Designer Spotlight: Sims Hilditch

Dining Room by Sims Hilditch Photograph Courtesy of Sims Hilditch

Our next Designer Spotlight, Sims Hilditch, is led by founder and Creative Director Emma Sims Hilditch who has been making her mark on English interiors for over a decade.  Emma’s artistic roots run in the family, as she is the great granddaughter of a Royal Academician painter and the daughter of an interior decorator.  Emma’s own background in interiors and designs includes time working in film production as well as in textile design.  She opened her firm in 2009 (happy 10th anniversary!), and we are delighted to share some images of her designs today.

Entryway in a Malvern Hills Country House Photograph Courtesy of Sims Hilditch

Where better to start than an entryway?  For this home in the Malvern Hills, Emma kept the Victorian tiles and used it as a starting point for the entryway decor.  The collection of walking sticks are a perfect reminder that you are in the countryside.  (We recently had a set of antique walking sticks at the gallery that sold straight away!).

Sitting Room in a New Forest Manor Home Photograph Courtesy of Sims Hilditch

This colourful sitting room in a New Forest manor home highlights a wonderful pair of Italian marquetry commodes, each inlaid with figures and motifs inspired by antiquity.  The colourful wooden marquetry is complemented by the cool blues and purple shades used throughout the rest of the room, proving that there is no such thing as ‘boring’ brown furniture.

Drawing Room in a Bath Country House Photograph Courtesy of Sims Hilditch

This elegant drawing room at a country house in Bath includes a number of iconic pieces of English furniture, including the tripod tea table, pair of wing chairs, and mahogany chest on chest with Asian porcelain perched on top.

Dining Room in a Bath Country House Photograph Courtesy of Sims Hilditch

This formal dining room at the same Bath country house draws inspiration from the Regency period with the elegant mahogany dining table and chairs with the dramatic outswept back legs.  Chairs of a similar profile were popular during the early 19th century and can be seen in depictions of the interiors at the Prince Regent’s famous Carlton House and Windsor Castle.

Dining Room in an Oxfordshire Country House Photograph Courtesy of Sims Hilditch

Any traditional dining room calls for an antique sideboard, and Emma’s inclusion of a wonderful mahogany example with cabriole legs and pad feet works wonderfully against the rich blue colour of the wall at an Oxfordshire country house.

Thank you to Emma for letting us take a closer look at your work.  The Sims Hilditch website is a treasure trove of design inspiration, including thoughtful written introductions to each project highlighting styles, sources, and unique features.