Phillip Thomas Inc.

Photo: Michael Mundy

Phillip Thomas’ design career started at the tender age of just 8 years old, when, inspired by an especially creative aunt, he began restoring items he found at yard sales. They were a bit down on their luck, but in young Phillip’s hands, they were transformed into treasured objects he’d sell in his family’s mudroom-turned-shop called “Phillip & Co”. His talent so impressed a family friend that young Phillip was hired to paint her powder room, complete with a hand-stenciled design. This early passion foreshadowed the Phillip Thomas of today: a creative designer who approaches each commission by crafting a narrative, telling the story of a space and its inhabitants, by marrying high and low, new and old. Custom fabrics, furnishings and finishes add layers that deepen the plot and, because Phillip delights in “dynamic tension,” there will always be an element of surprise. The result: elegant spaces infused with great energy and soul.

His path here was a journey in and of itself. Phillip grew up in New York City, a hub of art, fashion and vibrant street culture. His childhood home was a welcoming space where visitors from around the world would linger over home-cooked meals, engage in fascinating conversations in multiple languages and, on occasion, enjoy live performances by a string quartet or opera diva. Phillip’s parents are both attorneys with creative proclivities: his Chilean-born mother designed the family homes, often visiting furniture and fabric showrooms and auction houses with Phillip in tow, while his father is an avid gardener who creates impressive floral arrangements, and instilled the same passion in his youngest son.

Phillip’s first inclination was to study international relations, and he graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Like his parents, he’d always maintained creative outlets, whether gardening or hand-built ceramics. At 21, in a pivotal life moment, he switched tracks and enrolled at the New York School of Interior Design. An introduction to Tony Ingrao led to a job at the renowned designer’s firm; Ingrao immediately entrusted his new employee with the redesign of a historic Upper East Side townhome. In 2011, he left Ingrao and opened his own design studio, Phillip Thomas Inc.

Phillip is a global citizen, equally at home in an artisan’s workroom and a blue-chip art gallery. Not one to rest on his laurels, he is always pushing the envelope, growing and evolving. He delights in discovering new places, methods and makers. His spaces bring joy to those who inhabit them. Many of his clients have entrusted him with multiple homes. He has designed residences in architectural iconic addresses including The Dakota, 15 Central Park West, 778 Park Avenue and River House in New York City and the Surf Club in Miami.

Phillip’s interiors have been featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Flower, Luxe, Mansion Global, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among many others. His interiors have also been showcased in books including: Iconic Rooms: Kips Bay New York Decorator Show House at 50, The Art of Gracie: Handpainted Wallpapers, Timeless Rooms, House Beautiful: Live Colorfully, Living In Style: Best Interior Design on the Planet, and New York Splendor: The City’s Most Memorable Rooms.

Phillip has participated in the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York twice; each time receiving high praise from both industry peers and the media. In 2022 he was selected as the inaugural Designer In Residence at Bonhams Skinner auction house.

Philanthropy is in Phillip’s DNA. His family has long maintained a home in Bellport, Long Island, and Phillip sits on the board of the Bellport Village Program Fund, where he is often tapped for design-related projects that enhance the Village. He has consistently supported the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, as well as the Wilton (Connecticut) Historical Society.

“There is a place for both pattern AND plain.”