Architectural Digest: Kathy Hilton

1/11 When things don’t turn out the way perfectionist Hilton planned, she pivots. “Those are vintage, and I have all sizes,” she says of her pastel houses. “I dug those out quickly because I didn't like the flowers [I got]. I thought, You know what, I'm going to use these as a centerpiece. I have to tell you, these things are more charming in person than even in pictures.”

2/11 Hilton even finds crafting inspiration in the errors. “I made some mistakes as I decorated this house, and I’ve got extra fabric, so I started to cut it up and wrap little boxes. I make them look like presents. When people came in the beginning, they were all eying them, and I said, ‘Don’t get too excited, there’s nothing in the box.’”

3/11 “For years I did the real trees,” Hilton says, “but in sunny California, that sun starts blaring in, and then all of a sudden the branches are ground down, and it’s getting dry, and the ornaments crack and break on the floor. So I do like the stiff faux trees.”

4/11 The holiday decor in the living room is the most formal because the room itself is pretty buttoned up. The chairs, which Hilton inherited from her mother-in-law, are upholstered in Old World Weavers fabric. She describes the complementary decorations as “very grown-up, with gold and silver.”

5/11 The inspiration for Hilton’s majestic entryway came from across the pond. “I love the black-and-white floor. My favorite hotel in London is Claridge’s, and that’s where we got that idea.”

6/11 The Christmas tree in Kathy Hilton’s salon is decorated with vintage fabric. “I have all these fabric samples after decorating this house, and extra bolts,” she says.

7/11 Yes, that is real, fresh fruit hanging above the entryway. The arrangement is gorgeous, but high-maintenance: “You have to water it. I don’t think it’s going to last more than a couple weeks more,” Hilton says. She’ll redo the display before her daughter Nicky Hilton Rothschild arrives for Christmas with her husband, James Rothschild, and their two young daughters.

8/11 The famous TV-tray room is “overflowing with toys and stuffed animals,” Hilton says. “Things that were the girls’, the boys’, mine. Teddy bears. These are not just things that I bought. A lot of it’s collected.” She does not currently own any Christmas-themed TV trays but says, “That's a good idea.”

9/11 Hilton’s inspirations for the grand foyer are lighter colors and “silver tinsel to give it that Miracle on 34th Street kind of feeling.”

10/11 Hilton’s prized possession is this trio of figurines. “It’s Father Christmas with two children, and they're about 30 years old,” she says. Though she doesn’t remember how much they cost—and she originally bought them for her antiques store, The Staircase on Sunset Plaza—she confesses, “It was very expensive. Like over $1,000, for sure.”

11/11 Although many impressive brands make up her household and holiday decor—including pieces by Scalamandré and Brunswick—Kathy is not driven by labels. “Lots of things we bought in Europe,” she says. “I don’t know. I buy what I like.”