A L T E R M E H O M E A N E C D O T E S

an interview with you ;

This weeks interview is with the incredibly talented Emma Sims-Hilditch Creative Director of SIMS HILDITCH

With a family background of Art & Sewing and a love of needlework from a young age, it is no wonder that Emma - Creative director of Sims Hilditch and Creative founder of Neptune has made such a name for herself in the interiors industry. I for one, am a huge fan of Emma’s work and love her design projects, so it was an absolute honour to have a chat with her about how her career started and what inspires her!

“Inspired by my mother’s sewing and grandmother’s artistry, I began designing entire rooms for friends and family. From there, my passion for interior design only grew.”

Emma has creative genes and growing up loved needle work and pottery, however - being unable to attend art school Emma decided to do a business studies degree which formed good foundations for her future in interior design. After this Emma went into film which again formed a strong foundation and base for her career as “films and commercials required meticulous planning and organisation in order to be a success much like interior design!”

“After meeting my Husband John, I did a curtain-making course. I became an expert in the field and started sharing design tips with friends and family. My career grew organically from there, opening accounts with fabric houses and designing rooms in people’s homes.”

Emma tells me that growing up her parents embraced design trends and their family home was decorated with a brown kitchen and green psychedelic pattern, that then evolved during the Colefax era - quite the contrast! Leaving home Emma had an understanding of decorating and interiors and was inspired by Provence in France and spending time in Switzerland, she and her husband love organic colours and fabrics such as natural linens, so their family home (cottage) reflects this and has a timeless natural feel avoiding trends.

After a brief chat about her career and finding out that her business started in a very similar way to mine (here’s hoping I am half as successful!) I asked Emma a few questions about the way she approaches projects and what influences her decisions!

On designing and creating interiors for others:

“Building relationships with clients is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. Working with wonderful people who become friends is truly a blessing. I feel very lucky to have clients who keep in touch, and I often do future projects for them and their loved ones.”“

When designing someone’s home it doesn’t feel like a job, which really is the loveliest thing. It’s such an exciting experience to use creativity to guide and help clients organise their space, imparting knowledge on what works and doesn’t work - ultimately having a positive effect on their lives. Seeing clients become happier people for it is truly the most rewarding part.”

Emma is careful to ensure her designs always promote organisation in her clients home; “Practical spaces are so important in any home. Being able to design a beautiful space for our clients that allows them to organise their busy lives and hobbies is imperative as it helps create a calm atmosphere throughout the home.”

If doing an entire house , which room do you start with and why? 

“We tend to walk through the process together, starting from the entrance hall and moving through to the kitchen, which helps to ensure that the final design matches the client’s vision.”

“I like to think of the house with colour first and not just look at it as a white box right from the beginning. I like to ask the client what mood they want to evoke as they walk through the door - what are the immediate feelings?”

“By understanding the mood, we can create a home that truly speaks to them. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding out as much as possible about our clients and what they love.”

Where do you find your inspiration for each home / project?

“I take inspiration from the English countryside – our studio based in the Cotswolds is surrounded by the most beautiful scenery. I also love taking inspiration from the property's architecture, history and location.”

Favourite room / part of a house to design

“The kitchen/living room/dining space (if open plan) is a key area to focus on when designing your home. Being the largest area, it gives you the opportunity to design every aspect of the space, from the joinery to the seating fabrics and lighting.

Lighting is particularly important as it helps to create the perfect atmosphere for cooking as well as entertaining guests.”

Your favourite home brands / shops

Ohh this is a tough one, good question. I love to go to Pimlico Road, in fact all the shops along there and I adore going into the antique shop in Tetbury - have you heard of Lordford? That’s my favourite place to go and look around to shop and for inspiration.

Favourite piece(s) from our collection?

My favourite piece from the collection is the beautiful autumn wreath - I love the natural feel and the colours and feel it would really welcome people to our home if I hang it on the front door

One for fun - I asked Emma if she was a cushion from our collection which would it be?

If I was a cushion I would be this one George (pictured right) - a lovely tailored shape with a design inspired by nature!

Alterme Home ultimately began from my own love of interiors and a creative family background so it was an absolute pleasure to be able to have a chat on the phone to the wonderful Emma about her business and learn a little more about her and her design process. If you’d like to see more of Emma’s work / learn a little more about Sims-Hilditch and what services Emma and her team offer, you can click the link here to visit Sims-Hilditch online or head over to the Emma’s Instagram.

Thank you for reading, we hope you are loving the new interview series on our blog & we would be so grateful if you could pop a comment below & subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear about new blog posts, offers & more!!