Hilary Musser and the Discipline of Taste

Hilary Musser: Success for me is setting out to do something, achieving it, and doing it well. It’s also tied to my son and my marriage—success is connected to their happiness. Professionally, it’s about having a goal, having a vision, and seeing it through from idea to completion.

Building homes allows me to do that. Each one is a new challenge, and at the end, there’s something tangible—something that becomes part of a neighborhood. I’ve had people thank me for changing the value of where they live, and that matters to me.

Since 1996, in every neighborhood I’ve built in, I’ve delivered the most exceptional home in that area—not always the biggest, but the one that sets the standard. When those homes sell for record numbers, everyone benefits.

Hilary Musser: I’ve always been that way. I’m a perfectionist—sometimes to a fault. But if something isn’t right, I’m not happy. I can’t even leave an empty closet unfinished.

Hilary Musser: All three. We hold weekly strategy meetings—how to finish, how to stay on schedule, how to sequence trades properly. If a subcontractor pulls their crew, it can derail everything. I’m on-site every day, managing quality and making sure nothing gets damaged once the best materials are installed.

The developers who don’t last usually run out of money. I fund one house at a time and see it all the way through. Every complex decision adds cost—but that’s the price of doing it right.

Hilary Musser: You start with a fabulous kitchen. This is the most extraordinary kitchen I’ve ever seen. Ferrari leather details are used where they make sense. All the marble comes from the same block—the island, the walls, the hood. Even inside the cabinets, there’s marble.

There’s a show kitchen and a full chef’s kitchen behind it. Eight burners, teppanyaki, grill—everything is top-tier. Four Sub-Zeros total. Nothing was compromised.

The plumbing fixtures are Fantini. The doors are Garofoli. All tile is Florim, and I worked directly with the president of Florim on every room and elevation.

When it came to Poltrona Frau, I worked directly with senior leadership—Francesco Secchiarelli, President of the Americas, along with their internal designer Violetta Stamowski and showroom director Daniele Solari. Italian teams flew in to install the kitchens, closets, and wine units—over nearly twenty days on site. If anything was missing, it was overnighted from Italy.

Perfect was the only option.

Hilary Musser: It’s a show about five women and our lives, but it gave me an opportunity to show my work. They filmed scenes at the spec house while it was under construction, though the finished home naturally became the focus.

I stayed true to myself, and that’s been the feedback. The show is still in Netflix’s top 10, and people are watching.

Hilary Musser: Some of the finest waterfront homes in West Palm Beach. We have deep water, afternoon sun, docks—things you don’t always get across the bridge. I’m selling homes to the children of billionaires who live on Palm Beach Island. West Palm Beach has become a destination in its own right.

My current milestone is selling this home—the most complete expression of my work after 30 years. I wouldn’t change a thing.