Fascinating Pheasant

Everlasting XOXO: Pheasant's 54" Constellation Mirror receives non-stop fanfare..

What Thomas Pheasant creates is visually arresting. As he glided through a slide show at the recent Las Vegas Market, I wanted to melt into the screen and visit his designed spaces. Maybe one day I will.

What Thomas Pheasant says is also compelling. As I listened to him explain his design process and retell his journey toward the helm of the interior design industry, his confidence was evident yet unobtrusive, and his words flowed with an easy cadence that kept ears and eyes wanting more.

At the Bellagio, Christopher Guy sets the stage for Thomas Pheasant to graciously accept the Icon Award.

I knew little about Pheasant when he took the stage in front of a packed seminar room in Las Vegas. I learned much (that he spent several years folding fabrics in the back of a showroom before getting his big break, for example)  and was quite moved by his gratitude ("I love my staff and when they leave, I want them to leave here a better designer."), and now have a new awareness of the interior designer so deserving of the 2016 Designer Icon Award and all previous accolades.

The title of Pheasant's book relates to the emotional experience of his environments.

In a mix of direct quotation and my translation, here's what I gleaned from Pheasant's presentation.

On INSPIRATION:
Inspiration is an overused term...it does not mean replication. It's about seeing something and letting it stay and work inside of you, and then when it comes out, it comes out new.

On DESIGNING:
"Say a lot without saying a lot"...As I mature as a designer, I communicate with less and I am more and more drawn to minimalism.
 I do not like to fulfill a space but would rather leave room for the people, for life. Spaces should reflect the client, and not be locked into the date that I left.
Houses need care, rethinking, and re-imagining, but not too much decoration

On SUCCESS
My success is not necessarily about certain colors or my style, but rather the emotional connection people have to the spaces.
I've stayed true to my vocabulary.
Re: Trends: figure out how a trend works for you and use them in YOUR way.
If you're putting your name on it, make sure you believe in it and let people judge it for what it is.
Editorial is important; do a showhouse and present the work you want to do.
Bring in people -- accountants and legal -- to help.
Go travel. Live..and bring back experiences.








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