Nancy Hiller
American cabinetmaker, period-furniture specialist, educator, and author associated with NR Hiller Design.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Nancy Hiller (July 2, 1959–August 29, 2022) was an American cabinetmaker, period-furniture maker, woodworking educator, and author based in Bloomington, Indiana. Her professional identity was closely associated with NR Hiller Design, a custom furniture and cabinetry practice that she founded in 1995. The business focused on individually made cabinetry, furniture, restoration-oriented work, and projects informed by historic architecture and traditional construction methods. Hiller was born in Miami Beach, Florida, and moved to England with her mother and sister in 1971 following her parents’ divorce. During the late 1970s, while living in London, she began making furniture partly out of practical necessity and partly as a way to earn additional income. She subsequently pursued formal craft training and received a Certificate in Furniture Making from the City & Guilds of London in 1980. After completing the program, she worked for Roy Griffiths building antique kitchens in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, and later spent a short period working in the wood shop at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford Airbase. After returning to the United States, Hiller studied at Indiana University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies in 1993 and a Master of Arts in the same field in 1996. Her academic background complemented rather than replaced her practical craft training. In her furniture work, she drew on the visual language and construction traditions of nineteenth- and twentieth-century architecture, historic houses, and period furniture. She particularly valued custom commissions for older buildings and projects requiring sensitivity to existing architectural details. Through NR Hiller Design, Hiller operated as an independent craft-based professional rather than as a mass-market furniture manufacturer. Her work included custom cabinetry, furniture, restoration, and period-inspired designs. Her projects and expertise received coverage in publications such as Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, and Old-House Journal. She also taught woodworking and cabinetmaking workshops at the Kelly Mehler School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky, and the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana. Hiller’s public contribution extended beyond commissioned work. She wrote for woodworking and general-interest publications, including Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, and the Huffington Post, and published books combining craft instruction, historical research, preservation, and personal narrative. Her books included The Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History (2009), A Home of Her Own (2011), Historic Preservation in Indiana: Essays from the Field (2013), Making Things Work: Tales from a Cabinetmaker’s Life (2017), and English Arts and Crafts Furniture: Projects & Techniques for the Modern Maker (2018). Her writing often connected making with social history, domestic architecture, preservation, and the realities of running a one-person business in a traditionally male-dominated trade. Hiller died at her home in Bloomington on August 29, 2022, from pancreatic cancer. Because the available reference material identifies a person and an associated independent design practice rather than a continuing corporate brand, the present operating status of NR Hiller Design is not established here.
History
Nancy Hiller’s career developed across two related traditions: practical furniture making and historical study. Born in Florida in 1959, she moved to England as a teenager and encountered furniture making as both a livelihood and a craft. While living in London in the late 1970s, she began building furniture to meet practical needs and supplement her income. This experience led her to pursue professional training at the City & Guilds of London, where she received a Certificate in Furniture Making in 1980. Her early professional experience included building antique kitchens for Roy Griffiths in Cambridgeshire. She also worked briefly in the wood shop at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. These roles exposed her to traditional materials, historically informed construction, and the relationship between furniture and older buildings. When she returned to the United States, she continued her education at Indiana University, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in religious studies in 1993 and 1996. In 1995, Hiller founded NR Hiller Design, Inc. in Bloomington, Indiana. The practice specialized in custom furniture and cabinetry, with a particular interest in restoration, period work, old houses, and architectural settings. Rather than concentrating on standardized production, the business reflected Hiller’s one-person, commission-based approach. Her work drew inspiration from nineteenth- and twentieth-century architecture and furniture and was informed by the need to make new pieces compatible with historic interiors. Hiller also became active as a teacher. She led woodworking and cabinetmaking workshops at the Kelly Mehler School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky, and the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana. Her teaching extended the practical knowledge represented in her own shop, including cabinet construction, traditional methods, and historically sensitive design. Writing formed another major part of her career. Hiller contributed articles to Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, the Huffington Post, and other publications. Her books addressed both the technical and human dimensions of the craft. The Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History examined a recognizable piece of domestic furniture in its historical context, while A Home of Her Own and Historic Preservation in Indiana: Essays from the Field addressed domestic life, architecture, and preservation. Making Things Work: Tales from a Cabinetmaker’s Life collected reflections on making objects and sustaining an independent business as a woman in a predominantly male trade. English Arts and Crafts Furniture: Projects & Techniques for the Modern Maker combined historical discussion of the Arts and Crafts movement with drawings, photographs, and explanations of traditional construction for contemporary makers. Hiller’s work appeared in or was discussed by woodworking and preservation publications including Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, and Old-House Journal. Her career therefore occupied an intersection between professional craft, historic preservation, public teaching, and publishing. She died in Bloomington on August 29, 2022, from pancreatic cancer. The available material does not establish whether NR Hiller Design continued operating after her death.
