Janie Jones and Elizabeth Miles are the powerhouse duo behind the design firm Hundley Hilton Interiors. Based in Birmingham, Alabama; Janie and Elizabeth are two creative mavens who aren't afraid of color, pattern, or fun and we are beyond here for it! The duo’s own style aesthetic is a happy marriage of classic and modern, with playful yet careful attention to detail. Janie and Elizabeth both grew up in the South, taking inspiration from their hometowns of Lexington, KY, and Charlotte, NC respectively. The casual elegance of the South has inspired them in their design aesthetic, giving them a reputation for creating colorfully stylish and livable interiors. It comes as no surprise that we were thrilled when the Hundley Hilton team agreed to be Well + Wonder's latest guest curators. And how apropos, because Well + Wonder is packing up, shipping out and heading to Hundley Hilton HQ for art, design, and fashion showcase. It's been a joy to learn of Janie's and Elizabeth's thoughts on art in our collection. See the Hundley Hilton ladies current Well + Wonder picks below as well as read more about this fab team our rapid-fire Q&A, Introducing Guest Curator, Hundley Hilton!
Janie: I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky a small town filled with beauty and history. I learned early the art of decorating from my talented mother. She was always antiquing and bringing in new treasures to brighten our home.
Elizabeth: An East Coast native, I grew up between Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Growing up in this region, I was spoiled with mountains, countryside, and coast all within a short drive. I come from a family of creatives and I am an artist at heart.
Why did you start your blog/brand/business?
Janie & Elizabeth: We both had young children and were looking for a creative outlet. The love of design was instilled in both of us but it wasn't until we started working together we realized how merging our individual styles would create our unique brand of design. The part we really enjoy is helping our clients reveal their own personalities through their homes.
What is your favorite room in your house? Describe it.
Janie: It’s hard for me to choose but I would have to say my favorite room in our house is my dining room. It’s a mix of traditional and modern and each piece in the room, new and old, is special to me. When we designed the house we had entertaining in mind, we wanted to be able to host our family and friends. We love the idea of bringing the outside in and the dining room has french doors that open up to the patio. Each piece in the room is very different but I love the way they all work together to make the room unique.
What is your biggest score online to date?
Janie: My dining room sconces. They are a pair of Mid 20th Century French sconces with porcelain flowers and leaves. I had my eye on them for a long time and was so excited to see them up in my home on my pink chinoiserie wallpaper.
It is said to look for art that "makes your heart skip a beat." What aspects of art make your heart skip?
Janie: I think it’s different for each piece. Art is so personal, it speaks to you at certain moments in your life. At this stage in my life, the color in the artwork is what stops me in my tracks makes my heart skip a beat.
Elizabeth: Seeing the depth in the brush strokes on an original painting and the layers and texture of a mixed media piece really speaks to me. I love drama in art, so art that is of a dramatically large or small scale or a piece that evokes emotion really grab my attention. And the use of color for sure.
If you have the entire day to spend in an art museum, which one and why?
Elizabeth: Musee Picasso in Paris. The second-floor exhibition is ever-changing and his art spans so many decades and periods in art history. Picasso’s personal history is told through his art as well, and you get little glimpses of that with each exhibit. I saw the Olga exhibit last visit and can’t wait to get back when Janie and I will be there in January to see the new exhibit.
When and where do you get the biggest surge of inspiration?
Elizabeth and Janie: On the hunt, antiquing, travel, other people’s homes, magazines, and books.
Elizabeth: I refuel with inspiration from travel. Cultural experiences are so creatively inspiring, whether it’s from traveling two hours away or two continents away. I love to find something special to bring home from everywhere I go, but mostly I just love soaking up the experience.
The key to making a house a home? What does a home need more of and less of?
Elizabeth and Janie: More Items with history and personality, whether it’s a family heirloom or a personal trinket. Less cheaply made mass-produced pieces. Sometimes budgets keep us from investing in quality pieces, and Janie and I admittedly love the high-low mix, but we try to do it with vintage pieces and less big box store items.
The greatest color combination that ever existed?
Janie: We love color, which is obvious when you walk into our homes. I would have to say my two favorite colors I most commonly draw from are pink and green. You will see shades of those colors throughout my house and our work. Other color combinations that really speak to me are chartreuse and peach. They blend well together and provide a soft classic but modern look.
Elizabeth: I would agree with the above but add blue to that. I love a little blue with everything. Blue and green are great bases. Like the stem of a flower, green acts as our neutral base upon which we can layer almost any other color.
What’s your favorite housewarming gift?
Janie: An antique vase and flowers. Fresh flowers bring life to every home. Moving is not easy so I love bringing a pop of something beautiful to brighten any room whether it's covered in boxes or totally unpacked!
So, tell us a bit about your corner of the world – where do you live and what do you love about it?
Elizabeth and Janie: Birmingham, dubbed the Magic City, is the smallest big town. It has so much to offer culturally and such a rich Southern history. People are drawn here who appreciate that. We love the beautiful architecture, from the old turn-of-the-century buildings downtown to the gorgeous residential suburbs. Our office (and both of our homes) are located in Mountain Brook, where we are spoiled with a small-town feel that we love for our children, yet we have this microcosm of incredible food, cultural institutions, schools, and entertainment. It is the best of all worlds.
Elizabeth: My only complaint is that it’s not close enough to the East Coast!
