Thom Filicia's Design Inspiration Tips

I'm a fan of Thom Filicia!

I enjoyed him in Queer Eye's [f.k.a. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy], but he was one of a fabulous five-some. I recognized him, but couldn't remember his name for the life of me. Having met him, having attended three of his Designing From The Floor Up events, I've become a fan.

Such a fan, that I've set up Google alerts in case interesting articles showcasing his design talent pop up. All for a good cause, though, as I plan to share those with you.

I posted about Thom's recent Designing From The Floor Up events [events that Wear-Dated sponsored with Karastan] in Flooring The Consumer. Here are the links:

- Come Decorate From The Floor Up with Thom Filicia
- Time for Decorating From The Floor Up!
- Thom Filicia Is Coming To Phoenix, October 6, 2007
- Thom Filicia: Last Stop Seattle - Oct. 12 and Phoenix Observations

And some of Thom's Design Tips:

Your home should tell YOUR story. It should look just like you. It should be an interesting and smart backdrop for your life. Never be satisfied with an impersonal room! There is nothing worse.

A great room starts with something that inspires you. Use that inspiration throughout the rest of the room. For example, a beautiful rug is a great source of inspiration and an opportunity to bring color, pattern and textures into a room. Simply start with the floor when designing a space [i.e., consider the floor the 5th wall].

Design is about combining "what's in" with how we live today: modern, clean lines combined with comfort. [Check out HomePortfolio's Designer Dish - Thom Filicia for more "Thom Tips".]

Tips for Specific Situations:
+ If you have a layout where you want wall-to-wall carpet throughout the house, but not the same color/style in every room, create within the different rooms a 'border' from the common hallway carpet and inserting another carpet selection in the middle [i.e., similar to placing an area rug on a hard surface].

+ Go for balance rather than symmetry in mantelpiece design.

+ Hang pictures low. If near a lamp, hang them below or above the top of the lampshade.

+ Balance material choices. For example, houses with a mostly Southwestern design motif use lots of hard materials like tile. Balancing the choices means eliminating that monotonous feel throughout the space. When you're in a hotel where all of the furniture pieces match, the effect is uninteresting, boring, too matchey. Mix and match materials. Pieces should form a relationship, rather than compete with one another. So, don't have the same of everything.

+ If you have too many cold elements -- e.g., stone, tile or granite throughout the house, plain sheet rock with paint on the walls -- then add warm elements like wood, rugs, carpet, woven wall coverings. Definitely select a primary floor surface product to unify the overall look and feel of the house, but create points of difference in each of the individual spaces.

In Thom Filicia talks designing from the ground up by Nicole Tsong from 10/20/2007, Thom offers practical tips for selecting rugs. I love how he takes the pressure out of design decisions, relating picking a rug to selecting a favorite sweater.

Which is the basis for his latest series, Dress My Nest, focused this time on finding design inspiration in women's closets. Per The Washington Post's Q&A: Thom Filicia of 'Dress My Nest', Thom suggests mixing and matching expensive and inexpensive items based on your unique, individual sense of style.

Don't forget to edit! ["Lots of times, people just have way too many things..."]

Finally, I hit paydirt with Lucire Insider and some really fun Thom Filicia video clips dispelling design myths.

+ When beige is bad. Enough said - ditch beige.
+ Thom Filicia dispels myth No. 2 that all furniture must match.
+ Thom Filicia dispels myth No. 6 that furniture has to be up against the wall.
+ Thom Filicia dispels myth no. 12: no need for a single pattern in a room.
+ Dress My Nest: feng-shui and clutter - they don't go together!

Do check out the column that Thom writes for Karastan called Elements of Design with Thom Filicia.

Happy design inspiration!

PS: You'll note in the Fashion, Color and Trend Links section in the left sidebar a link to ::Surroundings by Linda Merrill. She and I connected as a result of the Boston Desigining From The Floor Up event and her blog is full of terrific design inspiration. Check it out.

Technorati Tags: carpet flooring Thom Filicia Designing From The Floor Up design tips design inspiration Karastan Del.icio.us Tags: carpet flooring Thom Filicia Designing From The Floor Up design tips design inspiration Karastan