A Life By Design

Kyle admits the design and construction plans changed frequently. Many times he wouldn’t know what he wanted—or what he didn’t want—until he saw it. He tells of lining the ground with duct tape to show the builders the exact shape and size he wanted for rooms. Another time he was approaching his home by boat from the waterway connected to the back of his house. “The balcony looked out of proportion,” he describes, so Kyle had a sandstone pergola designed to create balance in the outdoor living space. When he couldn’t find interior columns to complement the six-layers of crown moulding found throughout the home, he had them made. That attention to detail and commitment to getting it right is what makes Kyle the success he is. In fact, some of the people who worked on his home say Kyle’s perfectionist streak has had an impact on them. “Some of the contractors have come back to tell me they’re bored with what they’re doing now,” says Kyle. “They’re seeing things in a more creative light and want to try new techniques.”

Now, while all that changing would have frustrated some builders to nightmare proportions, Paul Prete wasn’t one of them. “Paul paid attention to the details, too. He was patient and listened to what I wanted,” says Kyle of his Vermilion-based builder. “I showed him pictures of everything I liked from courtyards to ceiling moulding,” he says. “When I was in other cities for business, I would drive around to look at houses in my spare time,” explains Kyle. He got the idea to use sandstone rather than concrete for exterior columns and architectural details from homes he saw in Dallas , Texas. The soft textured look and color of the stone stand out in contrast to the standard concrete of many Lake Erie homes. “Nothing is planned, I see what I like and I go from there,” Kyle says.

He uses the same design process for the interior. Many items in his home are things he bought simply because he liked them. He would store them until he found the perfect location or design a space for the items in his new home. Once when shopping, a designer asked him what his “style” was. Kyle laughs telling the story. Unable to pinpoint a style, he looked around and pointed to a Greek architectural print. “That’s my style,” he told the designer, referring to the drawing’s subtle metallic hues and strong architectural lines. Many of the colors and lines of the prints are mirrored in the home’s decorative columns and mouldings and in the various items Kyle displays: glass, metal, leather, silk, velvets, feathers, fruits... cereal. Yes, Kyle Camp sees beauty in Cheerios. And frankly, they look great in his kitchen displayed in tall decorative glass.

The unexpected pairing is a trademark of many K&K designs found in stores, like a decorative glass container containing hundreds of miniature marshmallows. The difference for the home accessory, however, is that the marshmallows are decorative, not edible. Many of the items in Kyle’s home are designed by his staff of ten talented designers. Whether they’re creating fruit, flowers or classic decorative reproductions, their items all look incredibly real. Again, it’s in the tiny details, like the hydrangeas in Kyle’s pool room which include blossoms that appear to be fading. The room is one of his favorite spaces, “I’ve always dreamt of this room,” he says, admiring its balance and uniformity. But it’s also about a feeling he gets when he’s in the room. It all goes back to his design theory, which is simply to “surround yourself with what you love and with what you think is beautiful.” It’s the same reason that the world traveler makes his home on Lake Erie.