Collection Time: Emma Sims-Hilditch on Art In The Home 

Emma Sims-Hilditch launched her design studio in 2009, using the skills she had honed working in film production for Ridley Scott. She has built an expert team of interior designers, architects and procurement managers, and prides herself on creating beautiful, intelligently designed spaces perfectly tailored to a client’s requirements.

Art is subjective
I’ve always loved art, and I see the value of what it brings to an interior. It’s such an expression of our personality. Sometimes I’m super-excited when I see a client’s art. But it’s all about subjectivity: what’s beautiful to one person will not necessarily appeal to another. What is lovely is working with an avid collector. I recently did an interior that featured a huge piece of Aboriginal art – it was 10ft long. You need to know about these extraordinary works at the beginning of a scheme so you can figure out where they’ll go. I always explore a client’s collection before starting to design their interiors. 

Assess your aims
It’s vital to consider the thinking behind a collection. Is it for investment? Is the buyer interested in decorative art for the sake of filling walls? Or are they a keen collector? We recently had a couple of American clients who wanted to buy some important art for their Elizabethan manor house, so that meant a trip to Philip Mould on Pall Mall in London to look at his incredible 500-year-old pieces. Sometimes we go to auctions and sometimes we source decorative prints. 

The importance of art consultants
A lot of the houses we work on are huge, and sometimes the client will arrive with nothing – not a single painting. But if you don’t budget for art, your house will look unfinished. That’s when you bring in an art consultant. We recently designed a Grade I listed townhouse in Richmond, and used a consultant who bought about 40 paintings. When you look at the interiors, you’ll see how amazing the art is – it finishes the scheme. Art consultants are vital entries in our little black book.

Discovering decorative art
I love decorative art and have a particular passion for mid-century Swedish pieces. I’ve become a bit more educated about the period thanks to Panter & Hall, a lovely gallery on Pall Mall that has regular auctions. I recently bought several paintings for my chalet in Switzerland – you can pick them up for about £500 each. I wanted that snowy mid-century atmosphere, and they’re authentic to the period of the house. It’s lovely when you can connect art to the history of a particular building.

Pictures as a starting point
When I’m creating an interior design, I often choose a colour palette and thread it through the whole scheme – and that can be influenced by a client’s art. In one house, there was a lovely heathery Scottish scene that prompted colours for me. But you can use art in other ways. If you don’t want a scheme to feel too contrived, art can sometimes be a juxtaposition – a bold contemporary piece against a traditional interior, say. 

Practical concerns
Hanging and lighting are hugely important – you need to find the right location and figure out how to light it. We use a specialist company that works with professional galleries: they’re masters of their craft. We set about identifying positions for art at an early stage in the scheme, so all the clock-point sockets for the lights are in the right place. If we’re designing a new-build, we make sure the walls are pattressed, adding plywood or timber for an extra layer of strength where the pictures will be. Put a piece where you believe it will work. 

Grouping art
Hanging a mix of things to create collages and collections is an art in itself. It’s lovely to mix, say, a still life and a drawing with oil paintings and watercolours – bring it all to life, make it fun. When I’m doing a gallery wall, I will lay the art out on the floor and move the pieces around, try them in different positions. And I love mixing frames: you might have gilt, a black frame and some colours, chunky frames and skinny ones. A great frame can do wonders for a basic painting. It’s all part of creating something beautiful to the eye. 

The personal touch
Art is an opportunity to put a personal stamp on your home. You should choose to display the things you love because, if you love them, that’s all that matters. It’s your home – it’s what makes your house individual to you.

simshilditch.com