← Back to KBIS Page

Global President & CEO Bill Darcy spoke with Thom Filicia, designer, influencer, author, TV personality and founder of Thom Filicia Inc., about home design.

By Elisa Fernández-Arias

At KBIS 2024, NKBA | KBIS’s Global President & CEO Bill Darcy hosted the Executive Forum, where he invited Thom Filicia, designer, influencer, author, TV personality, founder of Thom Filicia Inc., and one of the leading members of the first ever NKBA | KBIS Design Council, to speak to a packed room of kitchen and bath industry executives about the rapidly evolving nature of home design. Filicia discussed everything from personalization to luxury to sustainability, — and what he sees as his biggest challenge as a designer.

Key Takeaways from Filicia:

• Customization is a hot design trend
• Luxury now has more to do with lifestyle than brand
• Sustainability continues to play an important role in design

Biggest Shift in Home Design and Products

Darcy opened the talk by asking Filicia what major trends he’s seeing in home design and products, to which Filicia replied: “You can see it today, we were actually just on the [KBIS] floor and the thing that I’m really seeing right now is that it’s very much about personalization.”

Filicia went on to describe that many products in the market today are available with a large range of customizable options, including color, finish options and handles. He also discussed how manufacturers are following suit by providing highly individualized products, giving clients exactly what they want to create brand loyalty. Panel ready refrigeration was one of the products Filicia pointed to as an example of this trend.

“It’s a really nicemoment in design, when it’s not so much about following trends,” said Filicia. “It’s aboutyou. You are your own trend.”

Defining Luxury

When asked how he would best define luxury from the product manufacturer perspective, Felicia said that this is an area where things have changed in recent years. Traditionally, he said, luxury has been defined by brand. “The idea of brands and luxury used to be synonymous. I think today people are looking more  for the lifestyle of the product, and what it allows them to do, and how it allows them to live,” he explained. “That’s how they see luxury.”

He gave various examples of what this looks like — such as being able to completely open up a living room wall on a beautiful, warm day.

Felicia also said that “it’s a great moment for product design,” both for established brands pushing the envelope to serve individualized customer needs and new brands that can offer solutions that are relevant to what customers are looking for.

The Sustainability Trend

Darcy also asked what role sustainability plays for product manufacturers. Felicia replied that companies need to take baby steps: what he calls “shades of green.” From lighting to recycling to bringing green language into corporate culture, he explained, there are many ways that companies can become a part of the sustainability movement.

“I think from a consumer side…‘green’ is something that people are starting to expect,” he added.

Biggest Challenge As a Designer

When asked what his biggest challenge as a designer was, Felicia replied: “There is so much information out there that’s available to everyone. Now you have clients that are ‘experts.’ There’s a lot of time spent reeducating people so that they understand what they’re doing.”

Felicia sees this challenge as “a good thing.” He said these challenges mean the design community has to do more than just sell the concept of putting a design together, but actually has to make it happen in a professional, timely and cost-effective way.

After Darcy’s interview with Felicia, the two stayed for a Q&A session with audience members. 

Felicia to be Introduced as Member of the NKBA | KBIS Design Council

In addition to being featured at the Executive Forum, Thom Filicia will be officially introduced as a member of the first ever NKBA | KBIS Design Council on Wednesday at 1:30 by Interior Design Magazine Editor in Chief, Cindy Allen, at the NKBA | KBIS booth, LVCC North Hall at N2539. Learn more about this event and others at the association’s booth by going here.