About Ellen Kennon
Since 1982, interior designer Ellen Kennon has been creating environments often described as magical and healing. In addition to running her own design firm, Ellen was head of interiors for Peter Marino Architect’s Manhattan office whose clients included Valentino, Yves St. Laurent and Calvin Klein. Ellen has decorated numerous residences and offices in New York and the Gulf South and also created the architectural design for several country retreats including Harmony House, debuted as a decorator showcase house in Saint Francisville. Ellen’s holistic approach to creating interiors is featured in House Beautiful The Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home of Your Own.
In 2001 Ellen created her line of Full Spectrum Paints and although she has never advertised, they have been featured in numerous national publications including Architectural Digest Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Southern Accents Magazine, New York Magazine, Dwell Magazine, Interior Design Magazine, Renovation Style, Home Living Connecticut, Palm Beach Cottage & Gardens and House Beautiful Magazine and House Beautiful books Colors for Your Home, Style 101: 400 Designer Secrets to a Beautiful Home and 500+ Favorite Paint Colors. House Beautiful’s articles have featured Ellen as one of “twelve major players in design” and “three of the best color consultants”.
Ellen created a custom color palette for renowned artist Hunt Slonem‘s exhibit at the Ogden Musuem in New Orleans that was featured on CBS Sunday Morning and is also featured in Slonem’s books, When Art Meets Design and Pleasure Palaces: The Art & Homes of Hunt Slonem . Her philosophy on color therapy is quoted in James Morgan’s critically acclaimed book Chasing Matisse.
In addition to paint, Ellen offers a collection of custom furniture for home and garden. She won an Alpha Award in New Orleans for furniture design and designed a collection of iron and limestone furniture which was featured in Architectural Digest Magazine.
Ellen’s book, The Color of Magic, is her memoir that unveils the profound connections between the metaphysical world and the art of interior design and color consulting, celebrating the transformative power of creating healing environments. Autographed copies are available here.
press & Media
Architectural Digest Magazine, March 2000
“AD at Large: Marc Charbonnet’s Southern Comfort”, page 26
Architectural Digest Magazine, February 2005
“Discoveries by Designers: Bright and Beautiful”, page 112
House Beautiful Magazine, July 2006
“Being a Summer Houseguest”, page 72-73
House Beautiful Magazine (Fall Color Issue), September 2007
“Color Neutrals”, pages 28 & 30
“25 (Colorful) Neutrals”, pages 90-93
House Beautiful Magazine (Fall Color Issue), September 2008
“Colors of Nature”, pages 130-131
House Beautiful Magazine (Fall Color Issue), September 2009
“What’s Your Color Personality? Ask a Numerologist”, page 94
“Ask a Color Consultant – Three of the Best Tell You How to Arrive at Inspired Color Choices”, page 97
House Beautiful Magazine (Fall Color Issue), September 2010, “Patina”, page 126
House Beautiful Magazine (Fall Color Issue), September 2011, “Color for Artwork”, page 38 and “Colors of the Deep South”, Editor’s page 83
House Beautiful Magazine (Spring Color Issue), March 2012, “Color – Favorite Greens: Twelve Major Players in Design Tell Us the Shade They Love the Most”, pages 22-24
House Beautiful Magazine, June 2012, “Life-Changing Paint Colors”, page 20
House Beautiful Magazine, October 2012, “Paint Palette”, page 52
House Beautiful Magazine, October 2014, “Daring Paint Colors”
House Beautiful Magazine, Dec/Jan 2015, “A Colorful Life”, pages 68-75
Houzz.com, December 2013, “Cottage Comforts in the Louisiana Woods”
Dwell Magazine, Spring 2013, Special Issue: Renovate Today, “Paint”, pages 160-161
Southern Accents Magazine, March-April 2006
“Ellen Kennon: The Louisiana Designer Introduces Her Clients to the Therapeutic Effects of Color through Her Full-Spectrum Paints”, page 202
Renovation Style Magazine, Summer 2005
“Renovation Journal: Vivid Colors”
