Tapped as a 2022 House Beautiful Next Wave designer, Hilary Matt defines her style as “comfortably modern, with an edgy flair.”
An interior designer based in New York City, Hilary specializes in residential and commercial interiors. Along with her talented team, Hilary creates an individualized design for each project. Function and comfort are the most important things to Hilary when designing a space, as well as a timeless design.
She sat down with Philip Bershad, President of Phillip Jeffries, to talk about how textures take a starring role in her projects. Her love for a curved sofa runs deep, but it's the walls she often thinks about first.
A Master Bedroom Makeover
The master bedroom is the perfect place to start layering texture and warmth on the walls. Hilary cozied up a large bedroom with high ceilings using the versatile Rivets wallcovering called Studs and Stripes for this Architectural Digest-featured home in NYC.
“It adds so much warmth; It adds so much texture to the walls,” she said. Inspired by a luxurious upholstered wall, the vertical stripe pattern features precise raised-rivet designs in unique color combinations and patterns.
This specialty wallcovering features a square nail head look that can be hung vertically or horizontally. We offer custom combinations of natural grounds and raised-relief colors. This item is made to order. Shop 5876-V: Studs and Stripes, Vertical Chrome on Hibernian Beige Tweed here.
“I’ve used [Rivets] so many times," said Hilary. "I love that you can customize it, pick the background color, pick grasscloth, linen, vinyl. You can pick the shape of the studs and also the color, which I love. I’ve been using Rivets for years and years and still never get tired of it.”
Her client loved the classic style mixed with modern. “We started in one room and then loved it and wanted to do it everywhere!”
A City Kid's Bedroom
Making a room that can grow with a child is important to Hilary and her clients. Plus, it’s kids rooms, not formal spaces, that she can really let her creativity loose. “People don’t limit themselves," said Hilary. "They do cool things, I love it."
For a girl’s bedroom in the city, she started with the wallcovering, and an upholstered bed that pops. “We picked the liberty print floral bed and loved it with the Corduroy Cloth,”a small-wale textile wallcovering, in Pinwale Pink.
A preppy mainstay, this small-wale corduroy combines the warm, cozy look of a traditional corduroy fabric and the refined elegance of a tufted, fluted pattern in luxurious, seasonal colors. This textile is expertly laminated for ease of installation. Shop Corduroy Cloth here.
“Corduroy is one of my favorites at the moment," said Hilary. "I can’t get enough of it, and I’m using it everywhere. It’s so beautiful in person, the texture is so cool, and it comes in a ton of colors.”
A Beach House Bedroom
In a Hamptons beach house project, Hilary chose a wallcovering that was girly but classic, not “babyish.” The Glam Grass in Pink Charming provides a sophisticated look for the walls. The paper features metallic filaments woven into the grasscloth for a hint of shimmer.
Phillip Jeffries Glam Grass
Handcrafted by artisans, authentic hemp grasscloth wallcovering gets a pop of shimmer and shine for a collection that blends metallic sophistication with a natural element. Shop Glam Grass in Pink Charming here.
Performance Fabrics
Many of Hilary's clients are young families, whose lifestyles demand performance fabrics. “They want a family-friendly home where they can entertain but is also safe and fun for their kids.”
When it comes to easy-to-clean vinyls, Matt typically shies away installing them in a formal space, but has been known to break her rule. “Phillip Jeffries makes so many great vinyls, a lot of them look so real!”
Phillip Jeffries offers a vinyl alternative to the natural grasscloth pictured above. Shop Vinyl Glam Grass here.
The Ultimate Powder Room
Hilary's funky side came out designing a powder room. Using Phillip Jeffries Marbelous, a glossy covering with the fluidity of classic marble, as the inspiration, the rest of the design fell into place.
“It helped to transform the space, and in person it really looks like marble on the wall," said Hilary. "It’s shiny, and it’s beautiful.”
Phillip Jeffries Marbleous
Inspired by the unique fluidity and movement of classic marble, this specialty wallcovering is available in a range of colors. Shop Marbleous here.
Learn More
Want to learn more about Hilary Matt and her design process? Watch the full PJ Instagram Live interview below, and find out which one of the 15 new Phillip Jeffries collections she’s most excited about.
All photos courtesy of Rikki Snyder.