Corey Damen Jenkins: Classic Interiors With No Expiration Date
NYC-based designer Corey Damen Jenkins, winner of HGTV’s Showhouse Showdown, loves to mix vivid colors with layered patterns for an inventive and unique look. His inspirations come from both old and new: classic design elements such as dark brown wooden furniture and the haute couture runway.
“My goal is to ensure that my clients’ projects are always classic, livable, and without an expiration date,” Corey states.
His new book, Design Remix: A New Spin on Traditional Rooms, showcases what he calls his “colorful, youthful traditionalism.” In the book, he illustrates how to reimagine vintage interior decor for modern tastes. This includes techniques such as pairing light and dark colors, accessorizing with couture-inspired decor, highlighting a traditional interior with minimalist accessories, and creating a salon-style wall to showcase artwork.
Professional Recognition
Corey is an inducted member of Elle Decor’s A-List and Architectural Design’s AD100 List. He’s served as a guest expert on the Rachael Ray show and Open House TV and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, House and Garden, the New York Times, and the Detroit News. Traditional Home magazine also awarded him the New Trad Rising Star of Design.
Invited to teach a MasterClass, he produced a program teaching viewers how to craft their visions with lighting, color, patterns, and furniture.
“Corey’s magic is in making any space feel polished, inventive, and timeless while still making design accessible to everyone,” said David Rogier, founder and CEO of MasterClass.
Corey was invited to design the formal “Ladies Library” in 2019 and Dining Room in 2021 for the renowned Kips Bay Decorator Show House. His goal in 2021 was to showcase the “point where antiquity and modernity meet in a post-pandemic world.”
Starting with the tented room style made famous by Napoleon, Corey surrounded two modern tables with Louis XVI chairs, brass lamps, and a Versailles parquet floor.
He considered that the tables could be used for modern purposes that took off during the pandemic, including supervising children as they study or running a home office.
Also, in keeping with his repurposed vintage sensibility, he was chosen to design the speakeasy for Flower magazine’s first-ever showhouse. It celebrates the merging of Art Deco, Neoclassicism, and modernity, with a palette of blush, creme, black, robin’s egg, merlot, sage green, and gold.
This was unveiled in Atlanta in September, and according to Corey, was a statement that one can design underground rooms that are fresh and light, not stereotypically dark and moody like a “man cave.”
In his regular work, Corey loves to incorporate and repurpose historical elements, including Regency mirrors, wood-carved flourishes from centuries ago, and entire homes built in the 18th century.
He incorporates bright colors, including yellows, and modern furniture comfortable for lounging, making the places livable and elegant.
Other Artistic Expressions
Corey also creates lead and ink portraits, and his most recent series, “Mouths Wide Open,” showcases people of various race and gender vocalizing. These include an Asian opera singer, a Jewish rabbi, and a breast cancer survivor expressing her determination.
In addition, in a partnership with Aria Stone Gallery, Corey carves pieces that highlight and accentuate the natural beauty of the marble and quartzite raw materials he uses, formed over thousands of years. Also, he designs art nouveau fabric through Kravet Couture and furniture through Hancock and Moore.
He is a major supporter of the Boys and Girls Club and founded a mentorship and scholarship program with the New York School of Interior Design.
Through giving back to up-and-coming designers, he hopes to carry the long tradition of beautiful living spaces into the future.
TROORA MAGAZINE | MARCH 2023
WRITTEN BY CRISTINA DEPTULA
PHOTO CREDIT COREY DAMEN JENKINS
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