NAINOA Interior is a US-based Architecture and Interior Design firm with teams in New York, The Hamptons, Los Angeles, Miami, Honolulu and abroad. From intimate apartments to grand estates, their work manages to be simultaneously striking and subdued, surprising and familiar, imposing and intimate. In a few short years NAINOA has managed to carve out a singular aesthetic, cutting through the noise of trends and establishing a clear, timeless aesthetic.

Yinji：How would you describe your aesthetic? Does it differ when approaching architecture vs interior design?
Noa Santos：We want our work to feel integrated. All pieces - site, architecture, interiors - are considered in tandem and woven together for an elegant continuity that, we hope, takes one’s experience beyond the walls.

Yinji：Your designs exude a calming effect yet are visually stunning. It's a sort of symbiosis. Do you see this as a unique selling point of NAINOA? And how do you navigate/achieve this balance in design?
Noa Santos：We start with a pretty rigid adherence to classical principles - symmetry, proportion and perspective. We’re quite draconian about it, in fact. Then we play with materials in ways that surprise and delight us. The result is a playful gravitas - spaces can feel important without being too precious.  

Yinji：How has your design process, and the way you think about creating living spaces, evolved over the years? Which of your design beliefs have changed, and which have stayed the same (and why is that)?
Noa Santos：The more you learn about design, the more you learn how much is left to know. I’m continually surprised by our clients and my team and, in that way, I’ve become less rigid in my own beliefs. While I believe there are certain immutable truths to good design, within that framework exists a vast and beautiful grey area of discovery.

Yinji：The focus on materials is key in NAINOA's designs,What materials attract you most, and what is it about them that you feel resonates with your design language?
Noa Santos：I’ve always been drawn to natural materials - probably because growing up in Hawaii meant I was seldom indoors. The materials we use are alive and are still living - many will outlast us. Our job, then, is to showcase their distinct and most beautiful qualities. 

Yinji：What do you think of the trends in modern luxury? 
Noa Santos：Time is the ultimate luxury. We want our work to be beautiful - to encourage you to pause. We want our work to be thoughtful - to provide creative solutions to everyday challenges. And we want our work to be impactful - to show you something you may not have seen before.  

Yinji：What are NAINOA's plans or goals for 2022?
Noa Santos：We are just at the beginning of our journey so, for now, we are going to continue to perfect our craft, to push ourselves, and to find ways to bring joy to our clients' lives.