Inspiring Interiors: Thom Filicia Style

I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy of Thom Filicia's book, Thom Filicia Style:Inspired Ideas for Creating Rooms You'll Love, yet but I have seen his work in pictures on the internet and I really like what I see. 

I love his style, the layers of interest he creates in his rooms and the masculine touch to the decor.

  Here is a peek into his Designer Visions Showhouse that was featured in the November issue of House Beautiful.

When I first saw this room, I fell in love with the large horses on the wall.  I'm not sure what it is about them because I don't particularly like horses, but the sheer size of them is striking and beautiful.  Definitely a focal point worthy of your attention.  The unexpected pops of yellow on the chairs is fun and make the traditional klismos chairs feel modern.  I love the round rug with the round table, the pattern on the drapes, the lantern style light fixture above the table and the reiteration of the round shapes in the room with the sculpture in front of the window.

 

Bright and colorful place settings are simple, yet glamorous.  I don't think you'll be bored at a dinner party in this dining roon.

 

Grass cloth wall coverings, 2 fabrics on the sofas, the movement of the rug, the light fixture over the seating area and the two leather wing back chairs add so much interest to the living room.  I can't decide what I like the most.

 

 

How great is the rope railing along this staircase?  I love how unique this is.  The one stripe leads you up the stairs in a clean and simple way with lots of impact.

 

This landing at the top of the stairs is so warm with the grass cloth wall covering, large, eclectic art in similar gold frames and wall sconces.

 

I'm not really a fan of this bathroom.  It would be fine on it's own I suppose, but to me, it looks out of place with the rest of the home.  Too cold and modern for this home.

 

This console table is amazing!  Obviously that fact that it is white helps to keep it from looking gaudy-instead it looks clean and sculptural.  The basket and grass cloth walls add texture and the simple lamps and mirror add symmetry that is pleasing to the eye.

 

A shot opposite the bed in the bedroom.  The floor lamps are beautiful and create a nice symmetry around the dresser.  The pop of color is so nice in the dresser and striped ottoman.

 

This bedroom shot is my favorite.  I love the moody, dark gray walls broken up by thin white stripes, the copper starburst mirror, and the quatrefoil 4 poster bed.  Notice how your eyes follow the lines on the walls and on the bed.  Perfection.

All images from House Beautiful

Design Crush: Kishani Perera

I've recently seen some of Kishani Perera's work floating around the internet and I have fallen in love with her designs.  I love the colors that she uses and the way her rooms are a bold statement with pops of color drawing your eye around the entire space, but do not feel overdone in any way.  Here are some of my favorite images of hers:

I love how this gallery grouping of mirrors in black frames adds some drama to the floral wallpaper background.

 

This wood stack next to the fireplace is gorgeous and I love the mix of different wood tones in this room,

 

The pops of color in this space are great against the bluish gray walls and draw the eye around the room.

 

I absolutely love how serene this room feels with the muted pink walls and flowy, white drapes.  The mix of the dark table with the white chairs is gorgeous and the rug adds fun, textural interest.

 

What can I say?  This room is stunning.  The pops of bright pink against the gray makes me happy and the lucite table on top of the zebra rug is amazing!  I love how everything else in the space is a neutral backdrop.

I love purple, but it can sometimes look childish in a room.  This purple is done perfectly and adds a touch of glamour to this bedroom mixed with white.

Pretty.

 

More dark gray and purple.  Love that combination and the oversized chandelier is a beautiful focal point and I love the round back of the chairs.

 

 

The mix of colors in this space are lovely.  The shadow cast off the pair of sconces adds great interest to the walls in this small, cozy room.

To see more of Kishani's beautiful work check out her website and her blog.  All images are from Kishani's website.

Barclay Butera

Today I attended an event at the local design center here in MN, International Market Square.  One of the main speakers was Barclay Butera.  He was a really a lot of fun to listen to after hearing all the buzz about him on the internet through design blogs and articles written about him.

Image found here.

His presentation was called Decorating in a New Economy.  He brought up some good points about how good customer service really needs to be the cornerstone of your business.  He spoke about things that he learned from his mother, also an interior designer, who had a very successful career.  It was interesting to hear that when he presents his design proposal to a client, he line items everything out so that there are no surprises for the client.  He says this works especially well when a client has a specific budget, but lets say they love the fabric used in the master bedroom and want to also use it in the living room.  Barclay can then point to that line item and say okay we can do that, but here's how much you will be going over budget.  He says that it is a great way to get the client to agree to go over budget when they can see every line item in front of them and make informed decisions without having to guess that they must have been overcharged for something.  He also shared many pictures of spaces that he has designed over the years and ones that have made covers of magazines, etc.  I didn't get a chance to take any pictures myself because I didn't want to be that girl, but I found some of them to share with you.

 This was a show house he did one year and said that it was the greatest compliment when the homeowner decided to buy the full suite of furniture that he designed for this house and he didn't have to return any of it after the show.

 This is the living room of one of Barclay's homes.  Barclay said that he incorporates some kind of animal print in almost all of the rooms he designs.

 Barclay loves blue and white and you'll see that combo in many of his rooms.

 

 

 

I love this one.   Barclay likes to add unexpected design elements like the antlers above the fireplace.  "Have fun with your designs, he says, there are no rules in design."

 

I believe this one was on the cover of House Beautiful.

 Many of his projects have gorgeous views.  He mentioned that if there is a great view he will not use window treatments.

 

 Blue and white again.  I love the freshness of this one with the white and pops of blue with the dark wood contrast.

 

Can you imagine this view!!

 

 This is Barclay's home that he bought from Lucille Ball's son, Desi.  He wrote Desi a letter asking him to let him buy the house (there was competition) and that he would keep the integrity of the house and design in the time of his parents.  The lights above the bed are the lights that Lucille bought her husband and are original to the house.  The pictures above the bed are photographs transferred on to lucite and Barclay said they took a day to hang!

 

 This was a 900 square foot space that Barclay designed so that you could appreciate the view throughout the whole space.

There was also a Barclay Butera book signing in Kravet today, but unfortunately I did not make it in there in time to see his new fabric line, but I hear it is gorgeous!  Barclay also has a furniture line so many of the pieces in the homes he designed above are his own.

 

Images from Barclay Butera's website.