The founder of Hatfield Design & Co. talks about her journey of visual arts to interior, the start of her carpet collection and how her showroom has become both a design goal and a collaborative hub
The interior designer of Toronto, Emily Staunton, founder of Hatfield Design & Co. (HD+Co), has carried many hats about her career – the designer, buyer and products for products – with projects and procurement trips that you have taken everywhere from India to Europe. This global perspective, paired with a love of color and pattern that was rooted in her upbringing in Toronto, finally led her to start her own carpet collection this year. Defined by a philosophy of “luxury luxury”, the line focuses on timeless, sustainable designs that compensate for everyday practicality with a sophisticated aesthetics. With its exhibition space, which is now open to designer Walk, Staunton not only shows her collection, but also a space for the collaboration in the design community of Toronto.
Can you tell us where your design trip started and what has shaped your aesthetics?
I've always been a creative person. I knew early on that I was interested in the arts, so I studied art and design. I liked the practical class macels, sculpture, print graphic and that became the foundation of my creative side. My grandfather had a wallpaper company in Toronto and he would borrow the large sample books. I would go through and see how color and pattern worked together. The growing up in me definitely triggered something in me – it gave me an understanding of how illustration, patterns and inner elements combine. This love for color, pattern and design really shaped me.
What inspired you to start your own studio?
I had always worked in creative fields -Interior design, product development -but the start of my own company happened almost accidentally. I was between jobs when a friend, a real estate agent, asked if I would take over a customer who needed help with her new home. I've never had a project myself, but I said yes. This project was really energized. I loved every part of the creative process – to work with the customer, to understand what they were interested in, and then translated it into the overview and feeling. And of course the before and after transformation is so satisfactory. This first project showed me that I could do the full -time.
How do you see Toronto's design scene that affects your work?
Toronto is a multicultural city. You can immerse yourself in so many cultures and aesthetics, and this variety shapes the design community here. I was lucky enough to work with some incredible designers and to be inspired by them. I also think that Toronto customers are very open -minded. They are ready to mix antiques with Scandinavian pieces or modern with something more traditional. This openness reflects the city itself, which is environmentally friendly and diverse – and it is inspiring to shape in this area.
What made you open your exhibition space and what kind of experience you wanted to create there?
The showroom came when I started my carpet collection. I needed somewhere to keep the carpets, but I also wanted a room that really spoke to the HD+CO brand. I could have rented a warehouse, but I wanted something nice and immersed in which people come in, touch and feel carpets and understand the collection as part of a larger vision. Carpets are the basis of a room and I wanted to create an environment that inspires people when they choose them.
How did the showroom change its working day and its connection to the design community?
It has become more than just an exhibition space – it is a collaborative stroke. Visiting customers, but I also use it for pop-ups, designer events and cooperation. Within the designer Walk contributes to this – it is a community with other creatives as well as the marketing and networking opportunities that the building offers. There is a real energy there, and I think it grows again when more studios retire.
Let us talk about the carpets. What was the vision behind the collection?
I always had a passion for products and a background in procurement, so it was a natural step to create my own line. The vision was “livelihood” – classic, neutral designs that are timeless, accessible and affordable. I saw a gap in the market for carpets that were beautiful, but not excessively trendy or expensive. The collection focuses on texture and warmth, not on fingelable patterns. These are the parts of a room – the elements that should take, even if accents and colors change.
Sustainability also plays a role in the collection. How does that show in the products?
When I discovered these carpets, I was immediately impressed how nicely they were made – and then I learned that they were also sustainable. Our flatwoves are, for example, 100% recycled water bottles, and our jute carpets are of course derived. The whole collection is either natural or completely recycled, which I am very proud of. People are now more conscious about how their houses are designed, and it is important to me to relate and manufacture sustainably. Even measure practical objects such as carpets that I would expand in an environmentally friendly manner.
How do you provide for the exhibition space to develop further?
I want it to continue as a lively, creative center. That means more pop-ups, cooperations and presenting up-and-coming designers. I spoke to fabric and wallpaper designers about partnership that is withdrawn to my early love for textiles and my pattern. The room can grow with the brand, whether the collection is expanded or supplementary sustainable products.