THE EYE: AN ARTISTIC PERSPECTIVE IN DESIGN
Before a piece of furniture is added or a colour palette is chosen, there is an intentional pause. It’s in these moments that we begin to study things like how light dances across the walls and the small details that speak to our clients on an unspoken level. We call this part of our creative process The Eye.
At Studio Thomas, we follow the guiding light of three pillars: The Hand, The Eye, and The Heart. These pillars are what shape each decision we make throughout our design process. Together, they create seamless designs that feel simultaneously elevated and personal. In a previous blog, we discussed The Hand – “how it represents the foundation of what design is built upon. It’s the starting point and the study of what works and why. It's a metaphor for the foundational design elements, ones that the untrained eye might not notice right away, but an expert will catch onto immediately.” The Hand is rooted in classic interior design principles and craftsmanship.
The Eye is our second pillar; it’s an artistic perspective. It’s the way we interpret the world around us visually and how that interpretation shapes the spaces we seek to create. It’s a balanced blend of informed and instinctive – a practiced way of seeing colour, art, architecture, light, and culture with intention, and learning how to weave these elements into our designs.
SEEING BEYOND THE SURFACE
To us, The Eye is about recognizing why you’re drawn to a certain texture or colour, and understanding how those preferences can be expressed in your home. We take time to merge various perspectives, we want to honor our client’s unique point of view, while also bringing in Studio Thomas’ artistic vision.
“The goal is always that a space represents our client, but through a refined, artistic lens.”
This means we are looking beyond beautiful aesthetics and are looking for meaning. We’re first and foremost interpreting our clients’ inspirations, experiences, and routines, and translating all this into design elements that feel authentic to who they are at their core.
Paris, in particular, is a place of inspiration for our second pillar, The Eye. It’s a city that effortlessly speaks in layers of culture, architecture, and artistry. Walking through the streets of Paris is much like walking through a Monet painting if you slow down and try to notice the finer details. Like the way a shadow of a building dances in the streets, the sounds of various conversations happening in the park or under a shaded cafe, or the iconic wrought-iron balconies above. These moments continuously inspire the creatives at Studio Thomas and quietly influence the way we see design and also the way we seek to create it.
THE EYE IN PRACTICE
When we first begin a project, we start by asking our client some of these questions:
What inspires you?
How do you want to feel in your home?
What objects or places are you drawn to again and again?
Your “Eye” is shaped by your own lived experiences – cities you’ve walked through, the music you’ve loved through different phases of your life, the various objects you’ve collected that might seem random to a stranger, but carry a deep significance to you. These are the types of moments we hope to bring into your home – something that speaks to you on a personal level.
So, we ask:
What inspires your perspective?
How do you want your home to make you feel?
What are you drawn to, and why?
The creatives at Studio Thomas see our role as translating your answers into a design that truly represents the essence of who you are, and ultimately elevates the way you live. The Eye allows us to see you and a space with intention, create with an artistic perspective, and design a space that feels meaningful to you.
WHERE WE LOOK FOR INSPIRATION
The Eye is found all over the place if you are willing to slow down and look. Some things we often feel inspired by include:
The depth of art pieces
The tailoring of couture fashion
The engineering and elegance of the Eiffel Tower
The warmth of ceramics that are shaped by hand
The craftsmanship of luxury vehicles
The mood created by a museum gallery
Then we observe what our client lingers on – what makes their eyes light up when discussing these types of questions. From here, we filter the details we learn about our client through the Studio Thomas perspective, where we carefully balance personal expression with artistry, and artistry with timeless design principles.
