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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2/22/17   9:22 AM