March 26, 2014
Hi, how are you? Today, Miami Design District have met the TOP Interior Designer: Thomas Pheasant
Thomas Pheasant is an award-winning, internationally recognized, interior designer well known for his furniture design and world-wide prestigious residential and hotel projects. Thomas Pheasant Interiors is a 10+ person company based in Washington, D.C. See below the exclusive interview with this TOP Interior Designer and watch his interior design projects:
How and why did you get into the design industry? Where did you study?
I began my studies in Architecture at the University of Maryland. During my second year, a professor took notice of how I combined the exterior vocabulary of my projects with the interiors. He suggested that I expand my studies by taking a few courses in the interiors program at the university. The following semester I took his advice and added two classes, one in furniture design and one in the history of decoration. It only took a few weeks for me to realize that the creation of interiors was going to be my passion.
How would you describe your style? How varied are your designs? Do you have a signature touch with your designs?
I believe I have a modern take on classical style. Though I have become very well known for my furniture collections for Baker, my interior projects are extremely diverse. Currently my projects range from a classic Park Avenue apartment, to a modern family home in LA, to the redecoration of Washington’s Blair House (the guest house of the White House), an apartment in Moscow and a hotel in Dallas. I believe that my style is less about modern versus traditional, but more about my ability to bring a unique serenity into my interiors.
What do you love about being a designer? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
For me, it has become a personal journey…an evolution of my own voice. I have been fortunate to have built a career that allows me to grow creatively. The ability to evolve is what makes every day…every year exciting. Inspiration is everywhere. Travel, clients, foreign cultures all add the constant flow of inspired thought.
What are some of your most popular designs/projects? Tell us a bit about some of your design / projects and what you love about them.
I love designing product for Baker and McGuire. As an interior designer I am involved in the lives and houses of my clients, but when designing a collection of furniture I must create furnishings for people I will never meet and places I will never see. It is a fascinating exercise to design furniture that will need to appeal to large numbers of people from all over the world. I think the success of my furniture collections is that I bring the same qualities to my furniture designs that I bring to my interiors. I am committed to staying true to my vocabulary. Of course, I am equally excited to design special pieces for my clients that are unique for their homes. I have the best of both worlds.
Se also: TOP 15 MODERN DINING CHAIRS FOR A LUXURY DINING ROOM
What is your favorite?
Right now I am working on a hotel project for Rosewood Hotels in Dallas. I enjoy the idea of conceptualizing a “look” that will need to be carried through every aspect of a project. Lobby, corridors, suites, uniforms, etc…all carefully designed to project both an image and a signature for the hotel. I love the theatrical element that can come into play on a commercial project. It will be very Thomas Pheasant, classical modern, but will allow me to turn up the volume quite a bit.
Is there anything you are working on at the moment that you can tell us about?
I have just launched THOMAS PHEASANT STUDIO, which is a collection of furnishings that are all unique or limited editions. The concept is to create a vehicle that allows me to constantly express my current inspirations. This past fall I launched a show at Newel Gallery in New York. I presented 7 pieces of furniture in mahogany and cast bronze all in editions of ten. All the pieces are stamped and numbered. I am currently preparing my next exhibition for fall 2014 which will focus on pieces made of crystal, glass and bronze. I am working with two small ateliers in Florence on these pieces.
What colors, textures and furniture pieces do you love the most?
I love neutrals especially shades of platinum. These are the best neutral backgrounds for introducing any color. I seem to be gravitating to metallic finishes and fabrics lately. My interest in furniture covers a wide range from 18th century French to mid-century Italian. Depending on the direction of my clients’ interests I like to mix the best of the past with a few modern pieces of my own design. In my current furniture designs I am focusing on creating cast bronze forms mixed with glass and leather.
What is your philosophy on design and life?
I believe that our spaces should allow us to grow, and enable us to breathe, think and dream. Our homes should reflect who we are now but also allow us to change. I try to provide my clients with homes that do just that. I think this is what a truly modern space should do and it has nothing to do with furniture style.
What are your design dreams and goals?
I am actually living my dream, but perhaps I’d love one day to have my own gallery that would present not only my furniture designs but the designs of other creative artists I admire. I would also love to create a course called, “The Art of the Design Business” and share it with students seriously considering a design career. I think I have a lot that I could share with young designers that would give them real insight into the profession. I did recently complete my first book, “Thomas Pheasant, Simply Serene”, Rizzoli, which was a big goal finally realized.
Describe yourself in three words.
Determined, sensitive and observant.
In your opinion, what are the top trends in interior design for 2014?
I feel we have just come out of a period that marveled at dramatic interiors that are filled with modern mixes of collectibles and furnishings that leave little space for the people who inhabit them. I believe there will be a renewed appreciation for pure design and greater diversity in design. The new trend will be the anti-trend.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this exclusive interview with one of the best celebrity interior designers. Don’t forget to subscribe us for more TOP trends in Interior Design.
See also: TOP 15 MODERN SOFAS FOR LUXURY LIVING ROOM
