Thom Filicia: Finding the soul of the home

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Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • Nov. 6, 2021

Home is the center of our lives in ways that we would have never expected. We’re all adapting space to maximize every square foot. Outdoor spaces, especially in Southwest Florida, have become part of the living area and exciting, new décor reflects the expansion from indoors to outdoors. Spa bathrooms have moved to the top of the list as many clients tell me they’re not going to wait to add what makes them happy. And they are thoughtfully maximizing their budgets.

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I’m continuously interested in what’s new in home design and I’m always looking for new inspiration to keep our homes fresh, comfortable and beautiful.

Modern living room with sectoinal sofa, bold modern art and plush throw pillows by Thom Filicia Collection for Vanguard

The Thom Filicia Collection for Vanguard at High Point Market includes comfortable and timeless furnishings, bold color, focal point artwork from Thom Filica for Wendover (Commune of Figures), a Giclee on gallery wrapped canvas. Use of textures, metals, glass.

And that’s why I was happy to have a chance to sit down with designer Thom Filicia at the recent fall High point Market in North Carolina. It’s one of the places I go to reboot and find inspiration. More than 12 million square feet of show space comes alive with 2,000 exhibitors along with designers, buyers, architects and educators from all over the world.

Filicia has long been one of my favorite designers. He’s a bit of a rock star but doesn’t realize it as he happily takes hordes of visitors around his collection and talks to them like they are old friends. That’s his endearing quality. And it’s also what makes him a great designer.

Wrenda Goodwyn with Thom Filicia at High Point Furniture Market in modern living room with bod modern art and rich brown walls and sofa.

With Thom Filicia at High Point Market.

You may remember him from the Emmy-winning Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, as the design expert. Today he is a huge name in interior design with an impressive portfolio of residential commercial and hospitality interiors all over the world. He’s designed homes for celebrities including Tina Fey and Jennifer Lopez. He’s also a best-selling author and has some thoughts about design trends as we head in to what is hopefully the post-covid phase.

On this crisp, fall morning in High Point, we met in the Vanguard showroom and relaxed in the comfortable Thom Filicia Home Collection for Vanguard. We could have easily been sitting in his home with his trademark bold colors and comfortable designs. A collection of artwork from the Thom Filicia Home Collection for Wendover (Tampa) is perfectly curated to effortlessly accent the furnishings. High Point was a busy time for him as he also unveiled Thom Filicia collections for Feizy Rugs, hardware for Accurate and bedding for Eastern Accents.

Rich blue tufted velvet headboard with luxurious mustard, brown and geometric pillow shams and modern lamp by Thom Filicia for Eastern Accents.

Bold jewel tones from Thom Filicia for Eastern Accents.

Filicia says there has definitely been a shift over the past 18 months as homeowners look for ways to enhance their environments by taking action rather than dreaming about their wish list of new kitchens, bathrooms, outdoor and indoor spaces. And rethinking how we live in our homes.

November 6 2021 Fort Myers News Press Wrenda Goodwyn column page featuring THom Filicia Interview.

“It’s important that we tell our story in our homes. In a soulful way that reflects the point of view of the people who live there and it should be done simply and timeless.”

When working on homes in Florida, he adds extra focus on exterior spaces and the “blur” where the outdoors “flows” into the outdoors.

“It should be a natural, effortless connection where there is little obvious difference as one flows into the other.”

His designs use a lot of texture to add visual interest. And it’s obvious that he is not afraid to use color. Bold color. A designer after my own heart.


Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog



Blogfest in NYC: Design and the City

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Confession: In one of my many fantasy lives, I live in a glamorous New York penthouse with views of the Hudson River, perfectly decorated spaces done by top designers, luxurious fabrics and furnishings to die for.

Photo of Wrenda Goodwyn of Spectacular Spaces at Blogfest 2012I met my dream this week at Kravet’s fabulous Blogfest 2012.

It was the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse which is celebrating its 40th year for Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Considered the hot ticket in New York, it takes place through June 14 at the Aldyn, a luxury building on Manhattan’s West Side at Riverside Blvd. and 63rd St. Here, I found not one, but two adjacent duplex residences with views of the Hudson, beautiful terraces. And one even has a large pool and spa. The good news, they are both for sale: $16.9 million and $15 million. If I can scrape up the $$$ I would like to purchase both and link them together. The bad news: I have a long way to go.

But for now, I am content to dream about the wonderful thingsPhoto of ad for Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse that I heard and saw. Blogfest designers had exclusive access for the evening and we were hosted by Architectural Digest Editor in Chief, Margaret Russell. Highlight was mingling with the designers in each room.

As a southwest Florida interior decorator who works with homeowners who mostly want a contemporary, Florida-style home that combines old and new, I am always looking for new ways to combine color and textures for indoor and outdoor spaces. The showcase was a virtual feast.

Because the Aldyn is a modern highrise (each apartment is on two levels: 20th and 21st floors), there are no fancy architectural details in the structure so the 31 designers used amazing creativity in creating these masterpieces from basic, plain rooms.

Noted throughout the house: heavy use of beautiful grasscloth, lacquered walls and ceilings, mixtures of old and new pieces.

And while Tangerine Tango may be the color of the year, Green is the color at Kips Bay. Jade, emerald, grass shades...in paint, fabric and accessories. Beautiful.

My favorites...well there were so many.  But I could not get past the “Gallery” designed by Thom Filicia (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, major designer, charming, cute and latest design crush!).  The open gallery connects to the living room, dining room and library and is lacquered in an amazing green that I am told is Benjamin Moore’s Cat’s Eye 2036-10. The color is stunning and shows what can be done in a very simple space.
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