Ep. 277: Decorating the English Way with Emma Sims-Hilditch
b"Today's lovely guest is English designer Emma Sims-Hilditch. Emma got her start designing sets for Ridley Scott before opening her own firm, Sims Hilditch, in 2009. Her work has been featured in Vogue, House & Garden, The Telegraph, and many other publications. We discuss Emma\\u2019s new book The Evolution of Home: English Interiors for a New Era and her tips for decorating the English way.\\nWhat You\\u2019ll Hear on This Episode:\\n\\n\\nWhat has been the evolution of Emma\\u2019s design style through childhood, travels, and beyond?\\n\\nHow does Emma find balance between rustic and clean, modern styles?\\n\\nWhy does Emma paint her house twice a year?\\n\\nWhy light plays such an important role in color and hue choices.\\n\\nWhy is storage in the bedroom priority #1 for Emma?\\n\\nEmma encourages people not to always get hung up on symmetry and matching; nature is the perfect example of this.\\n\\nThe case for brown furniture!\\n\\nWhat Emma likes to consider for home office spaces.\\n\\nHow did working in set design influence Emma\\u2019s design style?\\n\\nWhat does Emma recommend for adding European design elements into a space?\\n\\nWhat are ways to add charm to your room even after decorating?\\n\\nOverstuffed upholstery and pillows are English staples that are fun to play with.\\n\\nWhat does Emma consider the ideal kitchen layout?\\n\\n\\nDecorating Dilemma:\\n\\nHi Jackie,\\n\\nThis is a lovely kitchen with fantastic bones and storage. I personally wouldn\\u2019t change the white cabinets because I think it\\u2019s much easier to paint a wall. If you don\\u2019t like it, it\\u2019s also much easier to repaint. I would personally do a soft gray like Mizzle by Farrow & Ball. You could also go darker like a blue-gray. A white kitchen is a great starting point and I love the black contrast. I notice the countertops are polished vs. honed; I would recommend getting a quote to see how much it is to get them honed. It\\u2019s an easy process that gives a much softer edge and makes a huge difference. I would also recommend some pendant lights over the bar if it\\u2019s not too difficult to add them now. You could use fabric-colored shades or even play with patterns. If it\\u2019s practical, upholstered bar stools are another fun way to bring color in. I would also even look at the curtain; the soft white curtain could be swapped for something with more texture or pattern that\\u2019s more structured and less floaty. I would base it on what you choose for the pendant and barstools. You could also try a coordinating Roman shade above the window as well; whether it\\u2019s decorative or functional it will often up that space. I would not wallpaper the backsplash as cooking can be damaging to wallpaper. If you really want to wallpaper somewhere or even if the room carries on around the corner, you could paper one wall. I would pick out a pattern that\\u2019s complimentary to the paint color you choose from the kitchen. We all think drawing more attention to the island will be your best bet. With that in mind, you could also paint the island 2 shades darker than whatever you choose for the wall. We don\\u2019t think the dog crate is permanent, but if you want you could put a rug under it for now!\\n\\nThe kitchen looks wonderful as is and just needs some finishing touches\\u2013you\\u2019re almost there! Good luck and please send us some pictures!\\n\\nMentioned in This Episode:\\nSims Hilditch\\nSims Hilditch on Instagram\\nEmma Sims-Hilditch on Instagram\\nThe Evolution of Home: English Interiors for a New Era\\nMargot 2-Light Pendant\\nHector Finch"