STUDIO THOMAS JAMES INC.

We’re honored to receive a copy of Phillip Jeffries Walls, a celebration of craftsmanship, materiality, and the transformative power of wallcoverings. From the pages of the book to our own work, Phillip Jeffries has long been a source of inspiration.

Seen alongside moments from our 2025 Kips Bay Show Room, where Phillip Jeffries wallcovering helped bring depth, texture, and character to the space. A reminder that the right walls don’t simply frame a room, they become part of its story.

Thank you Phillip Jeffries for the beautiful addition!

As seen in Pretty Magazine

Inside this classically elegant home, Studio Thomas James owner and principal Philip Thomas Vanderford layers color, pattern, antiques and personal pieces to create interiors that feel traditional without ever feeling predictable. From rosy cabinetry and soft blue millwork to floral wallcoverings, natural stone, rich woods and brass, each room carries its own point of view while remaining part of a beautifully collected whole.

Color plays a defining role throughout, with Philip sharing that the secret to decorating with pink is “choosing the right tone and using it with conviction.” Muted, nuanced shades are balanced by timeless materials and classic architectural details, allowing even the most playful moments to feel sophisticated and enduring.

But beyond the palette, the home is ultimately about the people who inhabit it. As Philip tells Pretty, “Some of the most memorable spaces aren’t filled with the newest furniture, they’re filled with things that tell the story of the people who live there.”

Project in Progress

Revealing a few bespoke details behind the scenes. We can’t wait to share the completed project with you!

Kyle Bunting

In The Dallas Morning News’ latest feature on designers’ favorite rooms, Philip Thomas Vanderford selected this treehouse-like dining room for a reason that goes beyond the furnishings. “It is the relationship between the architecture, the landscape, and the interiors that makes the room memorable,” says Vanderford.

Expanses of glass place the dining room within the surrounding tree canopy, while the warmth of the walnut architecture establishes a richness that did not need to be echoed or competed with.

“We never wanted to compete with that,” Vanderford explains. “Instead, we chose pieces with very strong materials like bronze, steel, alabaster and glass. and kept the palette restrained.”

That restraint was intentional. The furnishings were chosen to extend the architecture and landscape rather than interrupt them, allowing material, texture, proportion, and natural light to carry the room.

“There is quite a lot of luxury in the room, but none of it announces itself as luxury. You really discover it through the materials and the details, which is always more interesting to me.”

Thank you to The Dallas Morning News for including this room among designers’ favorite spaces and for the opportunity to share the thinking behind its design.

Interiors by STUDIO THOMAS JAMES INC.
Photography by Nathan Schroder Photography
Feature DMN Abode

ResidentialDesign DiningRoomDesign ArchitecturalInteriors TheDallasMorningNews

Knox Villas, in the making.

The material palette begins to tell the story. Warm woods, richly veined natural stone, tactile surfaces and burnished brass come together in a study of contrast, organic yet tailored, timeless with a distinctly modern point of view.

Now in process in Dallas’ Knox District, the limited collection of 12 private residences brings together the architecture of SHM Architects with interiors by Studio Thomas James. Each home is being considered down to the smallest detail, with materiality playing an integral role in creating spaces that feel layered, collected and entirely individual.

A first look at what’s to come.

Rick Green
Cindi Balch Caudle
Kyle Richards
Alli C. Bush
SHM Architects

The Bold on Beverly

In the primary bath, dramatically book-matched stone creates a striking sense of movement, carried across the walls, shower, and countertops.
Graphic mosaic underfoot and sculptural brass sconces bring another layer of refinement to the space.

The powder bath takes a moodier approach with boldly veined marble paired with black crocodile-textured walls and custom crystal obelisk sconces. Rich, dramatic, and deliberately unexpected.

Throughout The Bold on Beverly, Studio Thomas James embraced the home’s classical bones while introducing moments of color, pattern, and edge, creating a residence that feels collected and entirely its own.

Interiors shaped by memory, travel, and objects passed down through generations feel the most personal and invite connection. Guided by intentional understatement they can unfold with authenticity and clarity. Here, layered blues, tailored patterns, and collected objects create a refined, grounded, deeply lived-in atmosphere where every detail is considered with purpose.

The Bridge Club: a fresh, considered Studio Thomas James design where every detail tells a story.

Some of the best design lessons come from seeing how homes are designed around the world. 

In the latest Dallas Morning News Abode section, Philip Thomas Vanderford shares his perspective on what Dallas homes can learn from global design traditions, why a lack of identity results in trend-driven design, and why a strong sense of place matters. Thank you to and for including Studio Thomas James in this conversation.
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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