Designer Friday: An aspire Exclusive Interview With Anu Jain

Atelier Oleana is a boutique interior design studio, named for the Greek word for “moonlight,” whose luminous quality permeates each of founder Anu Jain’s original designs. An award-winning creative force and Frederic It List 2024 honoree, Jain is known for her immersive, bold and unabashed approach to interiors. Her work embraces duality, balancing light and shadow, polish and texture, contemporary and traditional, to create spaces that feel both grounded and transcendent. Based in San Francisco, Atelier Oleana leads full-scale residential renovations across the Bay Area and beyond. Drawing on her background in Silicon Valley and global design, Jain brings a fresh, editorial sensibility to every home. Each project is a soulful interplay of vintage and contemporary, architectural form and tactile detail, meticulously layered and emotionally resonant. Atelier Oleana specializes in high-end, full-home transformations and collaborates closely with architects, builders, and craftspeople to create spaces that reflect the client’s essence, edited, elevated, and deeply personal. See how Anu Jain brings a little moonlight magic to interiors in today’s Designer Friday.

A timeless mix of classic and contemporary, this living room pairs a richly tiled fireplace and antique seating with sculptural modern accents.

Andrew Joseph: What inspired you to become a designer?
Anu Jain: I fell in love with the emotional power of space. After years in the tech world, I realized my real obsession was environments that made people feel something visceral. I wanted to design not just homes, but entire experiences. I love falling in love with my client’s journeys and creating environments for them that feel deeply personal and elevated.

AJ: Can you describe your design philosophy in three words?
Anu Jain: Intentional. Refined. Fearless.

AJ: How do you approach a new design project?
Anu Jain: I start with emotion, not measurements. I ask, “How do we want to feel in this space?” From there, I layer the story, structure and soul.

The oversized mirror cleverly blends into the hand-painted mural, creating a surreal sense of depth, while the rich green velvet chair and ottoman anchor the space with bold, tactile color.

AJ: What is the most challenging project you’ve worked on and how did you overcome it?
Anu Jain: My own home in San Francisco. Balancing Tudor architecture with bold contemporary gestures meant unlearning the rules. I had to listen more — to the bones of the house, to my instincts, and to the beauty in contradiction. My usual style is a lot more contemporary than my home’s soul, and I had to find a way to do justice to it!

AJ: Can you tell us about a design trend you are excited about?
Anu Jain: Maximalist minimalism; spaces with strong restraint but punctuated by fearless, sculptural moments. I love the tension between clean and bold.

AJ: Can you tell us about a specific moment in your career that made you feel accomplished?
Anu Jain: Walking into a completed home and seeing the client cry. Nothing staged, just real emotion. That’s why I do this.

This playful living room pairs a storybook-patterned sofa with a fluffy lounge chair, making it feel like the chicest cozy nook you never want to leave.

AJ: Can you tell us about a project where you had to overcome a design challenge?
Anu Jain: A space with no natural light — but we treated it like a theater set. Reflective finishes, custom lighting and textural drama turned it into a moody cocoon.

AJ: Style (or design) icon and why?
Anu Jain: Elsie de Wolfe — because she broke the mold, and then gilded it. Also, Jean Royere. His work lives beyond the beyond and is timeless in every era!

AJ: What’s a new hobby/skill that you have learned recently?
Anu Jain: I am learning to play Mahjong, and it’s spectacular!

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