Five Under Forty: Nikki Holt

Stepping into a client’s home and reimagining the space is a rush for Nikki Holt, Residential Studio Design director at Kimberly Timmons Interiors (KTI). “While all design work has the potential to be personal, none meets that need quite like residential design,” Holt says. “The intimate aspect of residential design is truly what draws me to it most.”

Photo by Susie Brenner Photography

Holt’s career path to design started early. During her school years, she preferred design shows to cartoons. All recreational activities, whether indoor or outdoor, required an impressive color palette and attention to design. “I would choose my preferred parks and restaurants by their color scheme, declaring I wanted to go to the park with the blue slide or the café with the green booths,” Holt tells us. “My observation of color was often met by looks of dismay by the adults in my life, leading me to realize most people didn’t look at the world the same way I did.”

Photo by Susie Brenner Photography

An elevated taste in color and design led Holt to study design at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. She graduated Cum Laude in 2013 with a BFA in interior architecture and design. “It was there where I finally felt like I had found my people—people who also noticed the color of the restaurant booths.”

Photo by Susie Brenner Photography

Holt worked as an interior designer at Artisan Design Group before finding her “design home” at KTI. “I have immense gratitude for the beauty I get to create there alongside a phenomenal group of individuals,” she says. “I am so lucky to lead a team of talented, hardworking, fun designers and to be supported and mentored by the most ambitious and passionate principal and creative director, Kimberly Timmons.”

Photo by Susie Brenner Photography

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

“I love coming home from a successful day at the office to my wonderful husband, Nate, our adventurous little boy, Mitchell, and our sassy dog, Chloe. When I am not busy transforming spaces, I love to fill my ‘creative cup’ in other ways such as photography, cooking and making music.”

Photo by Susie Brenner Photography

ON THE RANCH

“The most recent project we are working on is a ranch project in southern Colorado. A cattle barn, chicken coop, tack room, activity barn and ranch house have all allowed me to stretch my thinking and approach the design process from a new angle. It is a curated aesthetic—blending rustic, modern and Old World styles to create something entirely unique.”

BLEND INDOOR AND OUTDOOR

“With house plants, floor-to-ceiling windows or shades of green, homeowners want to feel connected to the natural world even while indoors. Interior designers, now more than ever, are having to focus more on the exterior of the home to create outdoor living spaces that flow seamlessly in.”

Photo by Susie Brenner Photography

SATURDAY-NIGHT FEVER

“The funky, eclectic styles of the 1970s are making their way into homes in a modern way. Whether that be layered patterns, bold colors or geometric tiles, today’s homes are welcoming in a nod to decades past.”

See the rest of the 2022 Five Under Forty design award winners.