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FeedA Democracy of Design
With his new collection for Baker, Thomas Pheasant is softening some of the hard edges that have grown out of the contemporary movement.
For years, the design community in Denver has been growing in size and importance, transforming itself from a nexus for the region into a nationally prominent design destination. At the forefront of this growth are Eddy Doumas and his partners in the Denver Design Center’s TOWN showrooms, Mikhail Dantes and Lisa Kanning. Their work to garner interest in Denver from forward-thinking decorators, designers, and architects from many national and international locales has had a ripple effect, altering the way Denver is perceived and helping influence changes on the local design scene.
Recently, noted designer Thomas Pheasant was in Denver to promote his newest collection for Baker, which can be found in the Baker at TOWN showroom at the DDC. Long known for his furnishings, in particular his chairs, Pheasant got the opportunity in 2002 to become a featured designer with Baker, a storied manufacturer with roots dating back to the late 1800s. This has led to the development of Pheasant’s most recent collection, a small group of just a few dozen pieces originally slated for use only in the private home design projects he accepted. Baker has faithfully reproduced a wider line based on them, including one of his personal favorites, the Paris chaise, a daybed he designed to be used as fireplace seating, and the Bel Air lounge chair — both of which, like the whole collection, contain some of Pheasant’s signature simplicity and refinement with a pop of Hollywood Regency style.
Since he opened his eponymous studio in 1980, Pheasant’s aesthetic has been profoundly affected by his life spent, as he says, “learning the classical vocabulary” of Washington, D.C. His family has lived in the capitol for four generations, and he had the honor, in 2001, of being chosen for the massive facelift of the historic 1927 Hay-Adams hotel, his largest project to date.
He is also affected by his world travels, finding himself in Paris often enough that he recently purchased and renovated a home there. He says the experience, while calming, also provided him with “a new design focus” and many new ideas culled from “the influence of the city.”
He has long been known for his skill at bringing modern techniques and classic forms together and says most people who come to him “are traditionalists looking to update and simplify their homes, to make them more tranquil.” He adds that while he does sometimes take on projects that have a modern feel, his “design signature can be seen in all the work, from a small piece to an entire space.”
He has won numerous awards, was named to Architectural Digest’s Top 100 Designers in 2006, and has a planner filled with upcoming international projects, conferences, and seminars. Pheasant’s visit to our city has reinforced some ideas about where we are and where we’re headed and has strengthened the case being made for the TOWN team as one of our standard-bearers.