“Color Your World” Editorial photo
“What’s Your Color? Blue”, pages 8, 28 & 54
The Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2006
The Home Front: “Decorators Name Names”, page 10W
The New York Times, Sunday, July 24, 2005
“Before Scraping and Priming, Just Point and Click”
The New York Times, November 1, 2007
Home & Garden: “Room to Improve”
New York Magazine, March 8, 2010
Great Rooms: “Living with a Thousand Best Friends”
Palm Beach Cottages & Gardens, February 2005
“What’s New: Make Your Own Hue”, page 26
Home Living Connecticut, Winter 2006
“Passion for Paint”, page 22-23
Beautiful Southern Homes, Spring/Summer 2007
“Glowing Paint”, page 11
Palo Alto Weekly, Home & Garden Design, July 21, 2006
“Color Magic: Full Spectrum Paints Offer Many More Options”
Louisiana Homes & Gardens Magazine, July 2007
“Little Cabin in the Woods”, pages 58-67
Business Report (Special 25th Anniversary Issue), September 25, 2007
“Local Color/Divine Design”, pages 28-29
InRegister, July 2010
“Full Spectrum Paint: For Ellen Kennon, Color Communicates in a Language of its Own”, pages 14 & 15
InRegister, February 2017 “Design Tip: Ellen Kennon on picking perfect paint colors“
InRegister, June 2017 “Design Tip: Ellen Kennon on painting ceilings“
Country Roads Magazine, August 2010
“The Schoolmarm, The Mountain Man and the Bridge Between them”, pages 36-39
The Times Picayune, May 7, 2005
Inside/Out: “Sample Sale: Native Sun”
The Advocate, Sunday Business Section, June 4, 2006
“Kennon’s Palette”, Cover & page 21
The Forum News: Fall 2007 Builder & Buyers Guide
“Across the Spectrum”
The Advocate, September 24, 2007
“Tapping History: Plantations Part of Artist’s ‘Mystical World’”, Section E, pages 1 & 6
The Times-Picayune, September 15, 2007
“Back from the Brink: Artist Hunt Slonem Brings a Forgotten Plantation Back from the Brink”, pages 28-30
AOL Home, “Paints That Bring Emotion to Your Walls”, (www.shelterpop.com) January 29, 2010
Sensational Color (www.sensationalcolor.com)
“Behind the Brand: Full Spectrum Paints – Ellen Kennon: Finding the Key to Her Secret Garden”
House Painting Tutorials (www.housepaintingtutorials.com) “Interview with Ellen Kennon – Creator of Full Spectrum Paints and Holistic Interior Designer”, January 2010
Books, Television & iPad Apps:
House Beautiful 500+ Favorite Paint Colors iPad App, “Color Personality Quiz” by Ellen Kennon and our “Mushroom” is an “Editor’s Pick” as one of the 4 top browns. “Buttercream”, “Tuscan Sun” and “Seafoam” colors are also featured in the “Paint River”
House Beautiful – The Home Book: Creating A Beautiful Home of Your Own, “Expert Insight-Creating A Holistic Bedroom” interview with Interior Designer Ellen Kennon, pages 374 & 375 and “Colorful Opinions: Neutrals”, page 349
House Beautiful – 500+ Favorite Paint Colors, “Neutrals”, page 12, “25 Colorful Neutrals” page 17, “What’s Your Color Personality: Ask a Numerologist” page 56, “Ask a Color Consultant: Three of the Best Arrive at Inspired Color Choices” page 57, “101 Colors From Nature: Water” page 82, “101 Colors From Nature: Earth” page 83
House Beautiful – Colors For Your Home: 493 Designer Favorites (Expanded Edition), pages 45, 55, 170, 281 & 284
House Beautiful – Colors For Your Home: 300 Designer Favorites, “Soothing Neutrals” pages 45 & 55
House Beautiful – Style 101: 400 Designer Secrets to a Beautiful Home, “Color Consultation” page 186
Chasing Matisse, a novel by James Morgan, pages 140-141 (quoted philosophy on color therapy).
When Art Meets Design by Hunt Slonem, pages 9, 10, 27 & 288
Pleasure Palaces: The Art & Homes of Hunt Slonem, “Interview with the Artist”, page 198
ColorFlow: Discover Your Perfect Colors Experience Life’s Easy Flow, by Patricia Kay Lebow, page 193.
Choosing Easy World, by Julia Rogers Hamrick, pages 177 & 236.
Feng Shui Fun, by Trisha Keel, PhD, “Enhancing Your Wisdom and Small Earth Energy”, page 88.
Simply Color for Everyday Living, by Diantha Harris.
April 13, 2008: CBS Sunday Morning, segment on Hunt Slonem which showcases the colors we created especially for his Ogden Museum Exhibit in New Orleans.