Robin Gray: Architect, Designer, World Traveler
Bringing over four decades of experience to both the architecture world and the design world, Robin Gray sets herself apart by having the ability to design homes and the rugs inside them.
Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Gray’s family did a lot of moving around and traveling which ultimately led to her becoming a world traveler. Her father was in the steel business and later a developer so over the years Gray was fascinated by the process of architects designing her family’s homes.
“His appreciation of architecture is what inspired me and why he eventually went into developing,” said Gray. “I would visit the sites after hours and find where the key was hidden and let myself in to snoop and look at layout and finishes, etc.”
She added, “I also took drafting classes in high school and so enjoyed the process of drawing and designing.”
Gray eventually tried to major in Architecture but was unfairly told that women were meant to be interior designers and not architects so she went into design/interior design. After a year and a half of school she enrolled in the University of Munich which led to more traveling and allowed her to see the architecture of the Europe and Asia. When she returned to the United States she continued school and then worked for an architect in the Caribbean for five years. At that point she decided it was time to become an architect herself and moved to New York City where she spent a year at the Parsons School of Design before transferring to the Pratt Institute where she earned her degree.
In addition to her travels and schooling, Gray has been a fiber artist most of her life with skills that include batik, tie-dye, weaving, contemporary quilts. She credits her grandmother as one of her most significant influences as she took Gray to many museums and galleries as a child and taught her traditional needlework skills and sewing.
After spending time in Europe, Asia, New York and the British Virgin Islands, among other corners of the world, Gray now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico – a place she’s called home for almost 24 years. But she definitely still travels – especially to the places where her weavers live such as Turkey, Nepal, India and Mexico.
“The people I work with are genuine and honest and beautiful,” she explained. “I have become especially close to my weavers in India and at the time very close to the family in Mexico. The use of color and pattern in both of those countries is amazing and continues to inspire my work.
Gray has also found good friends right here in Colorado – Larry and Jane from The Scarab. She met them many years ago through a mutual friend and after a snowy drive from Santa Fe to Minturn, Gray remembers being “welcomed with open arms and great enthusiasm.”
“I love everyone who works at The Scarab!,” she said. “Also, Larry has been so amazingly supportive of my designs! I think it is that general enthusiasm, excitement and honesty that make me want to work with and do my best for them.”
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