Thom’s story

Good design improves lives and brings joy. Design should not be an exclusive club, it should be democratic and accessible to all. Using design to mentor and teach within the community is a privilege. I have had the honour of working with some great people in various walks of life, and have been able to bring creativity to the table, to share with and to learn from them.

My childhood was greatly influenced by watching Blue Peter on BBC TV. Inspired, I would use my imagination and my hands to design and make things like greeting cards, gifts, things for the home, and of course Christmas decorations. At the age of 13, I won a Blue Peter Competition badge for a painting that I did for the Unicef Year of the Child. As you might imagine I was beyond proud, I still am.

1987 is when my career in design began, delivering creative design concepts for companies and clients big and small in home interiors, fashion, beauty, food and beverage, and even the DIY and garden industries. I have delivered successful design solutions for many much loved global brands including, Boots, IKEA, Co-op, Starbucks, Target and B&Q. This has given me the opportunity to travel all over the world and to be exposed to, and learn from many different cultures and people. It also allowed me to partner with some of the most talented creatives in the business, including interior designers, visual merchandisers, interior architects, stylists and florists.

As my career progressed to executive level I would spend more time on planes and in meetings than actually designing. Eventually, I began to miss the earlier days when I was hands-on and deep in the creative process. And so, at the top of my game I made the decision to say thank you to my colleagues and clients and to take a bow. The time had come to turn the page on the chapter in the fast lane and to go back to where it all began. In 2021, after 33 years away, I moved back to Derry with the ambition of harnessing my experience and setting up a small creative business.

The floral design business had always appealed to me, and I wanted to offer a refreshed and different approach to that industry, in the same way that I did when I worked in retail, fashion, interiors etc.
Creative Stories and Complements was born and is the latest chapter in my design career.

My vision has always been to provide better experiences for people through great design work and to look to do that in a new way, so as to provide a refresh to the usual offer out there. Creative Stories and Complements is the next chapter in that journey, benefiting from all of that previous design experience but now with the focus on sustainability.

Today I live on Lawrence Hill with my French Bulldog Fáelán. We live in a Victorian-Edwardian house that is an ongoing work in progress and also serves as a test lab for the new creative ideas and concepts. My Blue Peter badge is framed and proudly displayed on the wall.