The synthesis of a range of α-hydroxymethylated enones has been achieved using the Villiéras modification of the Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) reaction. Scope, limitations, and mechanistic aspects of this reaction were investigated using a combination of synthetic and computational studies. These investigations support a Schlosser–Corey type reaction mechanism that is balanced between two pathways with the outcome influenced by the steric environment of the substrate.