Nikki Levy Interiors wasn’t born out of struggle.
It was born out of courage.
Our life in South Africa was beautiful. Established. Comfortable. Surrounded by family and friends. We had community. We had rhythm. We had a full life.
And then Mike and I chose to leave it.
In 2010, we moved to the U.S. with a 7-week-old baby, a four-year-old, and a six-year-old. Three little kids. Big leap. The kind where you don’t fully let yourself think about what you’re giving up.
What people don’t always understand is this: when you move countries, your currency doesn’t magically follow you. Our rand did not translate kindly into dollars. What looked substantial at home became very modest here.
We didn’t arrive “starting fresh” in a romantic way.
We rebuilt from scratch.
New systems. New network. New reputation. New everything.
For the first few years, we focused on stabilizing our family. Learning how things work here. Figuring out schools. Finding our footing.
In 2013, I started Nikki Levy Interiors at my kitchen table.
It wasn’t about chasing design fame. It was about building security. Every client mattered because every project meant progress. Progress meant options. Options meant our children would grow up with opportunity.
Mike and I worked relentlessly. We put clients first. We reinvested in the business. We built systems slowly and carefully. We learned the financial side as seriously as the creative side because there was no room for casual mistakes.
One project became two. Two became referrals. Renovations became large-scale new construction. Bathrooms multiplied. Kitchens multiplied. Complexity grew.
And so did we.
What began as survival turned into strategy.
What began as rebuilding turned into growth.
What began as necessity became a studio known for layered, story-driven, exquisitely livable homes.
But underneath all of it is this truth:
We didn’t build Nikki Levy Interiors because we had to.
We built it because we chose to bet on ourselves.
And we did it together.