story by
Liesel Schmidt
|
photos by
Darris Hartman
W
omen are notorious for
piling on copious amounts
of decorative pillows, artfully
arranging them on everything from
occasional chairs to window seats and
anywhere else we can find an excuse to put
them. And when it comes to fluffing out
our beds, well…more is better. For Polish-
born Malgorzata Hoffman, that incurable
passion for pillows became the basis of a
business, and for more than a few decades
she’s been whipping up handmade pieces
of paradise that would make even the most
practically-minded pillow skeptic toss their
sensible side and feel the need for some
serious pillow talk.
More commonly known to her adoring
public as Margaret, which makes her
tongue-tripping name far easier to take on,
Hoffman has had a love of making things
since she was a child, trying her hand at
everything from sewing to painting and
even jewelry making. All of which she
seems to have flair for, as anyone would
easily see from visiting the shop she
owns in DeFuniak Springs, a kitchzy little
boutique neatly inserted into an old bank
building with a vault inside. Appropriately
named Vault46, the store also bears
reference to its street address at 46 8th
Street, giving it an almost offbeat feel that
alludes to the trove of unique treasures
that lay just behind its doors. Among the
many treasures to be found are, of course,
her pillows—a cache of cushions that
take Hoffman anywhere from three hours
to three days to make, depending on
the complexity of the design. “It’s a long
process to make each pillow unique and
special, but I enjoy the process enough
that I lose track of time while I’m working
on them,” Hoffman says. “Most of my
pillows are custom order, so I work closely
with my clients until the whole process of
design is completed and we have all of the
details chosen. Once all of that is in place,
I make the stencil, hand cut the linen, and
then sew all of the pieces together,” she
explains. “Seeing everything take shape
is really exciting for me—I appreciate
things that are made with quality, and I
love details. Those are the elements that
show all the work and time that goes into
making something, and I’m very proud of
the attention to detail and craftsmanship
that shows in my finished work. They stand
out, and I think that’s one of the things that
people love most about them.”
And love them, they do. In fact,
Hoffman’s little linen luxuries have brought
her big business, going from a hobby she
started back when she took on the project
of decorating her daughter’s bedroom
to a full-on following as her friends and
Pillow Talk
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