Wall graphics company co-founder uses his Venice home as a testing ground
The walls of Scott Flora’s sunny Venice cottage are lined with wall graphics, but the stickers are not merely decorative. They’re work.
Flora uses the small house that he shares with Susan Kaufman and daughter Aja as a veritable test kitchen — and photo studio — for the latest designs from Blik, the wall graphics company he co-founded in 2002.
Flora and his staff of 10 routinely take design into his home and sit with them.
“We are constantly testing things, printing them, cutting them, coloring them, trying things in different colors,” Flora said while smoothing out a pixel from the enormous pink Heart Breakout design in his dining room. The goal: to see “how they influence my mood, the environment and my own family.”
With the enormous pink heart enveloping one wall, Flora placed a small green robot low on an opposing wall. “It’s amazing how a simple piece, in the appropriate color and scale, can influence not only the wall but the whole room and your emotions when you enter a room,” he said.
True to the Blik spirit of transitory decorating, Flora struggled to pinpoint his own aesthetic.
“My design taste changes as often as trees sway,” said Flora, 44. Indeed, the home is a mix of vintage and new Midcentury designs, clean-lined modern furnishings from Room & Board and Blu Dot and original works by local artists.
“I like things that are well crafted and well made,” said Flora, who worked as an architect before starting Blik. “Room & Board is of value, and I don’t have to spend a lot of money there. I love Vitra and Herman Miller when it makes sense for me.”
And Kaufman’s antique wood curio shelf?
“There’s a narrative there,” Flora said of the piece, which stands apart from the other furnishings. “It’s something that has been in her family forever. I appreciate that there is a story behind it. That’s important.”
Flora was drawn to Venice, where he has lived since 1999, because of its small-town feel.
“It’s a small oasis that sits on the edge of a town dominated by Hollywood,” he said. “It reminds me of where I grew up in Pennsylvania. I love the mix of hip and grungy, the variety and diversity of everyone. It’s a casual beach environment with a really strong appreciation for the arts. Some of the most creative people I have met have lived here.”
One of those people, furniture and interior designer Ilan Dei, gave Flora an appreciation for “the quality of construction.” Flora’s take on design at home does boil down to construction, as well as emotion, perception and affordability. “I don’t want to spend a ton of money to get a brand name if I don’t have to,” he said.
Aren’t there downsides to using his home as a laboratory — a second office of sorts? Flora was quick to say no.
“The graphics allow me to keep one eye on what we’re doing as a company, while enjoying my life at home,” he said. “I don’t need to think deeply about them each day, but by having our works around me, I do consider how a particular piece makes me feel over time.”
He asks himself: Do I still like this design? Would I prefer to change it? How do others react when they see it? Or do they not react at all?
“If it works for me,” he said, “it very well may work for others.”
