WHO IS THE ESSEX HOUSE DOLLY?
Nicola started her career in interior design in 2002. This came about when she was expecting her first child and used to watch a lot of ‘House Doctor’ programmes and was always praised by others how she decorated and maintained her home.
Nicola studied at Open University after her daughter was born and qualified as an Interior Designer.
From 2002-2015, Nicola took a break from working full time to part-time where she was a Mummy (having her Son in 2010) and in 2018, the Essex House Dolly was created.
Within this timeframe, Nicola has trained in a luxury hotel in Essex of how to present rooms (2018), worked in an interior design consultancy in Essex (2006-2007) and a columnist for Out News Global (2019-2020).
Nicola also has experience working in PR, charity work (autism) and also Talent Management (2016-2020).
Sadly in March 2020, the Pandemic did affect her business due to the restrictions but in July 2021, The Essex House Dolly was back in full swing!
Nicola has a variety of clients she has added her magic sparkle to their homes which include footballers, reality stars and those in the public eye.
In January 2020, Nicola successfully completed her Diploma in Stress Management & Anxiety Disorders to help when understanding mental health, especially when working with Clients who struggle with maintaining their homes.
Nicola has featured in national media such as FORBES, Metro, The Guardian, The Express, The Sun, NRLA Magazine, Ideal Home Magazine, Huffington Post, Woman & Home Magazine, House Beautiful Magazine and Closer Magazine with her cleaning tips and tricks, as well as interior ideas and how to keep your home organised.
The Essex House Dolly has also been involved with campaigns for AEG, Matalan, Zoella, Fiorelli, Wickes and NEXT.
Nicola not only has the expertise to deep clean your home but also has tricks and tips for organising, decluttering and making your home look like a Showhome.
Her positivity and attention to detail shine with reorganising wardrobes, kitchens and toy rooms. “A Tidy house is a Tidy Mind” is the Essex House Dolly Motto!
Nicola appeared at London Excel on Saturday 14 October 2023 at The Clean & Tidy Home Show as a panel guest and in April 2024, was on Spring Clean Stage at Ideal Home Show at Olympia.
Aside from all things cleaning and home related, Nicola also offers support and advice for women who have been/are in domestic abuse relationships where, she is a survivor herself. Nicola helps women who are having to start their lives again, to make a home and also empower and mentor them to get back into working. Nicola also has her team of tradesmen at hand and also offers advice with safety and security. Every year, Nicola fundraisers for REFUGE to raise money for women to stay in a hostel with their children.
How The Essex House Dolly can enhance your Life!
DECLUTTER AND ORGANISE
Nicola excels in wardrobe functioning as it’s so important she says “to know what to wear on how you are feeling that day, the weather and the occasion” and will work with you to firstly empty the contents of your wardrobe, create a system of what you want to keep and discard, colour code your hangers and storage solutions and then wave the Dolly Sparkler to rehang and refold items in colour order to make your life more simpler. Nicola also implements her skills in dressing areas to include arranging and organising shoes and handbags and has a variety of shelving systems and storage ideas up her sparkly sleeves!
Nicola charges £25 an hour for this service.
INTERIORS
Nicola has the trained eye to not only visualise what items of furniture, colours textiles and accessories to have in a room but also where they can be placed. A personal shopping service is also available whereby Nicola will go and locate and purchase items for you with your agreed budget but also displays and arranges them too. A fee of £150 is for a mood presentation pack in which Nicola shows a variety of options for your chosen room. This also fee includes an initial consultation. Nicola’s fee for putting the room together when all items have been purchased depends on the size of the room which she will discuss upon consultation. Additionally, if you have a property that you are looking to sell or rent out, Nicola works within your budget to achieve the sell you want or a tenant!
KITCHEN CLEAR & ORGANISE
Nicola loves nothing more than an organised and cleaned kitchen! Your entire kitchen cupboards will be cleared and all contents gone through (food, utensils, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery and glasses) as well as your fridge and then The Essex Dolly will magic your items back where they belong in order! Nicola’s regular clientele book her for this every few months.
Nicola charges £25 an hour for this service.
TOY/PLAY ROOM, GARAGE, OFFICE/STUDY & LOFT
Sometimes the items in these rooms (especially your loft) can be a hoarding/dumping ground! Nicola can help clear, sort and organise these areas to really help create chaos into structure!
Nicola charges £25 an hour for this service.
MENTAL HEALTH - HOARDING & OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Nicola has experience in helping clients who suffer with hoarding and also OCD triggering anxiety. “A hoarding disorder is where someone acquires an excessive number of items and stores them in a chaotic manner, usually resulting in unmanageable amounts of clutter. The items can be of little or no monetary value.”
