By Tamara Hill, Founder of The Hill House Group
At the heart of every home I design, there’s a story waiting to be told.
For years, I’ve moved between cities, careers, countries — collecting fragments of beauty, resilience, and transformation along the way. These experiences don’t just shape who I am — they shape how I design. Whether it’s a centuries-old masseria in Puglia or a sunlit pool in Palm Springs, my work always starts from within.
Design is not just what we see — it’s what we remember. What we’ve overcome. What we hope for next.
That’s the same energy that led me to write my first book, The Threads of Becoming, a memoir in poetry that traces my own story of reinvention — as a woman, a mother, and a creative. And I’ve realized something: the process of designing a meaningful space is uncannily similar to writing a powerful story.
If you’re seeking to create a home — or a brand — that resonates deeply, here are a few guiding principles I’ve learned from both the blank page and the blank canvas.
1. Begin With Emotion, Not Objects
Too often, design starts with “What should I buy?”
I always ask, How do you want to feel?
Do you want your guests to exhale? To gather? To reflect? Your space should be a vessel for those emotions. Let that be your blueprint — then layer in the architecture, texture, light, and palette that supports it.
2. Let the Past Have a Voice
The homes I’m drawn to — like the poems I write — hold memory in their bones. The patina of a worn floor tile, a grandmother’s mirror, the faded painting in the stairwell. These elements are not flaws to be covered. They are clues.
In design, as in life, the past isn’t something we erase. It’s something we reframe.
3. Make Space for the Unexpected
Some of the most memorable lines in my book came when I stopped forcing structure and let something strange and honest come through.
The same is true in interiors. A dramatic splash of color, an asymmetrical layout, a chair that makes you smile. These are the elements that make a space feel alive. Don’t be afraid of personality.
4. A Home Is a Story You Live Inside
When I designed the first Hill House property in Italy, I was curating more than linens and limestone. I was crafting a moment: for a couple escaping the city, a solo traveler finding clarity, a family gathering for the first time in years.
Just like a book is read differently by every reader, a home offers a different story to every guest. Good design makes room for those stories to unfold.
5. Your Story Is Your Signature
Whether you’re building a creative business, restoring a historic home, or simply rearranging a room — your point of view is your power.
The Hill House Group has become known for its layered, artful, soulful aesthetic because that’s who I am. As I prepare to release The Threads of Becoming into the world, I’m reminded again and again: our deepest truth is often our greatest asset.
Looking Ahead
If you’re looking to build something that’s not just beautiful, but meaningful — a property, a project, a home, or a new version of yourself — I’d love to walk alongside you.
Because when we design from within, we don’t just create spaces.
We create belonging.
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PS: The Threads of Becoming will be released this October. It’s a book for anyone who’s ever been between chapters — and wanted to write their own next one. Preorders coming soon.
