlined time for client check-ins, project review, creative thinking, and family time!
Above: One of Kesha’s projects for HALDEN Interiors; photo by David A. Land Photography
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What are some of your work from home must-have items or favorite pieces?
Some of my work at home must haves are positioning my desk in front of the window. I feed off of natural light and nature so it helps with my productivity. My Mac Book Pro is my favorite “Can’t Live Without It” piece of technology.
I also cannot do without my 12-ft work table which allows me to lay out my design boards and samples, it’s probably my favorite piece in the office. Another must have is music, I always have Maxwell, Sade, Adele, or Luther Vandross playing in the background.
On the flip-side, what are some of your favorite items that help you enjoy self-care and relaxation?
I was working non-stop from 2015-2018 and got burnt out by the end of 2018. So, my New Year’s resolution for 2019 was to make self care a priority. I started taking a cardio-kickboxing class twice a week and exploring yoga which is still challenging but I try to take a class at least once a month. I also started getting routine massages and taking mini vacations throughout the year to refuel and recharge in the midst of a demanding work schedule. It has done me well!
As a mom and entrepreneur, do you have any advice to share with other women looking to make a difference in the design world?
My advice to women who want to make a difference in the design world is be true to your voice, own your point of view…don’t compromise your creativity to fit the mold. And, be intentional, create work that can live beyond you as a legacy for your children to be proud of.
Above: One of Kesha’s projects for HALDEN Interiors; photo by Christopher Stark Photography
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Who inspires you the most, and why?
I’m most inspired by my husband and my children. My husband is a well-known DJ/Record Producer, my daughter is a visual artist and my son is in school for fashion marketing and has recently started producing music. So, I’m always surrounded by creatives. We challenge each other to be our best which I so appreciate because it’s done with love, support and honesty.
Like many industries in this country, the home and design space is currently undergoing long-overdue reflection on the topic of racial representation and inclusion. What shifts do you hope to see come about in the industry as brands, influencers, and design firms confront racism and bias in the industry? What path do you see the home and design space taking from this pivotal moment in time?
In the long overdue unveiling of racism and bias in this country, I hope that various industries first acknowledge the wrong, call it what it is and don’t run away from looking in the mirror and having the hard, honest conversation that black people have been discriminated against, excluded, overlooked and dismissed for decades in the design industry and beyond. The onus would be to start a dialogue for some real talk, to first call out those who are acting as if they didn’t know that racism existed in the design community.
If there are less than 10 black designers/creatives at every industry event or only one on a design panel or none represented in the design publications the facts are clear, bias and exclusion exist. And if no outreach has been put in place to explore or learn about our contribution to design then turning a blind eye is a part of systemic racism.
The change I pray to see from this pivotal time is that the work speaks for itself, that black designers have equity with industry brands, that black creatives are hired for industry positions, that we are afforded equal opportunities for exposure and business support, that our voice and culture is welcomed and celebrated as a fresh point of view and that the only color we’re concerned about is the Benjamin Moore color of the year. Which by the way, I vote Jet Black (2120-10) for 2021!
Finally, any special projects on the horizon for your brand that we should know about?
Now that the country is opening back up, I am currently breaking ground on a few renovations at home with hopes to have the house shot and featured when its all done. I am also doing the final installations on a very special project with stunning views of the Hudson River. My client has an amazing African art and sculpture collection that I’m excited to integrate into my signature modern, luxe design approach. Can’t wait to share!!
