March 8, 2026When longtime clients of Heather Hilliard returned from a trip to Japan, they wanted to keep that vacation feeling going — aesthetically speaking, that is. So, the couple decided to incorporate design elements that they’d admired during their sojourn abroad, like sculptural elm-wood panels, into their San Francisco home.
“Those moments they experienced while traveling — quiet, tactile and deeply material — sparked a desire to reimagine a series of rooms in their home,” Hilliard tells Introspective. “We worked to translate those memories into a contemporary yet timeless domestic retreat, and their primary bedroom became a study in restraint and craftsmanship.”
Hilliard drenched the sueded plaster walls and ceiling in a muted taupe and covered the floor with an ivory silk Stark rug, composing a serene backdrop for a mix of custom, vintage and contemporary furniture. The room is quite large, so she created a sitting area anchored by a Josef Hoffmann Club 1910 sofa. Next to this she set an armless teak Pierre Jeanneret chair (one of a pair in the room) and a blackened-steel side table by J.M. Szymanski, placing in front of it a steel coffee table that she purchased on 1stDibs. To the right of the sofa is one of Hilliard’s favorite pieces: a circa 1965 George Nakashima floor lamp, originally conceived for Columbia University’s Kent Hall.
The bed, designed by Hilliard, is made of wire-brushed elm, with a black leather panel fabricated by Custom Design Furniture. The wood, she notes, was “blasted with over three hundred pounds of sand to achieve a silky, sinuous texture that invites touch.”
Of the completed space, Hilliard says, “This room is about quiet intention. Every material and object was chosen for how it feels as much as how it looks, creating a space that encourages stillness, reflection and daily ritual.”
