John Kelsey

With his keen listening skills and tranquil personality, John Kelsey might have made a wonderful psychologist. In fact, he was headed in that direction before taking his first design course during his junior year in college. He soon discovered that design is what he was born to do.

John's strong interpersonal skills have served him "and his clients" well over the past three decades. He has a rare knack for asking questions and provoking answers that reveal the client's personality, tastes, quirks and even foibles. And when questions arise during a renovation (which is practically inevitable), he knows what it takes to maintain a sense of calm and keep the project moving forward.

Lured by the city's proximity to great skiing, John began his professional career in Boston at a nationally renowned interior design firm in 1972. There, he learned from some of the masters about what it takes to detail a space and make it polished. In subsequent positions at other prestigious Boston firms, he honed his skills in design and project management, ultimately overseeing the daily operations of a 30-person interiors department.

John launched his own business, J. M. Kelsey Associates, in 1987, and co-founded Wilson Kelsey Design with Sally Wilson in 1996. He brings to WKD big-picture skills, such as the ability to plan and coordinate all phases of large, complex projects. But he also possesses an eye for small details that are expressed and shine through in his precise drawings and specifications.

John's hobbies are diverse, including wine collecting, sports-car racing and gardening. An active fisherman and kayaker, he looks to the outdoors for spiritual and emotional renewal. Within the New England saltwater fishing community, he has quite a reputation as an expert fly tyer and wooden fishing plug maker. And like Sally, he is a classical music aficionado.

Born and raised in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, John holds a bachelor of science (major in human development & family studies, minor in design) from Cornell University. He continued his design training at the Boston Architectural Center in the mid-1970s and has been certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) since 1980.

> Sally Wilson Bio

> back to top