- 2022
Died in Bloomington
[1]Hiller died at home in Bloomington, Indiana, from pancreatic cancer on August 29, 2022.
- 2018
Published English Arts and Crafts Furniture
[1]Hiller published a guide to English Arts and Crafts furniture that combined movement history with traditional construction techniques for modern makers.
- 2017
Published Making Things Work
[1]Making Things Work: Tales from a Cabinetmaker's Life presented essays on woodworking, independent practice, and the experience of running a one-woman business.
- 2009
Published The Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History
[1]Hiller published a historical study centered on the Hoosier cabinet and its place in kitchen and domestic-furniture history.
- 1996
Completed a master's degree at Indiana University
[1]Hiller received a Master of Arts degree in religious studies from Indiana University.
- 1995
Founded NR Hiller Design
[1]Hiller established NR Hiller Design, Inc., a Bloomington-based custom furniture and cabinetry practice.
- 1993
Completed a bachelor's degree at Indiana University
[1]Hiller earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies from Indiana University.
- 1980
Earned a City & Guilds furniture-making certificate
[1]Hiller completed formal furniture-making training in England and received a Certificate in Furniture Making from the City & Guilds of London.
Products and positioning
Independent, craft-led furniture and cabinetry rooted in historic architecture, period design, restoration practice, and traditional woodworking. Hiller’s work combined custom making with education and writing, presenting furniture not only as a functional product but also as a form of architectural continuity and cultural history.
Professional woodworking services · 1995
Custom furniture and cabinetry
The central offering associated with NR Hiller Design was individually commissioned furniture and cabinetry. Hiller’s practice emphasized work made for particular rooms, houses, and clients rather than standardized mass production. Her interests included historic interiors, old houses, period details, restoration, and furniture traditions from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Book · 2017
Making Things Work: Tales from a Cabinetmaker's Life
Published in 2017, this collection of essays reflects on Hiller’s working life as a cabinetmaker and on the practical and personal demands of operating an independent, one-woman craft business. The book addresses making objects from wood as well as navigating a field historically dominated by men.
Book · 2018
English Arts and Crafts Furniture: Projects & Techniques for the Modern Maker
Published in 2018, this book examines English Arts and Crafts furniture through historical explanation, project material, drawings, and photographs. It discusses the movement’s ideas and figures, including William Morris and John Ruskin, while relating traditional construction principles to contemporary woodworking practice.
Book · 2009
The Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History
This 2009 book places the Hoosier cabinet within the development of kitchen organization, domestic work, and furniture history. It represents Hiller’s broader interest in connecting individual objects with social and architectural context.
Book · 2011
A Home of Her Own
Published in 2011, this work is among Hiller’s publications dealing with homes, domestic life, and the relationship between people and their built surroundings.
Book · 2013
Historic Preservation in Indiana: Essays from the Field
Published in 2013, this collection addresses historic preservation in Indiana and reflects Hiller’s engagement with older buildings, architectural history, and preservation practice.
Recent events
- 2022
Nancy Hiller dies at her Bloomington home[1]
Other
Nancy Hiller died on August 29, 2022, at her home in Bloomington, Indiana, from pancreatic cancer. She was known for custom cabinetry and period furniture, woodworking education, and books about furniture making and preservation.
Sources2 sources
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