Soulful Design with a Thoughtful Approach – Meet Amanda Hamilton of Amanda Hamilton Design

With an internationally diverse portfolio encompassing a vast array of projects, Amanda Hamilton and her team are inspiring industry leaders within the realm of build + design. Founder and Creative Director Amanda Hamilton spends time with us to share details on her signature style, points of inspiration, current trends and the incorporation of custom stone from Dauter Stone within her projects:

What inspires your interior design decisions?
Amanda Hamilton: I’m often inspired by what is not trending and while most trends are fairly cyclical, I find that the industry can become narrowly focused on one expression of design and all the sudden, homes are overrun with say, the “white kitchen.” I often look to materials that can be expressed in a non-traditional way or look to “old favourites” and how we might be able to breathe new life into something that has been forgotten. This has certainly been the case in recent years where I’ve turned to warmer palettes, textural stones and tradition as an escape from the oversaturation of all things grey, on grey, on grey.

When incorporating custom stone into your designs, what features do you look for?
We love stone with character, movement and personality. While selection varies significantly from client to client, sourcing an interesting slab often inspired the direction for many of the other finishes + materials. For instance, we selected a killer pinkish-purple slab for the powder room in our studio space which drove the selection for the wallpaper and art in the room. We did the same with our reception desk, finding a slab in a gorgeous green colour that picked up on the multi-coloured marble mosaic tile in our front foyer.

Why has Dauter Stone been a chosen provider of custom stone for you in the past?
Initially, our interest in working with Dauter Stone was due to the exceptional range of product in what I like to call the “boneyard”. I love utilizing interesting off-cuts and slabs including the “underdog” slabs that didn’t quite make the cut. Searching through the yard is like looking at art, not stopping until you find the right piece. We have continued to collaborate with Dauter Stone over the years and enjoy the rapport we have built with their team, trusting them with our clients’ homes and businesses.

What trends are you looking to feature in designs this season?
Our work tends to veer to be more timeless than trendy. We like to make our own trends or at a minimum, be ahead of them. That said, the last few seasons have seen a departure from the classic white + grey palette, that can often feel sterile if not executed properly. More clients are embracing warmer tones, materials with lots of character + movement, and a more maximalist approach to styling. Humans are layered, complex and distinct and as such, homes should be a reflection of these nuances while, at the same time, businesses need to cater to this diversity.

—