2025 Design Icon: Nicole Hollis
Author:Anh-Minh LeIn the early days of her interior design career, Nicole Hollis was, by her own admission, spoiled in a good way: She spent five years working for renowned Napa Valley-based architect Howard Backen, who set a high bar. It was a period marked by “dream projects,” she says, and contributed to her appreciation for architecture as a complementary art form. “The only way I can do great interiors is by having great architecture,” she elaborates. Over her namesake firm’s 20-plus years, joint efforts with the likes of Olson Kundig and Walker Warner have yielded countless projects with a modern sensibility that express the uniqueness of each site and client.
As a testament to her talents and vision, Hollis has been lauded with awards from a multitude of design magazines and organizations, including 2023 Designer of the Year by the American Society of Interior Designers. She has published two books with Rizzoli, Curated Interiors (2020) and Artistry of Home (2024). The latter underscores another collaborative aspect of her process: working in conjunction with artists, craftspeople and designers. In the introduction to the book, Los Angeles artist and designer David Wiseman writes that, “Nicole recognizes the importance of art, so much so that it often feels like the rooms are built around it.”
Indeed, in a Silicon Valley abode, Wiseman’s striking patterned bronze paneled screen takes pride of place. In San Francisco, an art-filled dwelling includes a bathroom with a “Four Square” custom light by Bay Area-based architect, artist and designer Johanna Grawunder. “Throughout my career, I’ve developed these wonderful relationships with makers,” Hollis says. “Whenever I have a project, I think ‘Great, I have an opportunity to work with them again.’”
Growing up in the coastal town of Jupiter, Florida, Hollis was “always in nature and always outside,” she recalls of the outdoors’ enduring influence, personally and professionally. Frequent childhood visits with family in New Jersey, not far from New York City, also meant trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was drawn to the decorative arts. Hollis subsequently moved to the city; by day, she worked at an architecture firm and in the evenings she studied interior design at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Hollis decamped to San Francisco in the late 1990s. “I had visited the Bay Area previously and it stayed in my mind—the light, the nature and the beauty,” she says. “I would be on the subway [in New York] thinking about the drive to Big Sur.” Once in Northern California, she landed at Starwood Hotels and Resorts; her stint with Backen came next. In 2002, with the encouragement of her then-boyfriend and now-husband, Lewis Heathcote, Hollis established her practice in San Francisco. “It took a while to build up the firm,” she says. “I had to bide my time and take it slow, because I really wanted to be sure that I was delivering the best service to our clients.”
A turning point came in 2014: The office moved to larger quarters that allowed for expansion and Heathcote joined the firm. “I’m focused on the design and service, and he’s focused on building the team that can deliver,” Hollis says. At the beginning of this year, with a staff of close to 100, 53 residential and nine hospitality projects were in progress. While the locales vary—homes in Hawaii, Jackson Hole and Palm Desert are among the recent accomplishments—an overwhelming majority are designed for families.
From the start, Hollis has conceived custom elements for clients. She has also partnered with McGuire Furniture and lighting manufacturer Phoenix Day on collections. Looking forward, she anticipates releasing a product line at some point—ideally, one that involves collaborations with fellow creatives. In the meantime, Hollis revels in composing distinctive environments for her clients—with the numerous repeat clients among the best measures of her firm’s success. “Somebody asked me what my hobby was,” the designer says. As it happens, her job is profoundly rewarding. “It fills my cup—what I do,” she continues. “It doesn’t feel like work. Every day I’m learning something new and meeting someone new and experiencing something new. It’s pretty great.”
