Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alicia Hylton-Daniel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Alicia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Just about everything about me does not meet the “industry standards”: I am a black woman interior designer that became a general contractor. I honestly don’t know of another interior designer that is a general contractor. I certainly hope there are more out there as I’d love some company.

My story is pretty unusual in that I became an interior designer following a house fire to a builder grade starter house my husband and I purchased in 2002. I enrolled at Meredith College and graduated in 2008 as an interior designer. I spent the first 10 years working as a commercial interior designer before I embarked on becoming a licensed general contractor. I have to give the credit to my husband, Roger as he planted the seed that led to me becoming a GC. About a year after becoming a GC, I decided it was time to quit my job and start my own design/build company. I had designed and built my first Modernist house a year before quitting my job and I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I just needed to take that leap and go out on my own. My goal was always to design and build modern houses that I would then offer for sale. As an interior designer that spent 10 years doing mostly client work, I enjoyed the creative freedom of designing and building a modern house without client input. I named my first house Modernist 1 as I knew there would be more to come. Hylton Daniel Properties, LLC (AKA) Hylton Daniel deisgn + construction has been in existence for a little over 5 years. To date I have designed and built 6 modern houses. We do take on client work but it is mostly mid to large size renovations and/or additions. I have shied away from designing and building ground-up houses for clients as adding that client component to a new build coupled with managing sub contractors is a daunting process and I want to give myself grace along with self advocacy to focus on what’s best for me. I am also the sole designer of my company so having that creative freedom when it comes to modern builds is the direction I prefer at this time. I may decide to shift but for now this formula works.
I do not do flips. I consider flips to be quick, thoughtless and dirty. There is nothing quick, thoughtless and dirty about the design and construction process that I implement. For example, I only design/build modern houses when the existing house cannot be saved or was not built to my standards or if I have the opportunity to do so with an empty lot purchase. When designing a house, I spend a lot of time studying and walking the property to get a sense of the best placement of the house, visual views for window placement along with height and scale are all things that play into the house’s spatial layout and exterior design and cladding. I am an interior designer that also enjoys exterior design. I came into this industry as a commercial designer who switched to residential design. My commercial design background allows me to experiment with finishes that aren’t standard or typical to residential design. In many ways it gives me a leg up on playing with concepts that are perhaps not usually considered in residential design.

Alicia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was a paralegal studying for the LSAT’s when I experienced a house fire to a builder grade starter house my husband and I purchased in 2002. This experience forced me to dig deep into what I truly wanted to do as a career. I decided that Interior Design was the career path I wanted to pursue so I enrolled at Meredith College to do so. I became an Interior Designer in 2008 and spent the next 10 years working as a commercial interior designer for 2 architectural firms. Eight years into my career, I became a licensed General Contractor as I really wanted to manage my own designs and start earning my worth. Shortly after becoming a GC, I started my own design/build company with my husband Roger. My client design work is mostly mid to large size house renovations and/or additions. I prefer to renovate older homes up to Mid-Century Modern and 1970’s architecture.
We are a small company of 3 employees plus Roger and myself. I am the sole designer so we take on no more than 4 client jobs a year. This allows detailed design, quality construction and exceptional project management. It allows me to visit the job sites and review the work as well as answer questions and/or clarifications to sub contractors and clients.
I do not do free consultations or construction estimates. I am a seasoned interior designer and experienced builder. I believe in being paid for my time and talent. I often ask potential clients if they watch HGTV. If they do, I let them know that HGTV is entertainment and if they are expecting an HGTV experience, then I am not the right fit for their project. It is important to sort out unrealistic expectations on the front end so that there is mutual respect on both sides.
Unless we are adding on an addition that does not affect the main house, we request that the homeowners move out. We will not take on a project where we are taking down the kitchen and all bathrooms with the homeowner living in the house.
As an interior designer, my main purpose is to problem solve through spatial layout. I think spatial layout is what I do best. I also enjoy lighting and finishes. I love working with clients to understand who they are emotionally and culturally as these components are necessary for a successful design.
I am most proud of all he projects I have completed to date. I am often dumbfounded at how much design I have completed to date. With the help of my amazing team, we have renovated and built some pretty phenomenal spaces. I am probably most proud of my modern houses. As a black woman designer who would not have been allowed to practice my craft pre-civil rights movement, modernism represent inclusiveness to me. The houses that I design are my art pieces that represent who I am culturally and emotionally.
Hylton Daniel has also started a short stay portfolio. We were fortunate to purchase a 1940’s post war house that we renovated proper and offer as a short stay through AirBnb and VRBO. It has been such a success that I rarely get to stay there. With the completion of Modernist 5 and 6, we have decided to add both these homes to our short stay portfolio. Now guests can experience a short-stay in a Hylton Daniel designed and built modern home.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I found out this fall that I was being targeted by a neighbor during the building of my Modernist 4 house. I was devasted when I found out as this was happening for over a year without my knowledge. I wrote an open letter where I called out the person(s) and called out bigotry. I decided I was not going to be silent and not going to subscribe to white societies standards of “professionalism”. In many ways this so called “professionalism” has done more harm to black women like me. It is the notion that if we keep quiet or act “accordingly” then the targeting will subside. I spoke out loudly and proudly and was supported by my community. I received so many DM’s from black women thanking me for being the voice that they cannot be. I received the support and comradery from many white women as well. I am a business owner and can choose who I have transactional relationships with. I spent most of my career having to bite my tongue when faced with blatant racism and sexism and I no longer have to. I am now in a position to give myself grace so I did.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn was to “Not talk money”. As a black woman, we are often the most underpaid group in the industry. We are always told that we should be lucky to be here while handed a paycheck that can barely support us having only one job. I was grossly underpaid my entire career as a designer. I received exceptional work performance reviews but never the raise that matched by performance and talent. I was always told by higher-ups in the industry that talking money was unprofessional. The word unprofessional gets thrown around a lot as a way to keep you in your place. I was so distraught and depressed as I was working hard and after hours but never compensated for my time and talent. Today I am unapologetic when I discuss my rate with clients and consultants. I no longer compromise my self-worth for anyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hyltondaniel.com/
• Instagram: @hylton_daniel and @hyltondaniel_shortstay
• Youtube: Hylton Daniel Design & Construction

Image Credits
Modernist 3: Photographs by Flyboy Photo and Media Modernist 4: Lissa Gotwals Photography Personal Photo: Lissa Gotwals Photography