Thirty Under 30: Allison Burt

By Donna Heiderstadt

When most kids were coloring in their coloring books, Allison Burt was drawing floor plans in the margins or sketching carefully curated interiors in the background. And when other girls were asking for an Xbox or a cellphone for Christmas, she begged for HGTV design software so she could bring her ideas to life. “I fell in love with interiors while watching HGTV at my grandmother’s house,” says Allison. “For my 10th birthday, instead of going shopping, I asked my grandma to take me to the Spring Home and Garden Show so I could meet David Bromstad. That moment sealed it for me — there was never another path.” Now 28, Allison has worked in design for six years, spending the past three as an Interior Designer at Columbus, OH-based Haus Studio, owned by 2018 Thirty Under 30 inductee Tyler Swartzmiller.

Allison says that pursuing a career in the kitchen and bath industry was the perfect way to bring her passion for design to life in a tangible, functional way. “I love that I get to help people transform the spaces they use every single day — it’s the dream I’ve been working toward my entire life,” she explains. Most of Allison’s days are spent communicating with clients, doing design work, making selections, coordinating with vendors, and visiting jobsites. “It’s a constant balance between creativity, problem-solving, and project management,” she says.

The reward for Allison is seeing a project completed — and the client’s reaction. One of the most memorable was a kitchen remodel for a family whose main way of connecting was cooking together, but whose kitchen was outdated, cramped, and closed off from the rest of the home. “I’ll never forget watching them walk into their new kitchen for the first time,” she recalls. “They were completely struck silent. Their 13-year-old daughter actually burst into tears at the thought of being able to cook alongside her family in their beautiful, functional new space. The father was grinning from ear to ear — in a way I hadn’t seen him do before.”

When it comes to her own design preferences, adult Allison still refuses to color within the margins. While she says her design style is rooted in the clean lines, timeless silhouettes, and intentional details of mid-century modern, she loves blending these elements with those from a variety of aesthetics “to create spaces that feel layered, personal, and full of character.”

Allison, who says the word “incomparable” best describes her, is studying for her CKBD certification and is proud to have earned two Designer of the Year awards from her local NKBA chapter in 2024. “It was very validating and showed me that even though I am young, I am making my way in this industry,” she says. Allison is also making her way through life, having married in December and added the role of “bonus parent” to her husband, David’s middle-school-aged child.

At home, Allison loves to cook, bake, and paint. “I’m also a huge theater nerd and love to sing,” she says. Her life’s “must-do” list includes building a family that’s as loving and supportive as the one she grew up in and seeing the world with the people she loves. “I want to keep challenging myself — personally and professionally — and never let life become stagnant,” she says. “Most of all, I want to feel fulfilled. Just like I do now, I want to wake up every morning excited for the day ahead, with a sense of purpose that’s uniquely mine and brings me genuine joy.”