ARTIST
Phil Kean has been passionate about creating art since he was a child. From sketching his mother’s profile to capturing wildflowers with pastels, he was constantly recording the beauty he found around him on paper and canvas.
Growing up the son of a contractor, he spent time with his father on jobsites. He was fascinated by the artistic nature of home design and aspired to be an architect from the age of 11. He studied at Harvard University and Washington University to earn his Master of Architecture (MArch) and Master of Business Administration (MBA).
During college, Phil continued to draw and began a Rubber Stamp Art Supply business featuring art stamps with his designs. The manufacturing of the stamps stayed local...his mother and sister cut the designs from sheets of molded rubber and assembled the rubber impressions on wood blocks in their garage. At the time, rubber stamp artwork was popular in scrapbooking and Phil’s stamps became well known by avid stampers across the United States. He grew the company to seven store locations across Florida, a mail order business and traveled to stamp conventions across the United States with his wholesale stamp business.
One day Phil was driving along Interstate 4 on his way to the stamp store located near International Drive in Orlando when his life changed forever. It was an otherwise normal morning commute when suddenly a news story came over the radio about a plane hitting one of the skyscrapers at the Word Trade Center. When Kean arrived at his office, he turned on the TV and watched the full tragedy of 9/11 unfold.
“That was the deciding factor; it was my big ‘aha’ moment. While I had a successful business, I wasn’t following my passion. I was almost 40, so I knew I had to go after my dream. You just never know when it could all be over.”
Within a year, Phil had launched a design/build firm in Winter Park, FL named Phil Kean Designs, Inc. The design/build firm quickly earned a reputation for his unique architecture, streamlined designs and indoor/outdoor spaces. He earned licenses as an Architect (AR95091), Certified Residential Contractor (CRC1327855), Interior Designer (ID6290) and Certified Green Professional. Over the years, the company has been recognized with hundreds of design and construction awards and has become a pacesetter in modern architecture. As the firm grew, Phil chose to call the firm Phil Kean Design Group to recognize the other exceptional architectural, kitchen and interior designers on the team. PKDG’s award-winning designs can be found throughout the Unites States, as well as in the Bahamas, Canada, Spain, and Ghana, West Africa.
With his fast-paced design/build firm running well and having the right support staff to oversee day-to-day business, Phil found himself able to simply focus on the design aspect of his business. He and his husband, Brad Grosberg, purchased an ocean front property in Cape Elizabeth, Maine to have quiet weekend get-a-ways where Phil could immerse himself in his client’s architectural designs. Inspired by the call of the ocean, Phil also found himself painting again. He began painting the boats that passed, the local lighthouses, the flowers he had planted and panoramic ocean views. Currently, Phil continues to paint in his home in Winter Park where he has expanded his repertoire to contemporary pieces and subjects close to his heart.
Phil is also passionate about supporting the local arts and the design/build community. He and Brad are patrons of both The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival and the University of Central Florida’s Flying Horse Arts Program.
Phil continues to enjoy designing luxury custom homes as well as exploring his renewed interested in art. You can view Phil's artwork on this website and you can explore the award-winning portfolio of Phil Kean Design Group's residential designs at PhilKeanDesigns.com.