In January 2020, Nicola successfully completed her Diploma in Stress Management & Anxiety Disorders. Having been professionally educated in this area, Nicola has been able to help clients understand what makes it difficult to throw things away and the reasons why the clutter has built up.m
Nicola charges £25 an hour for this service.
GIFT VOUCHERS
If you are struggling to buy a Christmas or birthday present for a loved one, friend or just wanting to appreciate/thank them … what better present than buying a voucher for The Essex House Dolly to come to their home. Minimum spend is £100 which is for 4 hours to organise a room in their home.
MOVING HOME 🏡
Moving home can be highly stressful, so why not let Nicola magic the stress away!
You can book the Essex House Dolly to either help you pack up your home or help to organise when you are unpacking when you are moving in.
Nicola works by the hour for this service at £25 p/h. Please note, this service is for Wednesdays and weekends only.
CHRISTMAS DECOR
Nicola is the Dolly of Christmas.
From picking your items, to styling your home with your decorations, Nicola decorates trees, garlands, tree arches and also offers a wrapping service. Prices start from £50-£250.
PLEASE READ MY RECENT REVIEWS TO SEE HOW I CAN ENHANCE YOUR LIFE!
Nicola (The Essex House Dolly ❤️) x
I hired Nicola when I bought my new home a few months ago where I had no time to arrange and organise my things, Nicola literally was like a whirlwind and not only placed everything but also how she arranged my belongings was incredible. My home felt like a show home and the deep clean too I was very impressed with. Nicola definitely sees dirt that other dont! Highly recommend and I still book her now for my wardrobe sorting too.
Isabelle Stratton
Wow! Have used Nicola many times now to help organise my house and do several deep cleans. She has also carried out general cleaning for a relative. Nicola’s attention to detail is outstanding, she made my home look like something from an interior design magazine. There is ‘clean’ and then there is a ‘clean’ to Nicola standards. Always prompt and respectful, I’d never use another cleaning or interior design company again.
June Stiles
Nicola has a natural talent for making a house sparkle. Her organisation skills plus attention to detail is of top quality. I’ve never known anyone to make a home look so good as Nicola. I get excited to see the finished product, as I’m never disappointed! I can’t rate her services enough!!
Janey Dermane
Nicola has regularly worked for me since September 2018. I have had many cleaners in the past but Nicola was so different that I have never had anyone but her since. Not only is my house cleaned to perfection every week but Nicola has also sorted and organised my home and lifestyle too. I thoroughly enjoyed when renovating my home allowing Nicola to choose all my home accessories (especially her floral arranging skills!) and the budget she spent was so minimal considering the volume that was purchased. If you can get her availability to book, do it!
Victoria Franklin
A friend of mine recommended Nicola when I rented a property last July with my ex partner and when the relationship ended, my partner and her children moved out and I was at a loss where it was in a terrible state. Thank the lord 🙏🏻 for The Essex Dolly! Nicola literally spent 6 hours transforming the house and I even got back my deposit. I would highly recommend Nicola and only wished I lived nearer so that she could look after my new home now… definitely will be booking her for a wardrobe change soon!
Chris Mitchell
I’ve known Nicola for years as a trusted friend. I recently had her round to see if she could organise me and my ridiculous amounts of clothes, shoes and bags stored in most rooms of my house. I had no idea what I actually even had and believe me am not good with change! She came in and was like a breathe of fresh air making suggestions I’d never even considered, she’s a woman on a mission that’s for sure and simply brilliant. Would definitely recommend her to anyone, she is very professional, trustworthy and an all round lovely person.
Wendy Edgar
I was very lucky and bid on the chance to have Nicola spring clean my home and sort my wardrobes and won. Nicola is a complete dream from the minute she arrives and so enthusiastic it is hard to imagine someone who loves their job so much . She went about the task of cleaning my home with such expertise it was amazing to watch . Even when she told me to get out of the way I was holding her back we laughed. I went for a drink and two hours later my home was sparkling I had no idea that it could look so good. Please treat yourself. she is the cleaning Queen!
Steven Smith, ex Celebrity Hair Stylist & Author
Am over the moon that Nicola has progressed and followed her passion with everything in a Home. I will never forget how she changed my son’s lives when we had to move to a new home in West Bromwich, due to my husband being a professional footballer. Nicola turned one of our reception rooms into an amazing playroom for our boys and not only chose the colour scheme and decorated herself, she picked furniture that she assembled and organised all the toys, but made it look so amazing. My boys cried when they saw it and so did I! Sadly due to the nature of football, we had to relocate, so Nicola was back again! Bubbly lady with bags of ideas and character and dream to have had in our homes.
