Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Hilfiger offer a glimpse into how they live and their past and present residences in a new book, “Hilfiger Homes” which comes out this month.
Published by Vendome Press, the book is a visual autobiography and spotlights seven of their properties, photographed by Douglas Friedman, a longtime creative partner of the Hilfigers who specializes in fashion, architectural and interior design photography. Friedman’s work has appeared in such publications as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle Decor and Wallpaper, and numerous books. James Reginato, a writer-at-large for Vanity Fair and the former features director for W magazine, penned the copy, and Anna Wintour contributed the foreword.
Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger is the founder and creative director of both Dee Ocleppo and Mrs H. and also serves as the creative director of Judith Leiber. She and Tommy Hilfiger, who has built his fashion company over the past 40 years, have been married since 2008 and share a large, blended family of seven children.
Villa Maria in Palm Beach, as photographed in “Hilfiger Homes.”
Dennis Friedman, courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger
“‘Hilfiger Homes’ tells the story of the places Dee and I have imagined, built and lived in — each one representing a meaningful chapter in our lives,” Tommy Hilfiger told WWD. “Some we call home, others are part of our past. It’s a celebration of design, creativity and personal expression, and my hope is that it inspires readers to embrace their own style and create spaces that truly reflect who they are,” he said.
The book describes what it took to turn these homes into showplaces, all the work that went into them and why they made the decisions they did. Family photographs are interspersed into the pages of the books.
A view of Villa Deniz in Miami, as featured in “Hilfiger Homes.”
Douglas Friedman, courtesy of Tommy HIlfiger
“We’ve bought and decorated so many houses over the years, we thought a book would be a beautiful way to archive everything we’ve done, and share it with people,” said Tommy Hilfiger in the book. “Each one has been a labor of love. It’s been fun to collaborate on all these projects. For us, it’s not just about living in these spaces, but about bringing a vision to life and honoring the history and character of each property,” he said.
In the book, he and Dee Hilfiger give credit to those with whom they work. In addition to Cindy Rinfret of the interior design firm, Rinfret Ltd., which is based in Greenwich, Conn., their interior-designer team includes Los Angeles–based Martyn Lawrence Bullard and Paris-based Chahan Minassian. For landscape design, they use Miranda Brooks and Deborah Nevins of New York and Mario Nievera and Keith Williams of Palm Beach.
“We’re hands-on because we care deeply about every detail,” said Hilfiger in the book.
An inside view of Round Hill in Greenwich, Conn.
Douglas Friedman, courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger
The Hilfigers have lived in many places from Manhattan to the Caribbean island of Mustique, and each of their homes is different and exudes a unique approach to design and life. For example, their Palm Beach paradise is a world away from their bespoke Greenwich manor, which differs completely from their retro-glam 1970s-style Miami home and their vacation house on Mustique. There’s also their sleek Feadship yacht, Flag, a 203-foot superyacht, on which the family sails during the summer.
“A house is always a work in progress, just like life,” said Tommy Hilfiger in the book. Throughout the colorful pages, each of the beautiful homes are featured along with family members. For example, Tommy and the couple’s son Sebastian are shown jumping into the Palm Beach pool wearing swimsuits and button-down shirts. “It’s barefoot elegance…the opposite of our busy lives,” said Hilfiger.
The house at Round Hill, photographed in “Hilfiger Homes.”
Douglas Friedman, Courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger
At their Plaza Hotel apartment, where the couple began their married life, artwork featuring Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, and Mickey Mouse line the walls. “I loved living there. It was a very special, exciting time in our lives,” said Dee Hilfiger. For their Round Hill estate in Greenwich, Dee Hilfiger said, “We knew we were going to buy this house from the second we walked in. It had us at hello.”
The Plaza Hotel apartment.
Courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger
Hilfiger has owned several properties in Florida spanning Miami to Palm Beach. “The inspiration for the [Miami Beach House, Villa Dentz] is Austin Powers…a fun, crazy, Miami, Pop Art wild beach house,” said Tommy. The couple and their family are shown on surfboards, motorboats, and kayaks. Their Villa Maria home in Miami was a lot calmer situation. Of Flag, their floating dream house, Tommy said, “It’s really a floating house in every way — our summer house.”
The book ends with Coral House in Palm Beach which is on South Ocean Boulevard, and took a while to find. “Dee and I have worked on many houses together, but I would say this one has been the most challenging so far,” said Tommy.
“Once we were in the living room, we looked at the lake on one side and the ocean on the other side. Dee said, ‘This is it.’”
That house took three years to restore to its original glory. “We had so many contractors bumping into each other, it’s like the Keystone Cops,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “It was really a test of patience and determination. A lot of people would have given up,” said Hilfiger in the book.
A view of Coral House in “Hilfiger Homes.”
Douglas Friedman, courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger
“I’ve so enjoyed vicariously visiting Tommy just about everywhere in the world by poring over this book, which makes clear that he gives as much creative consideration to his interiors as he does to his runway collections,” wrote Wintour in the foreword.
The bar area at Coral House, photographed in “Hilfiger Homes.”
Douglas Friedman, courtesy of “Hilfiger Homes.
The 336-page hardcover book features 300 color illustrations and retails for $75.