Besides his own apartment, Felicia’s favorite interior space in New York City is the Four Seasons Restaurant, which is of its moment, yet timelessly cool.

Question: What are some of your favorite interiors in New York?

Thom Filicia: I would say one of my favorite interiors in New York is the Four Seasons Restaurant.  I love it because I think it’s just... glamorous.  It’s fun.  It is definitely; you know the moment, if not the week it was designed based on the interior.  It’s a very cool... it was cool from the beginning.  It’s been cool ever since, you know, it never. It’s just always been an interesting, fabulous space and design.  And when I’m in there I feel. my emotional reaction to it is like I just think it’s really awesome.  So I think in New York that’s one of my favorite interiors.

I would say my other favorite interior in New York is my apartment.  I think you have to really like your space.  I think you have to really be comfortable in your space, you should really like it and should always be kind of challenging, you know, and adding and it should always organically be evolving.  But I do like my space and I think you always... and I fall in love with so many interiors.  And a lot of times it’s not even just the whole space, you can call in love with pieces and think "That’s a really interesting concept and idea."  And sort of put that in your, kind of like your file cabinet of good ideas.

I would say, God... through the world, I mean, the U.S. there’s... I would, you know, New York City is such a international city so there’s so much.  There’s so many influences which I think is really fabulous.  I would say as a city I love Chicago because I think it’s an amazing American city and the architecture is really incredible.  I think it’s a great representation of, you know, I always say when people come to the U.S. and they say, “Oh I love New York,” it’s their first time here.”  I say, “Well, you know this is like an international city, Chicago is a true example of an American city I think. or the best example of an American city.”

Phillip Johnson’s Glass House I love but I have to say on the property I also love the old farmhouse, on the same property.  That’s a difficult question for me.  I mean, I think that worldwide, I would say some of my favorite interiors are very humble spaces that are really not designed in their kind of reaction to making things work.  I spent a lot of time in Greece, on Greek Islands, and a lot of my favorite spaces are really just kind of very simple, very clean, open, and kind of utilitarian at a certain level.

Recorded August 4, 2010
Interviewed by Max Miller