Alison Hammet is a New England Home 5 Under 40 Winner

Portrait by Bruce Rogovin

Photograph by Liz Daly

Photograph by Liz Daly

Photograph by Liz Daly

Photograph by Liz Daly

“I always used to say that in another lifetime I’d want to be an interior designer,” says former teacher Alison Hammatt. As luck would have it, she decided to be one in this lifetime.

Hammatt, who just turned thirty-five, had been a high school English teacher for almost ten years when the pandemic hit. Like so many, she and her husband, Brendan, were stopped in their tracks. They were living on Long Island when they decided to move to Providence “without a real plan.” She looked for teaching jobs but couldn’t find one.

Designing interiors was always in the back of her mind. “My mother worked with professionals when decorating our homes,” Hammatt remembers. “I loved following them around. After school I’d go with my mom to look at fabrics. And I admired the relationships designers had with their clients.”

Coincidentally, two friends asked her design advice at the same time—one in Rhode Island and one on Long Island. “They said they loved my taste and asked if I’d be interested in getting paid to work with them on their homes,” she says. “It was May 2022—and the next thing I knew I was a working designer.”

Based in Providence, Alison Hammatt Home takes on residential projects throughout New England and beyond. “I think of my work as rooted in classic design but updated with fresh, thoughtful details,” she says. “With timeless interiors, it’s always about a blend of old and new.”

Hammatt’s projects skew toward a layered and lived-in sensibility, with a touch of whimsy. She lives with her husband (a former teacher, he’s now in finance) and their two young children in a home dating back to 1854. “It’s a perfectly imperfect house, and we love it,” she says.

What is her most important accomplishment to date? “That’s easy,” Hammatt says with a laugh. “Starting a business with a four-month-old at home. Definitely.”

The 2025  5 Under 40 awards ceremony will be held on September 18 at The Galleria at 333 Stuart Street in Boston. The festivities will include food, drink, and the chance to catch up with old friends while making new ones. The highlight of the evening is the auction of five unique rugs designed by our 2025 winners and produced by Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting, with all proceeds supporting a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating women from South Asia. Click here to purchase tickets.