Hillary Taylor
Photo by Nathan Schroder
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? The 7th Arrondissement… rue emile deschanel or rue de grenelle.
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Fresh
2. Traditional
3. Happy
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? I had Sandra Boynton duck wallpaper with matching fabric balloon shades… I shared a room with my little sister and so I slept on the top of a white painted wrought iron daybed. The side “bolsters” were rectangular with shirred boxed edges and made out of yellow Mario Buatta ribbon chintz. I was allowed to decorate the inside of my closet door ;) haha
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? The first major piece was a set of 6 dining chairs I bought at a consignment store in Palo Alto. They came out of a Nob Hill apartment in SF- and I still have them. They are a wonderful painted finish (probably lead), a great scale for sitting- nice and wide and sturdy- Louis XVI with caned backs and removable pad seats. The carving is on point… love them!
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Mark Hampton. Hands down.
No room is complete without a basket!
People think of me as sweet and nice, but I am really short tempered with dumb people and not incredibly diplomatic.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Greenery
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Chutney
A bar cabinet: Alcohol!
A song for:
Dinner at home: Steve Winwood “Higher Love”
Working at your desk: Taylor Swift “The Man” or Peter Gabriel “Big Time”
Going for a run: Simple Minds “Alive and Kicking” or U2 “City of Blinding Lights”
Biggest Vice? Diet Coke and juicy tales
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Anything on Stair Galleries Thursdays at stair… oy! I get in trouble on etsy all the time - I order random lamps and hand towels and baskets all the time just “trying them out” for clients. And sometimes there are real wins!
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes, I think they totally do - nothing trendy- but if trendy, it’s always slightly off the beaten path of trend, nothing too “age appropriate”, and color that I feel good in- very similar color choices.
Who is your star crush? Joshua Bell or Jimmy Garoppolo
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it?
Inside mount roman shades.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be?
Mark Hampton’s “On Decorating” (the first and only book I’ve ever stolen) and “Decoration” by Pierre Levallois
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Spaces that aged well, adapted to change and were the backdrop of memories involving loved ones.
Photo by Nathan Schroder
A Few Favorites
Movie: Out of Africa
Book: Pride and Prejudice or the Gospel of John
Scent: Fragonard or Serge Lutens Orange Flower
The fabric you always come back to: Pierre Frey Augustine
Dream project: An old french farmhouse in Gordes, France
Meal: Takashi in Salt Lake City, UT- comfort food to me!
Drink: San Pellegrino, mint and lime!
Hotel: Hualalai on the big island of Hawaii
Travel Destination: Paris, France
Artist: Jonathan Linton or Mary Sauer… two great portrait painters
A cause near and dear to me: Neighborhood House in Salt Lake City
Thing to collect obsessively: Dishes!
Era in the history of design: Late 18th century, french neoclassicism
Museum: The Hermitage in St Petersburg Russia
Paint Color that always looks great: Benjamin Moore Glass Slipper 1632
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Tony Finau @tonyfinaugolf
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs, but love cats!
