House Party: Tour This Brooklyn Creator's Pop Culture-Curated Loft

Julian Thomas, the Brooklyn-based creator of Told by Thomas, has no shame in his game of designing, personalizing and curating art for his NYC bachelor pad. And that’s mainly because his family spent years together playing armchair designer. “Growing up in the suburbs, my mom and dad would always sit and watch HGTV — [they] were the ones who inspired me to really embrace the DIY stuff," Julian recalls. "I was taught you need to make your home your home.”

Julian’s creative spirit took off with his first DIY loft project: stencil painted walls. “When I walked in [the loft] it was all white,” Julian says. “It was truly a blank canvas. So that’s where you see the stencil work that I did — all hand painting — which I’m very proud of because I’m not an artist.”

“I started off with a primer to really have a nice clean base to work with," Julian continues. "And then I just took some black paint and a somewhat dry, hard-bristle brush and took my time.” The end result creates a contemporary, black-and-white mural wall that helps to define the small space.

Julian's modern, neutral dining nook is small but packs a cozy design aesthetic, thanks to years of very particular family rules. "My mom, she’s really big on rugs," Julian says with a laugh. "It’s like rugs [are] everywhere. She invests in rugs. And I remember having so many restrictions in the house growing up — 'Don’t step on that rug!', 'Don’t go in that room with that rug!' — and once I got my own place, I [was] kind of over rugs."

"But then I did realize, one, they do add a pop of color, especially when everything is white. And it’s a good way to add some depth, texture and color to your space," Julian continues. "Also, it does serve a function: Rugs and any kind of textile will help dampen the sound."

Just beside the dining table sits a drink station with a story. "I knew I needed something right here because I installed this bar cart after I did the stencil [walls]," Julian explains. "This space just seemed so empty, so I found this mirror online and this color — I actually learned about it on HGTV.com a while ago — it’s called haint blue."

"In the South, especially on the East Coast in Georgia and South Carolina, the Gullah Geechee culture, they paint their porches baby blue," Julian comments. "So I felt like adding [the color] haint blue to a cloud mirror to pay homage to my southern roots a little bit."

Don't expect a full fridge and stocked cabinets inside Julian's minimal, modern kitchen. "This is a bachelor pad and therefore a bachelor kitchen — this is all for show," Julian says with a laugh. The space also showcases one of his early DIY loft projects: a tile backsplash. "They always recommend peel-and-stick stuff, but I’m like, 'That’s little kid stuff. I want the real deal,'" Julian adds. "So I decided to actually get some mortar and slap it on the wall and tile a backsplash. But this was my first time doing it and it will be my last time doing it."

"I always thought of myself as a plant guy, but in reality I am not," Julian says. "I will buy a plant and, you know, three to six months later it’s no longer with us. I’ll just end up with empty vases and plant pots."

"I’ve never been a figurine kind of guy," Julian says. "My mom collects tons of porcelain figurines, and that’s really never been my thing. But as I’ve gotten older, I realize I have like six of these pieces. Over the years they literally collect."

One of the most attention-grabbing areas in Julian's loft is the expansive, pop culture curated gallery wall. "I didn’t want to just slap some frames on the wall," Julian says. "I wanted to add some depth to it. I wanted to be able to show off my personality."

"I have an eclectic taste in pop culture and interests," Julian says, "but also culture specific to Brooklyn. That’s why you have lyrics from Lil’ Kim and pictures of Jay-Z and Diddy and, obviously, Biggie up there." Julian's gallery wall is lined with black frames that compliment the black painted steps leading to the lofted bedroom.

Neutral, contemporary and classic designs complete Julian's bedroom look. And, not surprisingly, the space is home to another art wall. "Unlike downstairs, where I was able to have some fun with it and be creative, I kept [the bedroom] gallery wall very symmetrical," Julian says, "not just in terms of the frames and the layout, but also the color palette. I think it all flows really well."

The bedroom gallery wall features a trio of anchor pieces for maximum design effect. "The dresser would be an anchor, the mirror would be an anchor, and the clock," Julian explains. Plus, Julian pairs leather decorative pillows with wooden accents to warm up the room.

"Fun fact: This apartment used to be a retail store and then my landlord bought it in the '80s or '90s and converted it all into residential lofts," Julian explains. "So there is no built-in closet space in pretty much any apartment, but especially this one." Julian's solution: upscale, industrial-style clothing racks.

"There’s not even full walls, which is why I had to create a partition wall," Julian continues. "I felt quite uncomfortable having an open wall in my bedroom, [and] I wanted a little bit more privacy. But I was quite intimidated with this DIY — I knew it required a lot of measuring and a lot of cutting and that’s just something I wasn’t familiar with. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than what it was. And I am very proud of how it came out, especially with these little cut-outs where I can put plants."

"When I moved in here, the bathroom was horrible," Julian says. "It was very pink, very retro, and I couldn’t even tell you what decade it came from. But I decided to keep the pink tile because I’m realizing it is kind of a rarity. And there’s a whole community online dedicated to preserving pink tiled bathrooms. However, I did decide to add some depth to it by incorporating some black accents and hardware. Then, I added another gallery wall because that’s my signature."

For anyone looking to snag Julian's signature style, he says, "Start off with an anchor piece, whether that is a frame or a clock. For my wall it was a picture ledge." Then, find the center point on the wall and design the rest of the pictures around the anchor. Hang the biggest art piece right above the anchor so smaller art pieces won’t get in the way. Next, use painter's tape to create a map of what the whole gallery wall will look like. Once outlined, take a sticky note and place it in the center of each painter’s tape frame. Measure each taped frame and then curate art to fit into each spot. Hang the art symmetrically and enjoy.

Loft spaces often serve double duty, but Julian made his home office work for both 9-to-5 and 5-to-9 endeavors. "My work is very creative, from writing campaigns and pitches to making videos for social," Julian says. "I just really needed a space that allowed me to create despite being my office and serving a purpose for work and creativity."

A comfy leather sofa and acrylic coffee table continue the modern, eclectic vibe in Julian's combo living and office space. "I really wanted my personality and playfulness to come through somehow," he adds. "I figured, why not throw a big cat on the wall."