Director Megan Morgan struggles to contain her excitement as she talks about JH Interior Design’s new location at the corner of Fifth and Yampa streets in downtown Steamboat Springs.

“We’re just really excited to be here,” Morgan said Monday, March 27, standing inside the design firm’s retail space filled with fine art, furniture and home decor. “It seems like there’s a huge need, and I feel like everybody in this industry here is just lovely, and it’s a good place to be right now.”

Inside the 1,500-square-foot retail store that fills the space that once housed Steamboat Flyfisher, customers will find a sampling of what JH Interior Design offers, but by no means all it offers.

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Morgan said the firm’s designers can help customers find the pieces they need to furnish and decorate any space, and get those pieces to Steamboat Springs. The firm also offers full-scale design services for both commercial and residential spaces.

“No design job is too small,” Morgan said. “We just did like a little minibar, corner nook for one of our clients. And then (owner Julie Hockney) has done 40,000-square-foot offices, so we can be there for anything big, or small.”

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Morgan said Hockney, who started JH Interior Design in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2007, wanted to add a location in Steamboat Springs with hopes of offering her services to the fast-paced growth the community is experiencing.

“There is so much energy and growth in Steamboat Springs,” Hockney said. “It’s growing so fast we knew we could be an asset.”

Hockney said the idea of adding a second location in Steamboat Springs to the one she owns in Omaha came to her while she was helping renovate a home on Glacier Ridge in Steamboat Springs.

Hockney estimates she has worked with more than 800 clients since she started the business in Omaha. Hockney said that her designers will take the lead in guiding clients through a proven design process that provides an enjoyable experience.

“We aim to create each client’s space to be an extension of their personality,” Hockney said.

The design firm currently employs nine interior designers at two locations with three of them based in Steamboat Springs. Morgan added that Hockney is just a plane ride away and plans to spend a great deal of time working with clients in Steamboat.

“I think customer service is probably one of her biggest strengths,” Morgan said of Hockney.

The downtown showroom offers take-home items that reflect a mountain modern style that provides warmth without being overly rustic. Morgan said what’s on display is only a sampling, and if clients are looking for something different, the designers are ready to help find whatever is needed.

Morgan will be joined in Steamboat by designers Dana Luke and Caitlin Farrell, who both bring a wealth of experienced to the table. The showroom will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment on the weekends. Morgan expects to expand the showroom’s weekend hours when things pick up this summer.

“We’re not overly rustic, but we still pay homage to it,” Morgan said. “I feel like a lot of places here are very contemporary because contemporary is so trendy right now, and I feel like we’re still staying true to the ranching roots in Steamboat Springs.”