Meet Emma

Meet Emma Sims Hilditch

Get to know Emma a little better, as she reflects on the impact of her creative upbringing and her slightly unconventional journey into interior design.

Emma grew up in a very creative household; her mum was a passionate home decorator who always encouraged Emma to pursue craft projects, as well as teaching her to knit and sew. Many of Emma's ancestors were artists, and from a young age she was introduced to the pursuit of creativity.

After not being able to follow her dream of going to art school, Emma instead earned a business studies degree, which became a fortuitous change of direction and was hugely helpful when it came to setting up her own interior design business years later.

She began her career in advertising, working for filmmaker Ridley Scott, who was directing some of the most iconic commercials of his generation. As part of the set design and production team, Emma learnt valuable lessons in scale and proportion, as well as how to make design impactful.

Emma's journey into interior design began with her own home. Bought as a completely derelict Grade II listed old schoolhouse, it became the project of a lifetime. Despite having no design qualifications or renovation experience, Emma and her husband had a vision and were steadfast in bringing it to life. With the help of an architect, they turned the property into a beautiful three-bedroom family home. Fifteen years later, they purchased the barn next door and used the opportunity to expand their design ideas and showcase what they had learnt.

The renovation of The School House brought with it a change in career for Emma. From her kitchen table, she first set up a curtain-making business, which then developed organically into working in interior design, and she launched Sims Hilditch as a design studio in 2009. Her husband, John, also went on to found his own business, Neptune, at the same kitchen table.

The Sims-Hilditch design DNA is all about texture, comfort, layering soft colour, repurposing reclaimed materials and leaning into inspiration from travelling and life experiences.

Further Reading

• 'Building with Reclaimed Materials' by Will Pauwels, published by Beta-Plus, can be found on secondhand book marketplaces such as Abebooks and World of Books.
• The latest publication by Beta-Plus on reclaimed materials is available as an ebook, 'The Ultimate Guide for Reclaimed Materials'.