Tommaso De Carlo

Decorative painter

Making a house a home

Tommaso's mission is to 'give a soul' to a home
Florence is his biggest source of inspiration
His motto is to never stop learning

Giving a soul to every home: this is the main aim of Tommaso De Carlo, a talented interior decorator from Florence, Tuscany. As a student, he didn’t like to study very much, but at school he met his wife, Susanna: this was the turning point in his life. He started working in her uncle's workshop as a teenager, but he didn’t just learn how to work, he also learned how to live. "Decoration must make you feel good, like when you are wearing the 'perfect dress'," he says. This is the feeling he tries to give back to all his customers, repaying them for their trust in him.

Interview

Did you learn from a master?: My biggest piece of luck was falling in love with my wife Susanna, who I met at the art institute. She had an uncle, Roberto Giovannini, who had a workshop. When I was 17, he asked me to work with him. I spent all my afternoons in his workshop.
What did his workshop mean to you?: It was a school of life. It represented a microcosm of human communication. Lots of people were running around me – customers, friends, strangers – telling me their stories and their experiences. I learned the job, but above all I learned about the world.
Do you define yourself as an artist or a craftsman?: The word 'artist' means nothing and everything. I dislike this term because an artist is allowed everything; he can do whatever he wants. I come from the opposite world: I have to explain why I do something. My work must be contextualised, linked to a culture, a society and a territory.
What do you love most about your profession?: The trust of my customers. When a person trusts you, there’s nothing better – all your energy and skills are pumped into satisfying those who trust you. My motto? You never stop learning!

Tommaso De Carlo is a master artisan: he began his career in 1980 and he started teaching in 2010