About Our Team

F L O R I D A - V I R G I N I A - M A S S A C H U S E T T S - M A I N E

Full service design studio specializing in residential interiors throughout the country.

Kelly Cook, Founder and Designer

At the heart of Orangerie Home stands Kelly Cook, who has a strong appreciation for art and beauty and a talent for making a house into a home. More than a decade of design experiences led her to open her own business in 2017, including time spent traveling across the country, designing homes for HGTV’s Dream Home, Smart Home, and Urban Oasis. On her travels, she worked with top architects and builders such as Patrick Ahearn and Ward Young, as well as noted designer and good friend Linda Woodrum.

For Kelly it all started in a home filled with the music of Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, where she grew up under the wing of her mother, a senior administrator at NASA, and her father, who studied at Ringling Art School. As she got older, she picked up technical skills from her stepfather, an aerospace engineer for NASA. Her love of interior design bloomed early, but it didn’t fully come to fruition until after receiving a degree in psychology when she decided to study interior design at Florida State College at Jacksonville. The degree in psychology provided a natural segue into the industry she loves, providing a canvas where the quirks and rituals of life can flourish.

Prior to HGTV, Kelly’s professional design foundation began with decorator Phoebe Howard, known for her timeless designs and retail stores, Mrs. Howard and Max & Company. She was responsible for managing many of Phoebe’s projects around the country as well as the opening of her Atlanta and Charlotte stores. Once returning to Jacksonville after traveling with HGTV, she further engaged herself in the design community while working with Schulte Design, creating and designing high-end custom homes alongside some of the city’s most talented architects and general contractors.

Today, her appreciation for French architecture, love of the color orange, and her upbringing in Florida paved the way for the name Orangerie Home, where she puts her experiences to good use making each home into a livable work of art. 

Brian Conover, Designer

Orangerie designer Brian Conover has been making the world around him more beautiful since 2005, when he quickly turned a sales position into a virtual merchandising experience at Rosenblum’s luxury clothing store, a family-owned business keeping Jacksonville dressed to the nines since 1901. Prior to that, he studied engineering at Florida State University, where he fine-tuned his appreciation for detail, and earned an interior design degree at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Feeding his interest in the creative arts, he also spent a summer at Skidmore College studying ceramics and life drawing, as well as a summer at the famed Parsons College in New York, studying photography.

After college, Brian began building his current portfolio, from building and overseeing retail window displays to immersing himself in residential décor and renovation projects. In 2008 at Mineral City in Ponte Vedra Beach, he helped turn the store into a home decorating destination, then worked for James Michael Howard as a design associate and project manager on jobs ranging from new building and décor to extensive remodeling. According to Mr. Howard, every line has a consequence; Brian, too, takes this design philosophy to heart.

Working under Jim and Phoebe Howard, Brian handled projects from Palm Beach to Southampton in a diverse array of locales, putting lessons learned in his multi-city childhood to work. As a kid, helping his family with renovation projects in each new residence instilled the sense that home can be as much a state of mind as a physical place.

Today, Brian brings his creative and technical expertise to his design role with Orangerie Home, where everything he touches is finished with an unparalleled level of polish.

Maggie Williams, Studio Assistant


Bio coming soon!

Photo coming soon!

Natalie Chebi, Project Assistant


Bio coming soon!

Photo coming soon!

Brenda Barnes, Office Manager/Bookkeeper

Brenda Barnes came to Orangerie Home after 33 years at NASA as a senior engineering administrator. For the space administration, she spent three decades working in Cape Canaveral after starting out in Huntsville, Alabama, and working her way up through the organization. Now, as the business manager for Orangerie Home, she continues to bring a wealth of knowledge and dedication to work every day, keeping every “i” dotted, each “t” crossed, and all the books in order, no matter how busy the season might be.

 The team entrusts Brenda with the company’s day-to-day financial transactions and administrative affairs, and the entire crew appreciates her eagle-eyed attention to fine details. Born in Orlando, she grew up all over the world as the daughter of a Marine and Air Force officer. Now married with four children and four grandchildren, Brenda loves gardening at home in Jacksonville. On weekends, she enjoys flying with her husband, Charles, at their home in the country west of the city, where they keep a duo of small personal aircraft.

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