Los Angeles designer Angelo Surmelis, creator of the brand Angelo:HOME, joins us today to talk furniture, lighting, and decorating. A self-professed "design geek", Angelo has created an affordable home brand with designer styling that's available at Lamps Plus. His goal is simple: that "everyone can have style (and for less)!".
LAMPS PLUS: What is the inspiration behind the Angelo:HOME line?
ANGELO SURMELIS: To make expressing your personal style affordable. I have always loved when you walk into someone’s home and it feels like no other—when their style is eclectic and unique and not about trends.
LP: What is your favorite piece from the collection and how what is the best way to use it?
AS: I’m geekishly in love with my accent chairs. Adding an accent chair or two in a great pattern and/or color can remake an existing room feel fresh, OR be an awesome foundation to putting a new room together. Plus, I think the shapes are fun, fresh yet classic.
LP: What is the best design advice you ever received?
AS: Don’t over think it. I was a young art major in college in Chicago. I always looked up to my professors 'cause they were so talented. Also, I had a tendency to worry about making the “right” choice when it came to whatever piece I was working on. One of my teachers said, “Every time you don’t over think what you’re doing the choices you make are more passionate. More instinctual. That’s when something personal and beautiful happens.” I never forgot that and to this day I think it’s the best way to design. Design is not an exact science. There’s more than one way to create a beautiful space.
LP: When decorating, what item should you splurge on?
AS: Invest in a great sofa. Whatever your budget, buy the best one you can afford. It is the start of a great room!
LP: How important is lighting in your interior decorating?
AS: I was in a dressing room of a TV show I was working on and the actress in the makeup chair said to the makeup artist, “Honey, you can stop fussing with my face, It doesn’t matter what you do, if they don’t light me properly out there, it’s all for nothing.” It’s HUGE. You can buy all the “right” stuff, spend a ton of money making a room come together and it can all fall flat if you don’t invest in lighting. The opposite is true; a room put together on a budget can look amazing with great lighting.
LP: What do you see as the next design trend?
AS: I don’t know. Ha. Seriously. I think the best way to design and also not feel like you may be “making a mistake” is to not follow trends. Be aware of them, but always follow your own path. The best and most stunning rooms are not about trends but about individual style. The trend I champion is the one where you get to have your personal style expressed in your home!
Visit designer Angelo Surmelis on his website, Angelo:HOME, or on the Angelo:HOME blog for inspiring furniture, lighting, and decorating tips.