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JOHN P. GRAY

creative director | lead designer

“ Beautiful stunning interiors are what I do.  It comes naturally and it is very clear to me what to do with a space. Along with my experience, I give my clients the best results possible.”

For years and years, family, friends, and guests gave praise and admiration toward John’s interiors and selections in his own apartments and homes.  By 1994, these catalysts pushed him to share his natural talent and love for design with them by doing their homes.

 “ I fell in love with seeing how overjoyed people were and how much happiness their finished surroundings brought to them”

John decided to take his creative talent to the next level and opened a tiny furniture store without any prior furniture experience. He had only intended for it to be a small neighborhood shop, mixing refinished vintage pieces with new furnishings and accessories. Those intentions had to rapidly be adjusted as the shop was devoured by a growing number of cliental, shoppers, and people who immediately wanted to achieve his aesthetic in their homes. Within three years, the business grew from a small shop to a full-scale design firm. It has now been 20 years and this small shop owner is one of Chicago’s most talented successful designers, has finished over 120 homes, and has been featured and received praise in multiple publications.

John Paul Gray is now the owner of Campbell Gray Design, a full-service design firm with two offices in Chicago, Andersonville. After 7 years of owning, operating, buying, merchandising, and heading design teams he decided it was time to say goodbye to his original platform and focus his talent solely on design.

 “ I miss the little store that gave me my start, but as the design business grew, there was not enough time to do both without compromise. I cannot compromise my interiors; they have to be right, they have to “WOW!” and my clients need to have my full attention… I’ve never looked back.”

You will notice John’s great love for using countless textures and mixing them together to flow seamlessly.  His designs contain rich patterns with unexpected splashes of color, in shades you don’t see often, that the eye seems to never tire of. During every vising to a home that was designed by John, you will encounter a new detail that may have gone unnoticed during your previous visit.  He calls them “little treasure details” and they will constantly amaze and delight you.Walking through one of

John’s designs, especially when the client has given him the freedom to work his magic, is like walking into a dream home. By including the client in every decision through and through, John always maintains the personality of each individual client. This passionate, opinionated, and driven designer’s interiors are always functional, durable, timeless, and chic while never being “trendy”

Walking through one of John’s designs, especially when the client has given him the freedom to work his magic, is like walking into a dream home. By including the client in every decision through and through, John always maintains the personality of each individual client. This passionate, opinionated, and driven designer’s interiors are always functional, durable, timeless, and chic while never being “trendy”.

His design work will be around and his interiors will be lived in by John’s clients for a long time to come. The letters of recommendation posted are real letters to John with no creative editing.  The client referral list from past and present clients is a testament to his work-ethic, beliefs, and ability.

 “I’m not done until my clients are jumping up and down, singing my praises, and in love with their home’s aesthetic and function”