Who is Christopher Hyland?
Christopher S. Hyland
… is the founder of Christopher Hyland Inc., an internationally recognized design house specializing in luxury textiles, rugs, furniture, trimmings, window hardware, and upholstery for residential, hospitality, and contract interiors. The firm is headquartered in the D&D Building in New York City and represented in leading design centers across the United States. He has received honorary doctorates from the Savannah College of Art and Design and the New York School of Interior Design. He was awarded the Gandhi Peace Award and the St. Patrick for Peace Award.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Hyland has built a career that bridges design, culture, civic engagement, and international affairs. His textiles—works of art as he describes them—are selected by leading decorators, interior designers, and architects for projects around the world. Christopher Hyland fabrics and furnishings have been used in notable locations including The White House, Windsor Castle, the Metropolitan Opera, the Carlyle Hotel, Tiffany & Co., Harrods, Harry Winston, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, as well as in private residences of prominent collectors and cultural figures.
In addition to his work in textiles and furniture design, Hyland is CEO, Partner, and Design Director of Weld County Land Investors, a development group planning Hylandtown, an 836-acre new urbanist community north of Denver, Colorado focused on thoughtful town planning and community design.
Hyland has long been an advocate for the role of design in civic life. He proposed and helped champion the creation of the United States National Design Awards, now presented annually by the Smithsonian Institution. He also founded Hyland Magazine, one of the earliest digital shelter magazines, producing thousands of pages of design and cultural content in partnership with organizations including the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF).
Beyond design, Hyland has been active in public service and international diplomacy. He served as Deputy National Political Director of a winning U.S. presidential campaign and later as Deputy Assistant Political Director during a presidential transition, where he chaired a series of policy conferences addressing issues including housing, small business, veterans, people with disabilities, Eastern Europe, and design and manufacturing.
His international efforts promoting peace and cooperation have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Order of Dr. Ibrahim Rugova from Kosovo, a Knight of Skanderbeg from Albania, and awards recognizing contributions to international understanding and inclusion. Universities in Europe and the United States have awarded him honorary doctorates in recognition of his work in diplomacy, design, and cultural exchange.
Hyland has also supported numerous cultural and charitable initiatives. As chair of Holiday House New York, he helped raise funds for the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He has commissioned works of art now held or exhibited by institutions including the Vatican Museums, the Morgan Library & Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum, the American Museum in Britain, and others.
An avid traveler, sailor, and skier, Hyland's early global travels helped shape his perspective on design, culture, and community. He attended Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and has pursued studies across multiple disciplines including law, theology, and architecture.
Hyland lives in New York City with his partner, Constantino, and continues to lead the creative vision of Christopher Hyland Inc.
Christopher Hyland Inc. has been a mainstay of distinguished interior design for over fifty years. The firm continues to serve leading architects, decorators, and collectors worldwide from its flagship showroom in the D&D Building, New York City.