Kevin Walz: 1994 Hall of Fame Inductee
Photo courtesy of Wolf-Gordon.
A sense of finesse, the delightful surprise of common materials taken to uncommon heights, the sensitivity to light and nuances of color associated with refined painting. These are the qualities that pervade a Walz interior–be it a commercial setting or residence-created honestly and directly to enhance the quality of life of its occupants.
The reference to the fine arts is not an arbitrary association, but one grounded in fact. Until 1978 Kevin Walz was a painter, having studied fine arts at Pratt Institute and painting at the New York Studio School under Philip Gustion and Esteban Vicente. He turned to interiors (Walz Design, New York) when unsolicited commisions came from clients intrigued by the design of his own living/working loft located in the then-unfashionable section of Chelsea. Yet he cites painting and sculpture as his continual and primary sources of influence along with “non-architectural structures, industrial and agricultural forms.” In 1990 he founded
Walzworkinc.
Mr. Walz’s biography lists a selective array of finely detailed interior installations coupled with signature product collections, numerous awards and acclaim by the design press worldwide. The same year Mr. Walz was inducted into the Hall of Fame, 1994 he was the recipient of the American Academy of Rome’s prestigious Rome Prize. Recently returned from the Eternal City after 19 years and settled in East Harlem, where he lives and works, Walz has chosen to focus time teaching at Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design, while continuing his practice of interior spaces and signature collections of products and making art.
Clients and projects include: the Amy and John Wickersham residence, Mamaroneck, NY and Sag Harbor, NY; the Steve Hudson residence, Rome, Contessa Elvira Vaselli residence, Rome, the pop-up shop Walz Window Shop, Rome, Guy and Joyce Gorelik residence, Santa Monica, the Nicole and John Wilmot residence, NY; the Treat and Pam Williams residence, NY; The American Academy in Rome, Villa Chiaraviglio, Rome; the Richard and Carole Rifkind residence, Amagansset, NY; Time Life Photo Laboratories, Time Warner, NY;The Island Trading Company, NY; Fenn Wright and Manson, NY and LA; the Dana Delany residence, Santa Monica, CA; The American Felt Building, New York; Patisserie Lanciani, NY: The Lillian August Collection, Greenwich, CT and other retail locations; Otto Tootsi Plohound, NY; Bronstein Berman and Associates, NY; the Adri residence, NY; the Jade Alpert residence, NY; the Richard Price-Judy Hudson residence, NY; the Dick Tarlow-Sandy Carlsen residence, Shelter Island, NY; Vittorio Ricci, NY; Midtown Electric, NY; the Barbara and Ira Sahlman residence, NY; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Portland, ME.
Licenses: Arc International, Baldinger Architectural Lighting, DesignTex, Ilex Architectural Lighting, Jado, KorQinc, Pucci International, Tufenkian Carpets and Wolf-Gordon. Mr. Walz’s product designs include: Underlay/Overlay Collection for Wolf-Gordon, Mercury Series for Ilex Architectural Lighting, Pucci International, a furniture collection; KorQLife by Kevin Walz, a collection of vases, trays and platters for KorQinc; The KorQ/Walz Flooring Collection for KorQinc; Designer’s Reserve, two new collections of handmade rugs, Tufenkian Carpets; The Kevin Walz Collection for One Plus One, wall coverings, DesignTex; KorQ/Walz Collection of Architectural Products, KorQinc; Designer’s Reserve, the second collection of handmade rugs, Tufenkian Carpets; The Kevin Walz collection, lighting, Baldinger Architectural Lighting; The KorQ/Walz Collection, residential/contract furniture, KorQinc; The Kevin Walz Collection for One Plus One, collection of fabrics, DesignTex; Designer’s Reserve, collection of handmade rugs, Tufenkian Carpets; The Kevin Walz Collection, bath fittings and hardware, Jade; The Second Collection, furniture and lighting, Arc International; The First Furniture Collection, furniture and lighting, Arc International.
Exhibitions include:
Icons,
Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York,
AltaModaRoma
, Rome,
Home Sweet Home
, 7Eleven Gallery, New York, Art,
Kevin Walz: Furniture, Lighting,
Ralph Pucci International,
Detour: The Moleskin Notebook Experience
, New York,
Insomnia
, Cenci Gallery, Rome, t
he chair,
The Galleries of the American Academy in Rome,
FAAR OUT: The American Academy in Rome
, Art Director’s Club Gallery, New York,
Kevin Walz: Furniture, Art
, Ralph Pucci International, New York,
Carrefour de la creation
, Centre Pompidou, Paris,
Studiaperti
, Commune di Roma, Rome,
Beauty without Regrets
, Bellas Artes Gallery, Santa Fe,
Corian Design Exhibition
, Spazio Cioassino, Milan,
Good Design
, Chicago Atheneum, Chicago,
Kevin Walz: Art
, The American Academy in Rome, Rome,
Group Show
, Tz’Art Gallery, New York,
Progressive Architecture Affordable Housing
, Columbus, OH,
Mondo Materialis
, Cooper Hewett, New York,
Edible Architecture
, Sotheby’s, New York,
Chair Art
, Scott-Fanton Museum, CT,
Group Show
, Artist’s Space, New York
