- December 4, 2025
Nouveau International Design, an interior design and build company with local roots and a worldwide reach, has made Ormond Beach its central hub.
Rita Narcisse and Edgar Taylor, a husband-and-wife duo, came close to basing their company in Jacksonville. But the couple has lived in Ormond Beach for years, and when looking for a space, they stumbled across the property at 26 N. Beach St., Suite A.
They called to inquire about the space and Dorian Burt, agent of downtown developer Bill Jones, picked up the phone.
"Then we knew this is where we need to be," Narcisse said. "We don't need to go anywhere else."
She and Taylor are familiar with the downtown. During the 2008 recession, they both waited tables in nearby restaurants — Taylor was at Rose Villa and Narcisse at Caffeine, a restaurant that used to be located where The Grind Gastropub stands today.
"We want the community to feel that we're locals," Taylor said. "We're here to help out the community and all around here. That's why we stayed here."
Narcisse previously worked for a design firm and later pursued her own swimwear company, during which she appeared on the "Steve Harvey Show." But her passion had always been in interior design. Taylor's experience in design and construction dates back to 1996, when he worked on radio commentator Rush Limbaugh's home in West Palm Beach.
Sitting together at her mom’s kitchen table, Narcisse and Taylor decided to start their company in 2017. For the next few, they ran the company out of their Ormond Beach home, but as the company progressed, they outgrew their available space.
In April, they moved into their new space in the downtown, for which they will celebrate a soft opening on Thursday, Oct. 16. And as true designers, their first mission was to remodel the space. They first tried to tackle the project on their own, but it was taking longer than they expected.
"Then our field manager came to us," Narcisse said. "It was magic. Our electrician came to us. ... Everything just fell into place. We're not forcing anything. The downtown Ormond Beach area really embraces the locals and embraces the businesses and they want to see them thrive."
Nouveau International serves both residential and commercial properties in northeast Florida, including Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine. Nouveau International's team of 11 includes an architect, an in-house electrician, carpenter, trim carpenter, field manager, general contractor and five designers. Each has designed their office to their tastes.
Some of the company's recent local projects include the Ormond Renaissance Condominiums, Avanu on Flagler in New Smyrna Beach, 35 Bistro and Wine Bar in Daytona Beach and Tiano's at One Daytona.
"We want people to understand that you only have to come to one place," Taylor said. "You get your design, get your architectural rendering, designing. You got your general contractor and then we also got the trades that would come in here and do that."
In the back of the hub, prospective clients and their designer can look through color swatches, flooring samples and other design elements for their projects, including smart home technology. Not all of Nouveau's clients are local — Narcisse and Taylor have worked with people wanting their homes redone in states like Colorado and Georgia.
Once the hub's renovations are completed, Narcisse and Taylor hope to open their doors to other interior designers in need of space to meet with clients as well as order from vendors, as some won't work with small decorators.
"That's unfortunate, because there's a lot of talent out there that's being missed," Narcisse said.
They will also hold Continuing Education Unit events for designers to be able to achieve accreditation and have a podcast room. Narcisse and Taylor are starting their "Sawdust and Sarcasm" soon.
They want to create unity in the industry and help up-and-coming designers, Taylor said.
Visit https://www.nouveauinternational.com.
