Brian Patrick Flynn

You started working as a TV producer in Florida. How did you get into design? Were both fields simply irresistible?
While working as an entry level producer, I needed extra income; $8 an hour at age 25 wasn’t cutting it. To suffice, I’d rescue voted-off-the-island furniture pieces from neighbors’ curbsides, turn on Bob Vila and teach myself how to strip and refinish chairs and tables. Once enough pieces sported brand new identities with bold colors or unique stain tones, I’d host garages sales where dozens of regulars would buy them.

You are now a media darling with an emphasis on “darling.” how do you manage to do so much: HGTV, HGTV.com, private clients, DecorDemon.com and Houzz.com? Are you addicted to No-Doze or are you just that fast and furious?
Forget the No-Doze. I’ve got an intravenous supply of Pixy Stix and Frappuccinos flowing through my veins. Actually, I despise coffee and loathe pills—even Flintstones vitamins. Luckily for me, I was born with a perma-smile and the inability to sit still during the day. Right now, I’m focused mostly on producing, designing, styling and writing decorating-based editorial and video for HGTV.com. My production company, Flynnside Out, is made up of the best TV production professionals in the business who just happen to also be wonderful human beings with souls and talent.

For HGTV.com, you’ve done and are still doing both on- and off-air work. Is this fun squared or are you going to just channel your inner Martha and do your own TV show already?
Doing both is totally fun squared; I like being able to pitch exactly what I want to do, see it through to completion, then host it. In the end, my designer DNA is all over every ounce of the project. Regardless of what happens in relation to being on television or simply producing it, I love being part of the game as long as I’m able to monetize my creative skills so I can buy lots of fabric and Nelson pendants for my home...whoops, I mean, achieve world peace.

What got you started in design and how is your aesthetic influenced by your media experience?
My aesthetic is influenced by film more than anything else. I studied TV production at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where we were assigned to watch tons of classic cinema. That’s why most of my spaces have a bit of a movie set appeal. I try to take the graphic, polished looks of old movie sets, then adapt them into real, livable, forgiving spaces. Also, since I’m from a super fast-paced industry, I’m very good at keeping my design projects short and sweet. Oh, and color. I try to put together color schemes most people wouldn’t really think of using. And I love to juxtapose styles that aren’t seen together often—country with pop art, tropical with Fifth Avenue, masculine with elegant.

We can’t wait to hear about all of your NYC adventures when you return to the ATL. Break a leg!