If you love home decor truly inspired by the outdoors – not just some corporate vision of what it should be – check out the pillows, linens and prints from Hills & Trails, a fledgling illustration and print studio based in Portland.

Graphic designer Kanya Zillmer and her boyfriend, James Fryderych, a photographer, had both been working as freelancers when they decided to take the leap and open their own business. They started Hills & Trails earlier this year as a creative outlet to express their love for the outdoors. The couple spend summers at their camp in Union, which they use as a home base to explore the midcoast with their baby, Summit, and their beagle, Scout.

“We use the photographs in our travels for inspiration, and then we come up with the designs we want to do,” Zillmer said.

Their first project was a textile print called “Treeline,” which they have made into pillows and linen napkins. They are hand-printed, so no two are the same. They’ve also made prints and banners of the mountains of Maine – individually and grouped together – which have proven popular with hikers who want to preserve their memories of summiting.

Hills & Trails’ pillows, linens and prints can be purchased online through their website, or through their Etsy.com store. So far they are in only one retail shop, Daytrip Society in Kennebunkport. Pillows start at $32; a linen napkin set of two is $30; and banners and prints range from $10-35.


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