Hurricane Helene Changed How She Designs Coastal Homes with Jessica Holiday

A hurricane can change more than a house.

For Florida interior designer Jessica Holiday, Hurricanes Helene and Milton changed the way she thinks about design, business, investment properties and taking care of clients.

Jessica is a fourth-generation Anna Maria Island resident, so hurricanes aren't new to her. But Helene was different. After the storm, her team wasn't just picking finishes. They were checking on clients' homes, assessing damage and figuring out how to keep a business moving while an entire community was trying to recover.

That part of our conversation hit close to home for me. Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, we're still helping families recover through Patriot Relief, the nonprofit that grew out of our disaster-response work. Recovery has a very long tail.

We talk about:

What Hurricanes Helene and Milton taught Jessica about coastal homes and flooding Why hurricane season is now built into her annual client process Smarter material choices that can make the next cleanup less painful Designing vacation rentals around both guest experience and earning potential Why every investment property needs its own design strategy How Jessica uses AI as a visualization tool without replacing the human professional

Jessica also shares a terrific example of how thoughtful design changes can potentially add tens of thousands of dollars in annual rental income. Because good design isn't just about making something pretty. When you're dealing with an investment property, the numbers have to make sense, too.

And that's really the thread running through this conversation: storms, homes, businesses and technology all have layers. The professionals who serve people well are the ones willing to think beyond what's directly in front of them.

About Jessica Holmes Holiday

Jessica Holmes Holiday is a fourth-generation Anna Maria Island resident and interior designer with more than 25 years of experience. As founder of HSH Collective, she and her team design investment properties, vacation rentals and custom homes, with much of their work focused on Florida's coastal communities.

Connect with Jessica

Website: https://www.hshcollective.com/ Instagram: @hsh.collective TikTok: @hshcollective Pinterest: HSH Collective Email: jessica@hshcollective.com