History should be preserved. Gray Benko, who has an eye for aesthetics and color, knows this well and is set on a journey to preserve that charm. Luckily for us, we get to watch her work on Magnolia Network’s Happy to Be Home With the Benkos.
Keep reading this “Gray Benko Bio” to learn more about her.
Gray Benko On Magnolia Network’s Happy to Be Home With the Benkos
Magnolia Network’s Happy to Be Home With the Benkos featured Gray Benko alongside her husband and dad as they breathed new life into the historic homes of Summerville, South Carolina.
“This new series introduces designer Gray Benko, who brings color and happiness to historic homes in the low country of South Carolina,” the official description read. “Her thoughtful craftsman husband, Mike, and eccentric contractor father, Grumpy, join her to bring her whimsical visions to life.”
The theme of the show was just like every other design show. Gray drove to a new client’s home and outlined what she wanted out of their project, and her dad then oversaw the whole renovation. But it’s not simple as it sounds. “With these old homes, you’re looking at 200 years of layers,” Gray’s husband Mike said. “Renovating a historic home has its own set of problems.” However, Gray concluded that they happily accepted those challenges because “it means a lot to us to be able to bring that happiness into the homes that we work on.”
Sadly, the show ended in six episodes — which were an hour long each. And we don’t know if season 2 is on the way or not.
How Much Is Gray Benko Net Worth?
Gray Benko garnered a net worth of $1 million by 2023.
This renovation expert originally started her career in photography. Infact, she studied Fine Arts and Photography at three major universities — the New York School of Visual Arts, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Clemson University South Carolina.
So, after graduation, she founded her own company Gray Benko Photography in Jan 2009 in Charleston and started doing child and newborn photography. Eventually, after gaining some traction, she then branched out into family and commercial photography.
Her works have also been featured in national ad campaigns, in both print and online publications, and earned her the fierce devotion of families whose memories she loves to document. Find more of it on FB @graybenko and her official page “graybenko.squarespace.com”
Thus, after years of taking pictures of kids and family, her eye for photography influenced her eye for design as well; ultimately leading her to design her own house. Seeing her amazing work, people then started asking her to help them with their house as well. So, turning into a life of an interior designer was organic for her.
For anyone aspiring to take up interior designing, Gray asks them to be patient because the “work is never going to be finished.” She implores others to see themselves as “stewards of these houses because they have such a long history and they’re going to live so much farther beyond us.”
Mike And Gray Benko Relationship
Gray married her husband Mike Benko on June 1, 2008. This meant they’ve been together for over 14 years and are still going strong as of 2023. However, the road to 14 wasn’t easy.
“I’m not going to lie and pretend like it’s always been gravy. We went through a lot of hard years together, somewhere I wasn’t sure we would make it. But we held on tight and made it through and I think our relationship is so much stronger today not in spite of but because of all of the struggle and tears and determination,” Gray explained.
As for their kids, the lovebirds share a son named Charlie and a daughter named Farris. They were born on August 25, 2012, and September 27, 2009, and were in 4th and 7th grade respectively in 2023.
Fun Fact: Mike often keeps his hand on Gray’s stomach like she’s pregnant in pictures.
Gray Benko Age
Gray Benko was 41 years of age when she appeared on Happy to Be Home With the Benkos in 2023.
She is 8 years younger than Mike.
Gray Benko Family
Gray Benko comes from a family of at least four.
Her parents, Joe and Mary Highsmith both work at Highsmith Construction. However, while Gray’s father deals with building or designing, her mother majority of the accounting functions for Highsmith Construction. You might say she does a whole lot of behind-the-scenes work that keeps Highsmith Construction running like a well-oiled machine.
Their company, Highsmith Construction has been building custom homes since 1952. They pride themselves on creating a brand new custom home, remodeling an existing residence, constructing a commercial property, and building out a tenant up-fit.
Joe and Mary turned 72 and 75 years of age in 2023.
As for Gray’s 3-year-younger sister, Catherine Highsmith Deutsch was the HR Director at Ally Financial. In 2023, she resided in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband Stephen Deutsch, and their daughter.
Did you know: It was Gray’s dad (who was more of a photo hobbyist) who first told her in high school that she had a great eye for photography.
Is Gray Benko On Instagram?
Find her on Instagram @graybenko.
Also, here’s her Facebook @gbenko.
Gray Benko Height
Gray Benko stands tall at the height of above 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm).
Related FAQs
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When Is Gray Benko Birthday?
Gray celebrates her birthday on June 4 and is of the Gemini zodiac.
On her 40th birthday, Gray and her friends vacationed in Miami. But before the trip, she asked both her kids to take a portrait of her. “I told them that I wanted the portrait to represent me, as they know me. Their mom. I let them each dress me, pose me, and choose a location that felt right to them,” she explained.
As a result, Charlie dressed her in a pair of pajamas and a sweatshirt and Farris drew her in something “fashionable” that she deemed fitting of the word.
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Where Is Gray Benko From?
Gray hails from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
But in 2023, she resided in Summerville, South Carolina.
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What Is Gray Benko Real Name?
Gray Benko’s real name is Kathleen Benko.
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