In the fall issue of aspire design and home we delve into the world of DESIGN DUOS, examining their synergy, successful collaborations and the unique dynamics that make their (personal and professional) partnerships thrive.
K Interiors + PeñaMade
Designer Kristen Peña & Woodworker/Furniture designer Luis Peña
How and when did you meet?
Kristen: A million years ago! No really, in 1997 when I moved to San Francisco. We’ve been married almost 25 years. It’s insane how it feels like the blink of an eye — most of the time that is!
Luis: In a kitchen in the Haight. I had been camping all weekend, rock climbing, and watching a comet. I got home starving and heard our friend Molly had a BBQ and might have some food left. I let myself in, because they were all watching a movie, and was munching on leftovers when Kristen walked in. Love at first sight. I asked her out four times, all to no! Then I tried the nuclear option and cut my long hair off, and she relented. Twenty-five years later, she still won’t let me grow it long!
How long have you been collaborating creatively?
Kristen: This is the third industry we have worked together in. We are both just so capable and driven that we tend to like to do most things ourselves, so it just keeps happening that we collaborate and somehow, it always works!
Luis: From the beginning. We ended up working in the same ad agency and made a lot of cool stuff together. Then we had our girls, and Kristen started a kid’s clothing line, and I drew the illustrations and graphics with her. Then she became the rockstar interior designer that she is, and we began making furniture together. She’s my creative director, and I drive her crazy.
Photo by Christopher Stark.
This or that…
Are you a morning person or nocturnal?
Kristen: 100 percent a morning person. I’m up and barking orders before my feet hit the ground. He has learned that if coffee is next to my bed when that happens, things are better for him!
Luis: I’m a night guy. A lot of my best creative moments are deep into the night. Thankfully Kristen sleeps hard so she doesn’t hear all the music and video games that are usually going on downstairs.
Do you prefer phone calls or Zoom/video?
Kristen: Phone calls. Talk to me in person – that’s even better!
Luis: I like seeing people’s faces when I’m presenting an idea. I can tell quickly if it’s going well or not. But honestly, I try hard to find dead zones in the mountains to escape both.
Photo by Brad Knipstein.
Is your office neat and organized or messy/creatively cluttered?
Kristen: Neat and organized before I can be my best self creatively or otherwise.
Luis: My office is our kitchen counter, and it’s the messiest spot in the house, though my woodshop is super organized for me. I need things in expected places, or they are lost forever.
Are you a social butterfly or do you prefer the comforts of home?
Kristen: HOME HOME HOME.
Luis: Let’s party! I like hanging out with friends and meeting new folks. Even on Ultramarathons, I cross the finish line with multiple new friends.
Photo by Christopher Stark.
My favorite period in design is…
Kristen: I’d say probably after I’ve sifted through all my ideas and solidified a direction. Still so much to do, but I feel confident and solid enough with where it is going.
Luis: I see design as language — each element communicates an emotion and feel. Materials like marble harken back to the elegance of Greek Classical, and wood gives warmth and trust. Circles remind me of kindergarten and play. Combine them all like a song, and that’s my favorite style.
I am creatively inspired by…
Kristen: Travel. The deeper I can get into a culture and the more behind closed doors the better. I will walk a city from end to end to not miss a thing.
Luis: I’m with Kristen on this — travel. Kristen and I see the world as pure design. I learned this early while backpacking in Central America in the ’90s. Collecting everything from old cigarette packages to mosquito coils, I came back as a supercharged designer. Now seeing the world through her pretty eyes has opened up mine even more. Throw on some Radiohead, get lost in a Moroccan alley, and I am ready to learn.
Photo by Brad Knipstein.
The best part of working together is…
Kristen: Oh dear… this is hard. We are really creative together. but our styles of work are SO DIFFERENT. I think coming up with the initial ideas and sketches together is the best part, and then handing him off to my team seems to keep the marriage intact!
Luis: Laughing. We are as opposite as it comes, and it’s fun. We make pretty things together.
Click here to see more from our Design Duos series.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.