Reality on Bravo

To those who are subscribed to the RoB newsletter, this is old news, but it’s time to share the interview with the rest of you! Felicia, one of the contestants from Top Design, took a moment out of her busy day to talk about her life since the show and share advice and secrets to success with us:

RoB: Hi Felicia! Thanks for sitting down for a chat. What have you been up to since leaving Top Design?
Felicia Bushman: I have been non-stop with tons of business. It’s amazing how much publicity had been generated and the new clients that just keep on coming.

RoB: So the show has been good for business?
Felicia: I’ve had to hire a couple more staff members to help me out

RoB: What made you decide to get involved with a Bravo reality show like Top Design in the first place?
Felicia: I love what I do and saw the opportunity to show the masses what I do best!

RoB: But was it difficult having the cameras follow you around all the time?
Felicia: It was a bit odd at first, but I was surprised by how quickly I got used to it. Once I was busy creating the task at hand, I forgot they were there.

RoB: Do you keep in touch with anyone from the show?
Felicia: Yes, I am in touch with Andrew, Erik, Goil, Elizabeth, and Michael mostly. I thought I would lose interest after I was gone, but since the remaining people were all my friends now, I was just as interested in watching.

RoB: You made some really creative decisions on the show. What inspires you most when designing a room?
Felicia: It’s always something different, but usually stems from one item, be it a rug, a single piece of furniture, a wallpaper, or even a color. If you look at one item closely enough, it will tell you a story (or perhaps I just create them in my head). From that story, the room evolves.

RoB: Sounds like designing is in your heart. When did you decide to go into the industry?
Felicia: It was sometime during jr. high school, probably 7th grade. We were discussing careers in school and I had always had an affinity for spaces, fabrics, pattern, and color, so it seemed natural for me to go into interior design.

RoB: What advice do you have for teens and young adults interested in getting started in the design business?
Felicia: I always tell them to work for a design firm WHILE they are going to design school. Learning interior design is 50% technical and 50% application. One really learns from the actual hands on experience, taking a project from beginning to end. As far as starting their own business, when they get to that point, I think the best advise I can give them is to never ever leave a project with unfinished cycles, never leave your client having to deal with the pesky little items that need to be done to finish up. This leaves them completely hassle free and makes them so happy to refer you to others and to call you back when the next project comes up!

Felicia’s Five Favorites:

Book: The Scientology Handbook by L. Ron Hubbard, it gives me practical tools that I can use every day for every day life problems

Movie/TV show: Moulin Rouge, and TOP DESIGN, of course!! Ok, second choice is 24, go JACK!

Food/Drink: Sushi & Sake! Katsuya in Brentwood has the best sake martinis made with fresh cucumber juice, I feel like I’m at the spa!

Ways to Relax: Hiking and yoga…and, of course, going to the spa…

Holidays: Thanksgiving, it’s all about friends and family and getting together and eating lots of great food! And best of all we don’t have to stress about gifts!

Bravo, Top Design, reality tv, reality television, decorating, interior design, Felicia Bushman