SK Stokes Kennedy is Taking Up Space on HGTV’s New Competition Series ‘A Very Haunted Renovation’

The Long Beach designer is one of six competitors living inside America's most notoriously haunted house for HGTV's "A Very Haunted Renovation," premiering September 15.

“I’ve spent years in this industry learning who I wasn’t allowed to be,” SK Stokes Kennedy exclusively tell Gaye. “This show is the first time I got to do the work as fully myself, and I hope it pushes someone else to do the same.” 

SK Stokes Kennedy‘s remark reflects a decade spent in luxury residential design, a field that has not historically made room at its upper tiers for Black queer women. It also frames the season as more than a renovation contest. For Stokes Kennedy, a nationally televised competition is the largest platform yet for a practice built explicitly around that identity rather than despite it. 

SK Stokes Kennedy, founder of Stokes Kennedy Design and co-founder of the creative production company Hella Good Company, has been cast in A Very Haunted Renovation, a new HGTV competition series premiering Tuesday, September 15 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT, with new episodes streaming the following day on HBO Max. 

The six-episode season is hosted by actress Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect, True Blood, Scream 7) and mentored by HGTV designer Michel Smith Boyd. It follows six designers as they live inside Bihl Manor. The house is an 1890s Victorian mansion in Fremont, Ohio, widely described as one of the most haunted homes in the United States due to its vacancy over the years and its reputation for housing more phantoms than people.

For 31 days, the contestants will live in the manor while completing a top-to-bottom renovation of the property. Contestants face elimination challenges in each episode, and the winning designer receives a $50,000 cash prize. 

Bihl Manor was built by Jerome Bihl and sits across from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. The house has stood vacant for years and, according to HGTV, was on the verge of demolition prior to the production. The premiere episode divides the cast into two teams of three for a four-day bedroom design challenge themed around Lizzie and Alvie Bihl, the former residents whose spirits are said to haunt the sleeping quarters. 

Stokes Kennedy competes alongside designers Patrick Peel, John Ryan, Logan Wright, Diana Vogel, and Bershan Shaw, previously seen on Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New York City. Guest judges across the season include production designer Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Sinners), paranormal investigator Jack Osbourne, actor Billy Porter, actress Cassandra Peterson, director Eli Roth, and actress Lulu Wilson. The series is produced by Grandma’s House Entertainment. 

When we asked what this experience meant to her, she had the following to say:

“I’ve been doing this work for nearly a decade, but this is the first time I get to do it feeling 100% authentically like myself. During this experience, the excitement comes and goes as quickly as the ghosts, but I’ve learned my confidence is steady when I’m staying true to myself throughout the process. Over time I’ve developed a confidence that reflects my design style; one that’s pulled from a collection of experiences and gets better the more I lean in. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and look forward to sharing it with the world.” 

SK Stokes Kennedy brings a decade of experience in luxury residential and boutique commercial interior design to the competition, with a practice focused on custom-level remodels and bespoke upholstery for clients along the California coastline. A graduate of the Art Institute of California, Stokes Kennedy spent six years as co-owner and lead designer of Kennedy Cole Interior Design in Huntington Beach before founding Stokes Kennedy Design, which describes itself as Black, queer, and woman-owned. 

SK also co-runs Hella Good Company with Soy Giraud, producing cultural events and brand experiences centered on Black LGBTQ women. The company’s first international event weekend, Kismet Pride, sold out. 

Gaye Magazine previously spoke with Stokes Kennedy and her wife for our annual Valentine’s Day Love on Live series, our annual Valentine’s conversation series on how LGBTQ+ people build partnership and family. That interview covered queerness, motherhood, and the practice of loving publicly in industries that reward discretion. 

📺 Watch the full Love on Live conversation: https://youtu.be/72oXH48UFB8 

A Very Haunted Renovation premieres Tuesday, September 15 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on HGTV. New episodes are available to stream the following day on HBO Max beginning September 16. 

SK Stokes Kennedy can be found at @esskayyy. Stokes Kennedy Design is at stokeskennedy.com; Hella Good Company is at @hellagood.company.