Originally from the Jersey shore, Kevin has now been a resident of Matthews, NC  for over thirty years. When not working or spending time with his family, Kevin spends his leisure time enjoying vegetable gardening, fishing, scuba diving, painting, visiting art museums, and writing and playing music. 

Kevin’s father, an accomplished Jersey shore watercolor painter, helped instill in Kevin a life-long interest in art and painting. During high school, an inspiring science teacher sparked Kevin’s interest in the world of physics, which Kevin took up as his major at Wake Forest University where he obtained a B.A. in Physics with a minor in Studio Art, with special studies in architectural history and technical drawing. Spending his summers in historic Cape May, NJ, combined with collegiate travels to France and England and a later honeymoon trip to Bavaria, Germany sealed his love and fascination for beautiful old buildings, villages, towns and cities.

Eventually, Kevin came to the realization that it was actually the study of architecture that would satisfy both his scientific curiosity and his passion for art. After graduating from Wake Forest, he went to work in architecture offices and a high-end residential remodeling company to put himself through the architecture program at UNC Charlotte. Then, after graduating with both B.A. and B.Arch. degrees in architecture, he continued to work in top architecture firms in the Charlotte area, specializing in custom residential design, multi-family design and construction management, historic restoration and rehabilitation of federally designated residences and courthouses, and adaptive re-use of old textile mills, converting them into shops, offices, condominiums and restaurants. 

After ten years of working for others in the field of architecture, Kevin helped start a residential design-build firm with five other former colleagues from the UNC Charlotte Architecture department. Wanting to work on projects they could both design and build with their own hands, the firm concentrated primarily on custom residential projects scaled to the size of their firm, including custom homes, remodeling and additions, historic restoration and the design and construction of custom horse barns and farms.

Kevin and his wife, Vanessa, a professional artisan, have raised five children, encouraging all of them to use their unique gifts in pursuing their own careers. The Carpenter family especially enjoys playing music together as well as traveling to scenic locations near and far, but some of their best family times are spent in lively discussions around the dining room table. Kevin’s favorite feature of their own family home, which he designed and helped to build, is the wood-burning stone fireplace that adds to the intimacy and comfort of their home, which he describes as cozy and beautifully crafted. 

“The world is in great need of true beauty ~ the beauty of God that enables and enriches life and uplifts the soul. This is what I want to be a part of making on this earth: beautiful buildings, beautiful shared places, beautiful art, and beautiful music. “ 

                                                                                                         ~  Kevin K. Carpenter