Design Changemakers 2022: Paula Sutton Is Bringing Cottagecore Joy to Post and Page

Who: Paula Sutton, author and influencer at Hill House Vintage
Where to follow her: Instagram at @hillhousevintage

Scroll through author and influencer Paula Sutton’s Instagram feed, @hillhousevintage, and you’ll notice a pattern (or three or four!). Plaid, tweed, and chintz, plus pretty pastels and lots of 19050s-style frocks are all integral to Sutton’s English country style. You’ll also find a wildly enthusiastic community chiming in with comments like, “You kill me every time with your dresses,” and “This setting and table set up makes me so happy!” 

Sutton lives in a 19th-century Georgian home in Norfolk, England, and documents her tablescapes, floral arrangements, throwback wardrobe, and overall English cottagecore aesthetic to demonstrate how to decorate on a budget with secondhand finds. “Social media started out as a thing to do whilst I was looking for a new career and to stop me feeling lonely,” Sutton says. “I found that I really enjoyed writing, photography, and styling as well as connecting and chatting with fellow interiors enthusiasts. It began with pictures of my house and dog. However, it was when I started to show my own face and become more open about my life that I felt a huge shift.”

It’s the woman behind the account that sets Sutton apart from many of her peers. “I am a black, middle-aged woman from South London in a very traditional space,” says Sutton. “There are a huge number of talented and creative black people from all walks of life in the interior industry, but in the UK in particular, they are not always as visible or championed as much as they deserve to be. Social media has definitely made a start in changing that for the better, and purely by being ‘visible,’ I hopefully play a small part.” She’s careful to note that real change will come though “when the balance goes beyond social media and starts occurring in boardrooms and at decision making management level at larger multinational interiors brands.”

Another quality that makes Sutton unique and Hill House so appealing is Sutton’s joy in the work — a quality that did not go unnoticed by her publishers (Penguin in the UK and Clarkson Potter stateside). In fact, the subtitle to Sutton’s 2021 book “Hill House Living: The Art of Creating a Joyful Life” tells you a lot about what keeps Sutton’s audience coming back for more: She puts happiness and heart into her homemaking. Read on to hear more about Sutton’s book and her inspirations.

Apartment Therapy: What do you remember as your being design inspiration growing up?

Paula Sutton: I really enjoyed looking at my mother’s Country Life magazine, which featured country houses decorated in the English country house style of the likes of Colefax and Fowler. They seemed elegant yet ‘lived in,’ always with a few dogs, a lot of faded chintz, and often an intense color on the wall — egg yolk yellow or a Wedgwood blue — with chalky white architraves and architectural moldings. Even at a young age that cozy, faded look appealed to me.  

Fashion also played a large part in my life, which in turn, honed my interior style to suit the clothes. Vintage tweed jackets, riding breeches — I loved to play dress up with elements from various different eras. 

However, I was a teenager in the 1980s, and it was also a time of individuality and immense creativity in fashion and music. I loved how designer Vivienne Westwood borrowed from the past (corsets, John Bull hats, crinoline skirts, etc.) to create a modern punk look, which was also reflected in the art direction of her catwalk shows, where there’d be a reproduction Louis XVI chair here or a vintage chandelier. I also enjoyed the ethereal quality of Kate Bush and her musical references to literature and history. All of these historical references fed into my imagination and played a part in what I now see to be beautiful.

AT: Where do you find your inspiration today? 

PS: I still have one eye on past furniture styles and shapes. A curve, a scallop, or a cabriole can be timeless, and I am always drawn to a tactile serpentine shape. I get inspiration from historic houses, design museums, certain fashion houses, and, of course, from the many inspiring and talented creatives on social media — both professional designers and fabulous amateurs alike.

AT: Who do you look up to in the design world?

PS: I love people who have harnessed their own innate style and have built a brand based on a strong aesthetic which might not instantly seem to be in line with the current zeitgeist. It’s not always about interiors; sometimes there’s a crossover with fashion and art. Sometimes it might not seem like the most innovative of designers or brands, but one that isn’t afraid to explore the beauty of looking backwards in time to create a timeless aesthetic that can sit alongside the trappings of the modern world. Above all, I am drawn to people’s homes. Often the way the designer decorates tells an even more beautiful and complex design story than the brand itself.

AT: What’s your favorite project you worked on in 2021 so far?

PS: 2021 was an incredibly exciting year. I co-designed a capsule clothing collection with BRORA, worked with some incredible brands, and created my kitchen garden and garden office space. However, by far the most exciting thing was the publication of my book:  “Hill House Living: The Art of Creating A Joyful Life.“

AT: What inspired your subtitle “The Art of Creating A Joyful Life?”

PS: The pursuit of [joy] is central to everything we do, including our relationships, the way we work, and how we view everything in our lives. Life is tough, our emotions are complicated, and there are socio-economic, cultural and environmental problems that are hard to combat despite our best endeavors. I am all for fighting for a better world, but for our mental health, life cannot only be about the fight. If we can find even the smallest ways to inject a few joyful things that make us feel more positive whilst we navigate everything else, then that can only be a positive thing.

AT: What would you say sets you apart from your peers? What do you see as being your special thing?

PS: I think that the main thing I have is the unabashed joy I have in being a ‘slow decorator,’ meaning that I take time to contemplate and really understand a space and only fill it with things that I love over an unrushed period of time. I also love old stuff, secondhand stuff, vintage stuff, and things with a time-worn patina. I’m not slick or modern, and I don’t tend to follow trends. However, I do believe that there is no right or wrong way to style your own home as long as you and your family are made comfortable and happy by it. My only ‘rule’ is that you should walk into your home and feel immediately uplifted by your surroundings. 

AT: What legacy do you hope to leave? 

PS: That secondhand doesn’t mean second-best. That seeking joy and beauty in your home is not a frivolous endeavor but rather one to be celebrated and actively encouraged. Your home should be an oasis of calm and joy that reflects your authentic tastes — and not the tastes you feel you ought to have. We all deserve the right to feel happy, safe, and content within the walls of our own home.

Interview has been edited and condensed.