Corey Damen Jenkins: Classic Interiors With No Expiration Date
Words | Cristina Deptula
Before the read
What makes Corey Damen Jenkins’s design style both classic and fresh for today’s homes?
Discover how color, pattern layering, and vintage elements come together to create livable luxury that never feels dated.
How does Corey remix traditional rooms for modern living
Find out the techniques from couture inspired accessories to minimalist accents that refresh antique decor.
Which design ideas set apart Corey’s approach in shows and books
Learn what drives his color boldness, use of light and dark contrasts, and the salon style wall that showcases art in a timeless way.
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NYC-based designer Corey Damen Jenkins, winner of HGTV’s Showhouse Showdown, loves to mix vivid colors with layered patterns for an inventive and unique look. His inspirations come from both old and new: classic design elements such as dark brown wooden furniture and the haute couture runway.
“My goal is to ensure that my clients’ projects are always classic, livable, and without an expiration date,” Corey states.
The Black Interior designer has released a new book, Design Remix: A New Spin on Traditional Rooms, showcases what he calls his “colorful, youthful traditionalism.” In the book, he illustrates how to reimagine vintage interior decor for modern tastes. This includes techniques such as pairing light and dark colors, accessorizing with couture-inspired decor, highlighting a traditional interior with minimalist accessories, and creating a salon-style wall to showcase artwork.
Corey Damen Jenkins
Corey Damen Jenkins’s Career
Corey is an inducted member of Elle Decor’s A-List and Architectural Design’s AD100 List. He’s served as a guest expert on the Rachael Ray show and Open House TV and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, House and Garden, the New York Times, and the Detroit News. Traditional Home magazine also awarded him the New Trad Rising Star of Design.
Invited to teach a MasterClass, he produced a program teaching viewers how to craft their visions with lighting, color, patterns, and furniture.
“Corey’s magic is in making any space feel polished, inventive, and timeless while still making design accessible to everyone,” said David Rogier, founder and CEO of MasterClass.
Corey was invited to design the formal “Ladies Library” in 2019 and Dining Room in 2021 for the renowned Kips Bay Decorator Show House. His goal in 2021 was to showcase the “point where antiquity and modernity meet in a post-pandemic world.”
Corey Damen Jenkins- Kips Bay Dallas
Corey Damen Jenkins- Kips Bay Dallas
Starting with the tented room style made famous by Napoleon, Corey surrounded two modern tables with Louis XVI chairs, brass lamps, and a Versailles parquet floor. He considered that the tables could be used for modern purposes that took off during the pandemic, including supervising children as they study or running a home office.
Also, in keeping with his repurposed vintage sensibility, he was chosen to design the speakeasy for Flower magazine’s first-ever showhouse. It celebrates the merging of Art Deco, Neoclassicism, and modernity, with a palette of blush, creme, black, robin’s egg, merlot, sage green, and gold. This was unveiled in Atlanta in September, and according to Corey, was a statement that one can design underground rooms that are fresh and light, not stereotypically dark and moody like a “man cave.”
In his regular work, Corey loves to incorporate and repurpose historical elements, including Regency mirrors, wood-carved flourishes from centuries ago, and entire homes built in the 18th century. He incorporates bright colors, including yellows, and modern furniture comfortable for lounging, making the places livable and elegant.
Corey Damen Jenkins- Bath Room
Corey Damen Jenkins- Plymouth Residence
Corey Damen Jenkins- Summit Historical Home
Corey Damen Jenkins- Summit Historical Home
Other Artistic Expressions
Corey also creates lead and ink portraits, and his most recent series, “Mouths Wide Open,” showcases people of various race and gender vocalizing. These include an Asian opera singer, a Jewish rabbi, and a breast cancer survivor expressing her determination.
In addition, in a partnership with Aria Stone Gallery, Corey carves pieces that highlight and accentuate the natural beauty of the marble and quartzite raw materials he uses, formed over thousands of years. Also, he designs art nouveau fabric through Kravet Couture and furniture through Hancock and Moore.
He is a major supporter of the Boys and Girls Club and founded a mentorship and scholarship program with the New York School of Interior Design.
Through giving back to up-and-coming designers, he hopes to carry the long tradition of beautiful living spaces into the future.
Corey Damen Jenkins blends bold color with layered patterns to achieve colorful, youthful traditionalism in modern spaces.
The book Design Remix guides reimagining vintage decor for today with techniques like light and dark color pairing and couture inspired accents.
Corey's projects demonstrate antiquity meeting modernity in post pandemic living, including revived rooms like a Versailles inspired setting.
He emphasizes livable luxury using historical elements such as Regency mirrors and 18th century wood carvings in contemporary layouts.
Beyond interiors, Corey creates art, collaborates on marble and stone pieces, and supports design education through mentorship programs.
The approach showcases how to design polished spaces that feel timeless, accessible, and ready for current lifestyle needs.
This article highlights Corey's influence on the next generation of designers and his commitment to giving back to communities like the Boys and Girls Club.
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