that speaks to you
My job is to set the stage for the life you want to live. This means listening carefully to my clients’ likes, desires, frustrations, hopes and dreams, and translating it all into beautiful physical environments.
I enjoy creative space planning and love combining two decades’ worth of technical knowledge with abundant creativity, bespoke elements, and aesthetic principles.
Each space I create is unique. I enjoy searching my sources for the building blocks of each design—custom cabinets, metal, glass, and steel, windows and doors, custom inserts, tile, and more.
I view design as a collaborative process, helping my clients create the perfect space for them.
After making a career switch to the kitchen and bathroom industry in New York City in 2001, Nicole spent a year attending FIT’s interior design program at night while selling appliances, plumbing fixtures, tile, and more in NYC showrooms to quickly learn the technical aspects of the job. In 2003 she was hired as a senior designer at Homeworks Kitchen and Bath WoodMode showroom in Chelsea [now closed] under the mentorship of the late Reeva Locker. During her four years at Homeworks, Nicole designed and managed 25 kitchen and bathroom renovations in NYC and became an expert in design specification and hands-on construction project management.
During this time, Nicole was named one of the “Top Designers to Watch Under 40” by New York Spaces Magazine and was elected President of the National Kitchen and Bath’s Manhattan Chapter (first serving as Vice President of Education). In this role, she hosted three kitchen and bath mini-conventions in New York City where consumers could learn about the latest K&B products, as well as monthly educational events for designers and members of the trade held in showrooms around the city.
In 2006, Nicole moved back to her hometown in New Jersey and launched her own business, Nicole Hough Designs, where she has been working ever since. Her own kitchen was featured as House Beautiful‘s “Kitchen of the Month” in April 2012. Nicole is passionate about creating unique and timeless spaces.
Nicole holds a BA in Economics and International Relations from Bucknell University and an MBA with concentrations in Corporate Strategy, Economics, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Nicole is also the founder of AFTER Alcohol-Free Magazine and NAvigator, an alcohol-free search engine, where she spends most of her time these days. She lives in Ridgewood, NJ, with her almost-grown children and their dog Sadie.
