15 Minutes with Tamara Kaye-Honey
Author:Lindsey ShookHouse of Honey’s founder and creative director Tamara Kaye-Honey has been a pioneering voice in California design for years. Her work has even graced two or three of our covers. While raised in Canada, Honey possesses the true essence of the cool California girl that everyone wants to know. We spoke with Honey about her all-girl team, her love of art and her aspirations to be an F1 driver.
-House of Honey is women-led. Why is it important to you to be a female-run business? We are a team of 12 women supporting women. That’s a good amount of support for me as I’m an only child and have always wanted sisters.Last year I broke both my knee and my femur and my House of Honey family helped me get through that very difficult period. As a mom of a 21-year- old daughter, I strongly believe in our unique voices and like to think we contribute to a modern perspective and represent a future of inclusion, which ultimately creates a greater sense of community. We have the great honor to work with an array of talented professionals, and although we will always celebrate beautiful work regardless of gender, I feel inherently compelled to nurture an ethos deeply rooted in the empowerment of female artists, makers and women-owned businesses.
-Your work is playful, colorful, art-driven and sultry. What is the firm’s process for bringing out these elements in a space? We begin with our love letter questionnaire, which is less about design and more about what lights a client up. Knowing things like where they had their most memorable meal; the title of the last book they read; if our client is a night owl; or what song is on repeat—these bits of info help us understand the way they live. From there we mine the inspiration that will inform our narrative. It’s also a super fun and light-hearted way to begin the process and take the pressure off. At the end of the day, it needs to be fun, and my fulfilment comes from creating spaces that bring joy to others. The biggest compliment I can receive is being asked to come experience a home we have designed in action.
-Who or what has been your biggest influence throughout your career when it comes to creativity and business? Experiences, travel and so many museums and small galleries around the world. Some of my favorites are the Fondazione Prada in Milan, YSL Museum in Marrakech, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain and the Pierre Cardin Exhibit|SCAD in Lacoste. I also love the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Somerset, and the Piero Atchugarry Sculpture Park in Uruguay. Locally of course, The Broad in Downtown L.A. We designed Otium, the restaurant next door, so we were lucky enough to have many experiences at the museum.
-What is one piece of advice you would give a young female designer? Trust your instinct and be authentically you. Reference the trends in magazines and social media as information only—take what you like and leave the rest and always add vintage. I have been collecting for decades and have sold on 1stDibs for years. There is nothing more special than discovering that rare piece that speaks to you and finding a place to give it a new life.
-Which California destination is your favorite? I may be biased as I have a home and design studio in this charming little coastal town, but Montecito for sure. Growing up in Nova Scotia, I really wanted my kids to have a bit of the sea, the sunshine and a laid-back lifestyle. It even inspired one of our new interior scents, Ortega, which is a love letter to the tree- lined winding road I drive to the beach. I think fragrance is an essential element in design.
-If you weren’t a designer, what would your career be? I love vintage cars and have been told many times that I have a lead foot, so maybe a race car driver—F1 is my happy place.
