Hilary Matt is the founder of Hilary Matt Interiors, a New York–based design studio known for creating spaces that are warm, tactile, and made to be lived in. After studying apparel merchandising and starting her career in fashion, she soon realized that her true passion was in interiors. What began as a leap of faith while eight months pregnant evolved into a flourishing practice built on trust, intuition, and word-of-mouth.
Her work, which she describes as “comfortable modern,” combines texture, light, and a natural sense of balance.
Each project, whether a Tribeca penthouse, a family home in the Hamptons, or a vibrant dance studio on the Upper East Side, reflects her belief that design should feel effortless, personal, and full of life.
In this conversation, Hilary shares how she transitioned from fashion to interiors, the early days of building her studio, and how collaboration continues to shape her creative process. She opens up about her Wainscott home, designed as both a family retreat and a living showcase for her favorite artisans, and reflects on how motherhood redefined her sense of creativity, work, and presence.
Podcast Highlights:• Founding Hilary Matt Interiors after leaving the fashion industry
• Starting her studio while pregnant and growing through referrals
• Developing her “comfortable modern” aesthetic
• Designing her Wainscott home as both a family space and creative lab
• Blending her and her husband’s styles into one shared vision
• A design approach rooted in warmth, texture, and ease
• Standout projects: Tribeca penthouse, Miami ground-up build, and Upper East Side dance studio
• Learning that “nothing is an emergency” in design
• The joy of seeing clients live in and love their homes
• Balancing ambition, creativity, and family life
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HRH Alanoud Khalid Al Mishaal is a Saudi interior designer whose work celebrates cultural dialogue between heritage and modernity. Founder of A Interiors, she creates spaces that are rooted in memory yet open to the future, blending natural textures, vintage elements, and refined simplicity. Her interiors reflect a deep respect for Saudi craftsmanship and a belief that design should carry meaning, not just style.
In this conversation, Anoud shares the story of how her studio began almost by accident during her MBA, how her mother shaped her eye for design, and how travel continues to broaden her creative language. She speaks about her exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale, where she reimagined traditional motifs within a Venetian palazzo fresco, and about the growing Middle Eastern voice in global design. We talk about her Riyadh home, where heirloom pieces and personal memories come together, her views on the new generation of Saudi women leading creative businesses, and why she believes heritage and sustainability must move forward together.
Podcast Highlights:
• Founding A Interiors during her MBA and growing through word of mouth
• Travel as an evolving source of inspiration
• The influence of her mother’s eye for design
• Heritage as a living and renewable source of creativity
• Representing Saudi Arabia at the Venice Architecture Biennale
• Sustainability through reuse and storytelling
• The rise of female leadership in Saudi design
• The emotional language of natural materials
• Balancing growth while keeping creative intimacy
• Future ambitions: meaningful projects and boutique hotels
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Alexandra Azat is the founder of Plaster and Patina, a Pasadena-based interior design studio celebrated for its thoughtful approach to historic homes and architectural detail. With a background that began in floristry and event design, Alexandra brings a sculptural and intuitive sensibility to interiors. Her work feels rooted, balanced, and quietly expressive.
In this conversation, Alexandra reflects on how her career evolved from building floral installations to creating homes with lasting emotional resonance. We spoke about her deep love for California’s architectural heritage, the importance of flow and proportion, and what it meant to rebuild her own house after the fires. She shares how her practice blends method and instinct, how travel influences her palette, and why she believes a home should feel collected rather than decorated.
Interview Highlights:
The beginnings of Plaster and Patina
From floristry and event design to interiors
Rebuilding her Pasadena home after the fires
Her fascination with historic California architecture
Finding proportion, flow, and emotion in space
The evolution of her design process
Hosted by Viktor Sobra, co-founder of Sotokler Studio, a concierge furniture procurement service based in Rome, Sotokler Sessions is a series of conversations exploring the creative minds shaping contemporary interior design, art, and architecture.
Through intimate dialogues with designers, architects, and gallerists around the world, Viktor unpacks how ideas take form: from the first sketch to the spaces and objects that define their work. Guests open up about their creative beginnings, pivotal projects, and the philosophies that guide their craft.
Born from Sotokler Studio’s work as a concierge procurement service connecting interior designers with artisans and ateliers across Europe, the podcast brings that same sense of access and curiosity.
Episodes run twenty to thirty minutes and move between continents, from New York to Rome, Paris to Tokyo, Riyadh to Los Angeles, revealing what it really means to create with intention today.
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