Meet the Designer

Alicia Hylton-Daniel was a paralegal studying to take the LSATs in the winter of 2002 when a house fire, caused by a faulty fireplace in her new Durham home, changed everything. The infuriating process of dealing with less than honest insurance claims folks – and mostly “good ‘ol boys” contractors – compelled her to take her career in another direction. She had spent her formative years obsessed with Art and Architecture but did not have that mentor, or available resources, to help guide her to this career path. After much research, she decided Interior Design would be a perfect fit. She enrolled at Meredith College to pursue a 2^nd degree in Interior Design and a Minor in Studio Art.

Upon graduating during the 2008 economic crash, she was fortunate to land a position as an Interior Designer with an architecture firm in Raleigh. Her projects included mostly commercial office interior design along with local restaurants. Within 3 years of working there, she developed a small client base and worked primarily for 2 large corporate firms, creating their design standards along with construction project management. In 2014, she took the position of Project Manager/Interior Designer at an architecture firm in Durham. The decision was also personal as the firm was located within 6 walking blocks from her 1930s home, which she had purchased a few years earlier. Alicia then became a Licensed General Contractor. She and her husband had purchased a few lots in Durham and wanted to be able to design and build them from the ground up.

She left the commercial position in her 3^rd year to start her own residential Design/Build Company with her husband, Roger: Hylton Daniel design + construction. Alicia has designed and built 6 modern houses in Durham which earned her a feature in Dwell Magazine. Her modern houses have been part of US Modernist Home tours. Alicia was featured on the cover of the October/November 2017 issue of Durham Magazine in the “Art of Design” issue. Her company has also done 2 build-outs for the HGTV show: Love It or List It. When not engaging in design and construction, Alicia enjoys traveling outside the country and spending time at wonderful local establishments in the Bull City with her family and close friends.