Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Hart.
Hi Nicole, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Originally from Asheville, NC, Nicole has spent her adult life in California and Massachusetts. She moved to Pawleys Island in 2021 with her husband, Tom, and two dogs and serves as the Chairwoman of Women United | Blackriver United Way, a board member of Good Friends of Georgetown County, a member of PILBA, and a contributing friend to ALL4Paws. She takes every opportunity to give back to the community through volunteer and donations.
Following a 14-year career in the software industry leading large-scale projects and implementing customer experience improvement processes, Nicole made the leap to residential interior design after renovating her first home and falling in love with the process. Nicole established NHI in 2021, leveraging her extensive corporate experience in project management, client experience, and operational excellence to create beautiful, heirloom spaces families can live in. She is passionate about designing spaces to achieve functional, livable rooms that are polished and timeless for her clients.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning your own business is never a smooth road! There are always bumps and challenges along the way however, that makes your successes so much more meaningful and a cause for celebration. I went into business ownership knowing the creative aspect would be only a small portion of my job and learning how to run a successful business would be a educational process. I am so proud to say, I have learned so much since opening Nicole Hart Interiors and I have had wonderful clients who have seen my vision and trusted me to get them an end result while I learned along the way. Now, I am able to take everything I have learned and implement better processes and experiences for clients. New clients really reap the benefits of my learning experiences I had with those early clients.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Nicole Hart Interiors is a boutique interior design firm serving Pawleys Island and beyond in SC. We are known for our expert project management skills, client centered process, and timeless, elevated aesthetic. My extensive experience in managing large scale customer facing projects, in the corporate world, enable clients who are renovating or building homes to trust NHI to guide them through the process, eliminate overwhelm in decision making, and enjoy the process of design knowing they will achieve a home that will serve them for years to come.
Of course, we focus on high-quality, beautiful furnishings and decor as the basis of our designs but, our clients get the most value from us by leveraging our project management expertise – especially for out of state clients who are building or renovating a second home here on the coast. We are their day-to-day eyes and ears on the project and they trust us knowing we will work closely with contractors and builders to get results that match their vision. The same can be said for our client experience. I felt strongly in curating and delivering a luxury experience to our clients! From the moment a future client inquires until the last piece of decor is placed, we have crafted our client process with a truly elevated experience in mind.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Being transparent! I truly am an open book with clients, trade vendors, builders/contractors, and everyone I come into contact with through NHI. I need to build trust with clients immediately in order to have a successful project so, my goal is to always communicate openly and in a timely manner. Some clients have never worked with a designer before and it is my job to slow down and educate them on the process and what to expect. That often includes realistic budget discussions, information the design process, and education on material selections like countertops.
In this industry challenges, mistakes, and the need to creatively problem solve are the norm. It is how we deal with those can make or break a project – so we pride ourselves on transparency with our builder/contractor partners as well. We facilitate this transparency with shared access to electronic documentation delivered at the start of every project that specifies materials, layout, and special notations to execute our designs seamlessly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nicolehartinteriors.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolehartinteriors/
