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Before being cast on Top Design, Felicia Bushman already had an amazing set of life experiences on her resume' - marathon runner, triathlete, personal assistant to Nicole Kidman. But interior design has always been her passion.
Pegged early on as the ditzy SoCal beauty, Felicia's talent and sophistication ultimately overshadowed Bravo's attempts to brand her. As we learn in this revealing interview, there is much more to Felicia than what meets the eye:
BTD: Felicia, we were surprised once again by the elimination decision last week. Was it a harder experience living through it or watching it again on TV?FB:
Completely surprised. I thought I was completely safe up against Ryan whose room was a disaster and who proved himself incompetent week after week. He had been in the bottom three each week and I hadn’t been even close. I mean, how could you compare the two of us?? Sure he’s a talented artist but he is far from an interior designer. None of his rooms even functioned properly! Going into his room I felt like I was walking into a prison cell or worse, HELL! God only knows what my client would have done to herself if she had of had to live in THAT room! I might have saved her from a worse fate than just shooting herself! ;-) Seriously, I didn’t think my room was the best that week, I will be the first to admit that garage sale hunting is not my forte but my room was certainly not the worst!
BTD: You knew you wanted to be an interior designer since the age 7. What was your childhood bedroom like?
FB: I was raised by a single mother who worked at home and struggled to make ends meet. She was an artist and quite clever with space herself. When she had to get a roommate to help cover the cost of rent, I lost my room. She managed to create an adorable “fortress” for me out of the closet that was under the staircase. I LOVED that room, she built a bed for me, wired a wall sconce, painted it my favorite color of pale pink, I was in heaven, it was my really cool cubby. I’m telling you, she would have done much better in that garage sale, college dorm room challenge than I did!
BTD: You are an experienced marathon and triathlon athlete. How does your fitness philosophy influence your design aesthetic?
FB: Athletic challenges are just like design challenges. When you are designing and building a space you have to be in it for the long haul. You can’t just entertain the idea, you really have to follow through. I can never quit during a race just as I can never leave a project unfinished or a client unsatisfied, it’s the same mentality.
Click here to read the rest of our fascinating interview with Felicia as we touch on Tom and Nicole, Prada, Jerry Seinfeld and even Three 6 Mafia!
You were part of last week's winning Team Tahiti, helping to create an ethereal Tahitian hut. This week, you gave your client a sophisticated-looking room, incorporating bold colors your client had asked for. But sadly, the afghan you picked up at the garage sale didn't sit well with the judges. We will miss your cheery attitude, your bright smile and your sharp sense of fashion.
This post is only for positive comments about Felicia.
Hey Everyone!
Just wanted to write a quick little note and let everyone know that I was able to attend a viewing party for this past week's episode of "Top Design" thrown by the truly fab-u-lous Andrea and Felicia! Too. Much. Fun.
The party was thrown in downtown Los Angeles at Berry/Keller, the architectural firm where Andrea works. It was an awesome loft space, all clean and sleek - just where you would expect a top designer to work! When I arrived, the previous episode of TD, "Child's Play," was being projected onto the wall. It was just like being at the movies! (You can actually see the big a** projection in the picture with me and the grrrls.) I didn't know at that point, obviously, that Andrea and Felicia were going to win that night's episode, but there was definitely a sparkle in the air.
Felicia was the first one I spotted and when I approached her she was warm and lovely and as you can see from the picture, totally Swimsuit Illustrated sexy in her bikini. Meow!!! Andrea arrived a couple of minutes later looking adorable in a navy blue baby-doll type dress. She is quite striking in person - I didn't expect her to be so tall! They then introduced me to the effervescent and animated Heather- she had such a great energy and was supah funny.
All of the gals were extremely friendly and told me what they could about the show without giving anything away. From the previous week's episode, I was curious to know why all the painting had to be done on the first day (John had remarked that he couldn't do painting on the second day.) They explained that the furniture is on loan from the Pacific Design Center and couldn't risk having wet paint on it. Makes sense, but it still seems limiting.
I was also curious to know if they had been given a tour of the PDC so they knew where to go. All three, since they are from LA, had knowledge of the center but they were left to go at it like a scavenger hunt. But having that knowledge didn't always help as stores they knew or loved were sometimes closed during the filming. And unlike the "Project Runway" contestants while shopping at Mood, there was absolutely no haggling or bargaining on the prices of the furniture. Bummer, right?
I also asked about how the editing was treating everyone. All said that it was pretty true to form and that the characters were being presented fairly so far. Andrea did comment, though, that so much of the painstaking work - the hours and hours of labor that go into each design - pretty much ended up on the cutting room floor.
The episode started and of course there was raucous applause and hootin' and hollerin' every time the girls came on screen. It was so cool to be present when Andrea and Felicia rightfully claimed victory at the end of the episode. Seriously, how gorgeous was that cabana with those luscious, flowy curtains? Calgon, take me away! It was dreamy.
At the conclusion of the episode, there was an audible gasp from the crowd when Elizabeth was eliminated. I certainly didn't see it coming and I don't think the rest of the crowd did either. As I was saying my goodbyes, I asked Andrea if the cast had been totally surprised by the judges decision and she said that they were.
It was a fantastic evening and many thanks to Berry/Keller for giving me the grand opportunity to attend!
Xoxo,
Chris
You had limited time to develop a concept and carry out your vision and yet you managed to create an inspired fantasy space. You worked as a team, each pulling your own weight and utilizing your special skills. You noticed the details that made your cabana clearly say 'Tahiti.' Well done, Felicia, Michael and Andrea.
Let's use this post to congratulate this fabulous team; only positive words belong in the comments please.
BTD: Felicia, we were surprised once again by the elimination decision last week. Was it a harder experience living through it or watching it again on TV?
