Global Designer Kim Lewis Falls Back on Her Ford Roots
You may recognize Kim Lewis either by name, reputation, or her down-to-earth personality. As a production designer on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Kim was deeply involved with designing and renovating more than 120 homes across America during her six-year stint with the network TV show.
Leaving the glamor of Los Angeles and returning to her home state of Texas to begin a new business venture in global design, Kim purchased a vintage 1977 blue and white Ford F-150 she affectionately calls “Pearl.”
Born in Tyler, TX and now full-time Austinite, Kim comes from a longtime Ford truck family. Her grandfather’s 1978 F-150 is what she learned to drive in and that truck is still with the family to this day. Reminiscing about her early driving days inspired Kim to find her own vintage Ford truck that she could call her own.
“All around Texas, people know Pearl – we’re two peas in a pod,” says Lewis. “She’s exactly what I needed to start my business and has become part of my brand. My Ford truck was built for life and built for my work.”
“I was constantly running to and from the airport to work on projects all around the country,” says Lewis. “It was a modern-day barn-raising, as we worked with local communities to help raise people up and inspire them.”
Today, Kim Lewis designs restaurants and tiny homes all around the world – using Pearl whenever possible to travel to job sites or to deliver furniture and accessories. She recently has worked on a Thanksgiving Day makeover of Dallas Fire Station No. 43 with the Dallas Cowboys, Fox Sports, the Leary Firefighters Foundation and Ford Motor Company. Plus, she often travels to developing countries to help train and assist women in developing countries, finding new inspiration for design along the way.
