Modern country house

Sims Hilditch believe that good design can make people happy. Here we ask Design Director Louise Wicksteed about the design ethos of the company set up by Emma Sims-Hilditch in 2015, and how it manages to combine a classic style inspired by historic interiors with a modern, light and fresh sensibility.

Sims Hilditch was launched in 2009 by Creative Founder Emma Sims-Hilditch. Its headquarters is located in the heart of the countryside, a Grade II-listed former coaching inn just five miles from Bath. Renovated and decorated by Sims Hilditch, it encapsulates the company’s signature modern country-house aesthetic. Emma has built an expert team of interior designers, interior architects and procurement managers led by Design Director Louise Wicksteed, who here explains more about the company and its design ethos.

Q. Can you explain Sims Hilditch’s ‘design once and design well’ philosophy? Timelessness and quality design are at the heart of everything we do at Sims Hilditch. We champion fine craftmanship and work with the highest quality materials, often using English and local suppliers. It is our belief that a home should be built to last for many generations, enduring both physically and aesthetically. To achieve this, we use a blend of antiques and contemporary finishes in our interiors, creating designs that are functional and suitable for modern living, while still in keeping with the property’s heritage. We also take careful note of our clients’ requirements, understanding how they wish to live in their home and planning the design accordingly.

Q. What are the advantages of a classical English style in the interior, and why was this Emma Sims-Hilditch’s vision when she set up the company?

Emma Sims-Hilditch has grown up immersed in creativity inspired by the English countryside. Her mother was a keen amateur decorator and her father kept bees and was fond of weaving on a loom. This creativity endured into Emma’s adult years when – after moving on from a career in the film industry with Ridley Scott – she began making curtains from her kitchen table at home in Wiltshire. It was from here that Emma started advising friends on the interior design of their homes, which ultimately developed into the Top 100 interior design business that she has today.

Q. What made Emma set up Sims Hilditch following her career working in films?

Emma was able to hone her organisational skills while working with Ridley Scott – something that has been hugely beneficial when managing large scale interior design projects over the years. She and her husband John decided to leave London and their careers to start a family in Wiltshire. It was from here that they both launched their respective successful businesses – Sims Hilditch interior design and Neptune.

Q. I understand that Sims Hilditch like to take a holistic approach to projects, inspired by the building and its surroundings. Why is this approach important?

A home should be a harmonious space in which our clients can relax and decompress. This is difficult to achieve if the interior jars horribly with the property’s existing fabric and the surrounding landscape. When working with a historic home we look at its bones and try to retain as much of the existing materials as possible, incorporating it into the newer elements of the design. This might include retaining the Cotswold stone and wooden beams of a derelict former coaching house (as we did with our studio The White Hart) – and bringing it up to date by installing Critall doors and skylights to let in plenty of natural light. If working on a new build, we consider how we can curate a layered interior that seems to have been collected over time. Incorporating antique artwork and furniture into the design works well here, as does using reclaimed wood and bricks where possible to add character.

Q. The projects that Sims Hilditch take on vary from big city homes to much smaller homes in the country or by the coast. Do you have a favourite type of building to work on? Of course we love to work on properties that are steeped in history such as the more than 500-year-old English Country estate that we completed recently. It is fascinating to uncover the stories that a building holds and to use this knowledge to inform the interior design. However, it is also a delight to breathe character into a new-build property through the use of texture, colour and intelligent architectural design.

Q. What working relationships do you have with your clients and how does the consultation process work?

We take great care to get to know our clients and to understand the way that they live in order to incorporate this knowledge into their interior. This is the first thing we do when we begin working with our clients and we welcome them to have input into their project as much as possible.

Q. Is it possible to maintain that beautifully curated House & Garden style where everything has its place? Can a well-planned interior design make it easier to do this? Life is messy and we certainly don’t advocate trying to live life in a show-home like environment. A home is made to be lived in, but a good interior designer can put measures in place to help minimise the chaos and maximise organisation. This might include intelligent storage solutions such as a hidden boot room under the stairs, recessing shelving into walls or creating bespoke pigeon holes to store the post.

Q. You have a design collaboration with George Smith furniture – how does this work? We worked with the expert George Smith design team to create a capsule collection made up of three pieces: The Emma Armchair, The Emma Ottoman and The Emma Sofa. The Sims Hilditch team were instrumental in planning the design for the pieces and the expert makers at George Smith create them in their workshop using the finest materials.

Do you think the timeless English look will always have a place in the interior? Absolutely! Timeless English style is just that – timeless. The beauty is that it can be adapted to work well in a city or country home, both old and new. The key is to use high-quality natural materials, champion the use of antiques and refurbishing existing family heirlooms, and take inspiration from the property’s heritage and the beautiful English countryside in terms of colour and texture. n simshilditch.com

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