Kenneth | Raymond Design is an Interior Architecture and Design firm now based in Yountville. Founded in 1993 by Kenneth Deposki and Raymond Marceau, they have worked throughout the United States, from California’s gold coast to the eastern seaboard and many parts in between!
Sitting down with Ken and Ray for a glass of wine is like sitting down with your best friends. The perfect duo, Ken is the design genius while Ray keeps the business end in order along with his real estate dealings in finding the perfect properties in need of a remodel. He has worked in the Real Estate field for years and recently joined Yountville’s premier Real Estate firm Vintage Sotheby’s International Realty which has become the perfect fit.
When I asked how they ended up settling in Yountville, they said it’s a story of an unending passion for life, love and adventure. Then of course there’s the business which they both embrace with their respective talents.
Ken and Ray met just before Ray was set to move to Amsterdam to study abroad nearly 30 years ago. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and that was definitely true for these two. Upon Ray’s return from Europe, it was clear they had formed a connection driving both their personal and professional lives for many years to come.
After completing a total reconstruction of their first home together, an early 20th Century Historical Craftsman Bungalow just outside St. Louis, the couple launched their interior design business. Five years later after putting the St. Louis house on the market, they decided to take a weekend trip to Southern California.
The trip would greatly influence the direction of their future. On a particularly warm SoCal day, they took a drive up the coast towards Santa Barbara. Not dressed for the hot weather, they stopped in a Malibu men’s store to pick up something more weather appropriate. As Ken went to pay the sales clerk, he saw the St. Louis arch on Ken’s credit card. Charles the store manager just happened to be best friends with the assistant of an NFL franchise located in St. Louis.
The weekend led to an introduction with the team’s owner who promptly invited them to dinner at one of the couple’s favorite restaurants and one in which Ken played a design role.
Coincidentally, the team was close to becoming that years NFC Champions and went on to play and ultimately win Super Bowl 34 in Atlanta. In preparation for all the pomp and circumstance around the upcoming Super Bowl the team owner was in need of having several of her properties re-modeled quickly. Kenneth Raymond Design fit the bill and got right to work. Social dinners become a regular occurrence for years to come affording them the opportunity to meet many of Hollywood’s old guard as well as distinguished politicians from around the country further expanding their brand and unique sense of design and lifestyle. They started to travel with the team’s owner and began new work in Arizona and southern California while continuing to service their clients in the Mid-West. As the business blossomed throughout the country Ken and Ray stayed very grounded while continuing to build their brand and reputation.
Having newly experienced the climate and lifestyle of the Southwest they made the decision to pack up and move to San Diego, with a couple stops in Arizona along the way. It was via San Diego they would eventually find their way to Yountville.
Ken and Ray, were first introduced to the Napa Valley by a long time high school friend of Ray’s. It was through that friend their path would be altered once again. The couple would often travel from San Diego to the Napa Valley to visit with she and her husband while now working in both Southern and Northern California. An opportunity presented itself to Ken and Ray which would include a re-model venture in the hillside community of the Silverado Highlands. They decided to sell their home in San Diego and move full-time to Napa and remodel the home in Silverado. They moved into the Silverado house October 1st, 2017, six days prior the wildfires on October 7, 2017 which inevitably burned down.
For most people this might have been a sign to move back to San Diego or somewhere else, but for these guys it ultimately led them to Yountville and quickly to the Yountville Chamber of Commerce. The couple had already fallen in love with the Yountville community enjoying many delicious dinners meeting new friends at their favorite haunts Ad Hoc and the Bouchon Bistro. Everyday in Yountville became a new adventure as the community welcomed them with open arms. Our Yountville community gave them a feeling of safety while they recovered from the conflagration preparing them to take the Napa Valley and Yountville by storm.
Prior to the Pandemic, Ken and Ray were at every Yountville Chamber event, excited to meet new people and talk about their love of design, food, wine and of course the Yountville Chamber where Ken proudly serves as a board adviser.
”The Yountville Chamber has been so important to what we do personally and professionally in Yountville,” says Ken. Ray mentions how refreshing it is to be part of an organization run by three professionals who just happen to be extremely talented women always working to make Yountville and Napa Valley a better place for us all.
Since COVID-19, Kenneth | Raymond Design has been busier than ever. People stuck inside their homes are wanting more than ever to enjoy their beautiful home and Ken and Ray know exactly how to deliver you the dream space you have always wanted!
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