Kristi Kennimer is the quintessential multitasker. She’s a store owner, buyer, artist, interior and textile designer – and don’t forget mom.
Her Lovers Lane shop is named after her oldest daughter, Scarlet Reagan. It’s light, bright, and vibrant – just like Kennimer herself. “It’s fun, it’s maximalist. I want people to come here when they want to be inspired.”
What they’ll find is an eclectic mix of Kennimer’s contemporary art, furniture, decorative items, jewelry, and gifts. “I buy things that make me happy,” she said pointing to an orange and white kimono. “These are perfect for Dallas in the summer. You go into a restaurant and it’s freezing.”
It’s a simple buying philosophy: “Anything that makes my life better that I can offer to others, I do.”
Kennimer calls art the “hub” of everything she does – large-scale abstract oils, the majority of them custom. “It’s a process I’ve been doing for 20-plus years. I really get to know the person commissioning the piece. When I’m painting the layers, I’m thinking about their life and their trajectory.”
The self-taught artist started painting in college. Energetic and creative by nature, a bout with the flu inspired her to paint over an old canvas she’d gotten from a friend’s attic. Turns out, she was good.
“I knew right away I had to figure this thing out. I started buying textbooks on art techniques and color mixing,” Kennimer said.
Winning best-in-show in an art competition was not only a surprise – it was a validation. Still, she kept her job in advertising, where she learned how to run a business.
Kennimer also kept painting. A lot.
Enough to open the original Scarlet Reagan, a small space in Lakewood. “I started that store with nothing – just art on the walls,” she said.
Her foray into interiors had an equally auspicious start. “As I was getting off the ground, I wasn’t doing interior design. But a VIP customer kept asking me to do her home.”
She finally agreed. One job led to another. And another.
Scarlet Reagan was ready for a larger space. After a year and a half search – and five failed contracts – Kennimer moved into the store’s current location. “The natural light, the tall ceilings, are perfect. Waiting for the right spot was a blessing in disguise.”
Not one to rest on her laurels, the charismatic artist/designer plans to grow her line of art-inspired, custom wallpapers. “To actually develop the line where I can produce the textiles and have bolts of fabric brought in, to have samples out and really market them, that’s my dream.”
We asked. Kennimer answered.
Describe your aesthetic: “Happy, edgy, a little wild.”
How do you balance work and family? “I put it away from dinner to bedtime. But I find pockets of time to work that other people can’t see.”
What inspires you? “Everything. And when I learn the story behind something, that’s when I get really excited.” Case in point: A little French restaurant with old white tile. “They used gold to fill in the cracks. I loved the way that looked.”
Guilty pleasure: “Pool parties.”
Best advice you’ve ever received: “Listen to your gut.” And given: “The tables always turn. I just believe you have to be good to people, no matter what their circumstances. And if you imagine that the tables will turn someday – that one day maybe you’ll need their help – you’ll be better to them.”