Charlene Hall
I was recommended Nicola via one of my husband’s team mates where we had moved to Peterborough where my husband played professional football. Our new home was a blank canvass so we brought Nicola in to redesign our 3 children’s bedrooms. Nicola created ideas and worked with our children as to what colours and themes they liked as well as flooring and 💫 BOOM! In nearly a week, all 3 rooms were tailored to each of our children and Nicola made such an impact on how they kept their new bedrooms too! I have hired Nicola since to design our new living room in our new home and also, storage solutions for our larder. You’re unique in what you do Dolly and anyone who hires you is very lucky!
Staci Butterworth
When it comes to understanding interior decorating and design, nobody does it better than Nicola. Her attention to detail, care and skill exceeds expectation, going above and beyond excellence. Nicola's services to reorganising households, providing first class services to cleaning, decluttering, house clearances and finding storage solutions is a class above the rest. The Essex House Dolly certainly lives up to her brands name, fulfilling each role with the greatest care, skill and warmth. Her integral approach and kind personality compliments the dedication and value she brings to her business work ethos with immense warmth.If there was a crown for cleanliness, creative eye for detail, household order and great customer care, Nicola by far would have that successful edge and Influence, crowned reigning queen of all things 'Clean and Essential'.
Jay Kamiraz aka Mr Fabulous
Wow wow wow.......I'm very busy with a full time job in London and was drowning with trying to juggle work and keeping my home clean! Then I found Nicola the Essex House Dolly. She has changed my life. I am now able to concentrate on work without worrying about the housework, as wherever Nicola has been in the house, it literally sparkles. Her attention to detail is everything…. She is amazing ❤️
Jayne Rendol
Nicola is by far the best cleaner I have ever had. I was skeptical at first as I have had other cleaners who let me down in the past and who didn’t do half of what she has. I am so pleased we have found her - my house is cleaner/tidier then I ever thought it could be and she’s even rearranged a few things which makes my house look ten times better! Honestly can’t wait for her to come back! The cleaning is hotel standard if not better.
You will not be disappointed.
Verity Billington
Nicola has unrivalled organisational skills and her attention to detail when cleaning is second to none. I have been fortunate enough to use her services on a number of occasions and she has never failed to disappoint - suggesting things I had never considered before and meticulously carrying out her work with great character and professionalism with a quick grasp and understanding of the sort of things I had in mind for my home. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone that needs a sparkling clean, well-organised home
Nicola Heard | Director at Oliver-Jacques Property Services
The Essex House Dolly is a breath of fresh air. Nicola's services are to a very high standard and always done with a big smile on her face. Since Nicola has been with us I feel a weight has been lifted and my home is now sparkling. Thank you so much 💝
Bonita McCayna
Amazing! Nicola designed my bedroom into something out of my mind, she took my ideas and expanded them into what I wanted exactly. I’m very happy with how my room has turned out to be it was designed to be very modern and in trend to todays time!🤍
Robyn McCayna
So I contact Nicki @Essex Dolly as I wanted to create a healing recovery space for my clients who sometimes are injured as a result of domestic violence. I offer my clients counselling & recovery so I wanted to create an environment for my clients to feel relaxed & safe. Love my new kitchen space where I can prepare my healing food and organic tea! Thank you Essex Dolly for the shopping trips & interior design and the perfect understanding of human recovery 🙏
Bridgette Smith - Founder & Life Coach/ Therapist at Wolf Urban
So lucky to have found Nicola!! She is amazing!! Not only will she clean your home with attention to detail but she will also re-organise, re-decorate and de-clutter any room in your house that requires it!!! She will recommend items that will enhance the space/decor in these rooms and even goes out of her way to source such items and will send you the links for each!!! She’s amazing and goes above and beyond to help!! She’s always happy and cheerful!! She’s trustworthy and so kind to us and our pet dog!!! He loves her too!!!
Siobhan Hanifin
Nicola you are like a whirlwind, a Dolly whirlwind that comes through and like something you see in the Wizard of Oz!! It is that vibe I have for you.. IN……WHOOSH…..OUT…. I am so excited now and can see the vision of my garden and how it is going to happen. I had hit a brick wall with it and you have made me see it in such a positive way. I had the door closed on it and wanted to cry…. Thank you 🌸you are an Angel from heaven.
Helen Ward
I first met Nicola in June, I had lost my husband two years ago and had lost interest in my home.
I reached out for some help and it was Nicola that helped me put some love back into my home, not just making everything sparkly clean but also rearranging my home slightly, when she had finished.
I felt she had restored some love into my home and it made me feel good about my home & myself.
Nicola is lovely & caring.
I highly recommend her services.
Catherine Stevenson
I have used Essex Dolly for almost a year now. She decorated my home for Halloween and Christmas and it was amazing what she did with what we had. She came in a few times to declutter my bedroom and games room and did such an amazing job that I now have her every week to help me with housekeeping. Nicola not only takes great pride in her work but she is constantly suggesting ideas on how we can improve different spaces in our home. She has a solution to all my problems! Haha!
Bea Sarica
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