Photos of the Pinehill Residence Project © Lauren Edith Andersen/SEN Creative

Meet renowned interior designer Michael Hilal, whose unique talent was recently honored by his inclusion in Architectural Digest's list of "New American Voices of 2023". His flourishing career has been marked by a unique style he describes as "undesign", a light, personalized approach that transcends conventional trends.Michael Hilal shares his views on the essential role of contemporary art in his designs, revealing how he integrates carefully chosen works to complement each project.

1. Hi Michael! Thank you for speaking with us today. Could you start by introducing yourself to our readers? How did your career as an interior designer begin?

My career was in tech for the longest time, and then one day I decided I wanted to focus my future in a more artistic field. Interiors had always been an interest of mine. My mother would purchase every shelter magazine and was constantly redecorating. She wasn't just following the trends though. My mother bought a lot of vintage and antiques and would mix them with these contemporary pieces. Growing up, I would go to my friend's homes and there was nothing like it. She was doing an unfussy, Axel Voorvordt look before I could contextualize it. We used mismatched estate sale china as our everyday dinnerware, and she would pair art deco club chairs, with a victorian sofa, and an Edward Wormly coffee table and then slipcover all of the soft goods in white linen or twill. I really want to recreate one of our rooms someday. She was so dynamic.

I digress. Fast forward to 2015, and I began my MFA Studies in Interior Architectural Design and one of my professors suggested I get a client and see if it was something I wanted to leave my career for. So I did that and the rest is history. I left my career in tech in January of 2020, which we all know what happened then (I don't want to say that name and conjure that type of energy, we were locked away for so long). It was a weird and scary time to decide that I wanted to start a business.

2. What is your work method when designing interiors? Where do you find inspiration?

The goal is to always have the space feel effortless. I never want something to feel overworked, and I want the spaces to feel like a breath of fresh air. My client's friends and family members should walk in and just think that the client is chic AF and not feel over decorated in a way that it was obvious they hired a designer. There is this epidemic in interior design right now where spaces feel overdone (like it's trying too hard) or too curated. Like a designer walked into a conceptual showroom and they tried to replicate that in someone's house, like they didn't understand that they were walking into a showroom. Neither of those offerings are chic.

I practice what I call “undesign". Again, it's just a feeling of effortlessness, like you are walking into this environment that was built specifically for the client. It's reflective of the client, the architecture. I still thread the needle across my projects with themes and color tones, but in terms of the space themselves, they vary. We spend a great deal of time researching the architecture style. If a client is interested in a specific era of design or art movement we look at how different people and regions approached that and then modernize it. For example, we are working on a Mid-Century Modern cabin in Lake Tahoe that's not an A-Frame. We looked to the 60s and 70s Swiss and French Alps and paired that with German Era Constructivist themes–but make it 2024.

We really find inspiration everywhere. Since I didn't take a traditional path, I am constantly studying and researching different design movements. I also spend a lot of time traveling and soaking in perspectives on design from different regions. When I start a project I come up with a concept and then continually go back to it. I can design very quickly, and I think it's because so much of that education I mentioned previously is fresh in my mind. I design a space and then go back to it throughout the process and gut check. Luckily, we've not had any huge overhauls on anything, but I'll tweak and change things here and there.  

Photos of the Pinehill Residence Project designed by Michael Hilal © Lauren Edith Andersen/SEN Creative

3. What is the role of contemporary artwork in your design process?

Art is the most important layer to me. If a project isn't finished off with the right layer of art and objet, then it's never really done. You can put all of the right furnishings in a space, but if you don't have thoughtful art then it just never really feels done.  

In terms of process if the client has a great art collection or a piece they really love we might use that as a jumping off point. I don't mean matching the colors in the project to the painting, but more, “Who does this work belong to, and what intent would it have in a home?" We are fortunate that we are now getting to work with artists we admire and purchase some really great pieces for clients.

4. Which art movements are you particularly inspired by?  

For furnishings and objets, Constructivism has really been at the top of mind. Much of the work translates to current day. It's just this utilitarian framework, yet abstract convention of thought as it pertains to design. For art, I've been really researching Dadaism. Hear me out, I think we are going to see a big shift in art in this direction. With all of the social and political unrest right now, artists have feelings and they want to translate that in their work. If you really think about it, we've been in 7 years of chaos and that's going to really start driving the dialogue in art. With Dadaism, there is this nihilistic level of absurdity that is happening and that's going to seep into art in many ways. Will we get another Duchamp out if it? I don't know. But art is definitely going to move into that direction BUT updated. A few genius artists are going to crack the code and do it well.

Bedrooms - Pinehill Residence Project designed by Michael Hilal © Lauren Edith Andersen/SEN Creative

5. What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?

I've had so many blessings career wise recently that it's really hard to account for the proudest moment. I have clients I really love, I'm collabing with a bunch of artists I admire and working on my own product. I'm very full at the moment. If I had to choose one I'd say I was recently selected for Architectural Digest's New American Voices of 2023. That was a pinch me moment. I cannot thank Alison Levasseur, Mayer Rus and Amy Astley enough for supporting my career. It feels really great to be recognized by people you admire. Now it comes down to how to honor them and rise to that occasion.

6. Who would you love to design a space for—whether from the past or present, a real person, or a fictional character?

I'd love to design a space for Brad Pitt. Apparently he's purchased this historic mediterranean style home in Carmel that needs a ton of work. I really love restorative projects and layering on a fresh point of view. He has great taste and he seems like he would be cool to work with so I'm just going to put that out into the universe.

7. Are there any especially exciting upcoming projects you could tell us about?

I'm always excited for my interior design projects. Nothing has been plug and play. Each project presents new challenges. I don't want that to come off as contrived, but it's true. 70% of our projects have a different vibe and that's symptomatic of living in the Bay Area. We have such a diverse range of architecture that many other places don't, so EVERY project could have a completely different aesthetic. Right now what I'm most excited about are a few project collabs and the expansion of our furniture line. We've designed a bunch of new pieces that we're prototyping for our collection. As for those collabs I cannot talk much about them, but they are really going to be great.

Portrait of Michael Hilal © Katie McCurdy