Interior Design Studio
Aquilo Interiors
Maximalist interior architecture and design studio in Oakland building immersive, story driven worlds
Selected Work
11 projects
We build worlds.
Aquilo is an interior architecture and design studio creating immersive residential environments, boutique hospitality spaces, and experience driven interiors. Principal designer Carmen René Smith is classically trained in both architecture and fine art, and her work lives at the intersection of imagination and precision, blending history, craftsmanship, color, texture, and objects that tell a story. Every project begins with a feeling, a question, or a story waiting to be told, and every project is approached as a complete environment. We intentionally take on a limited number of projects each year so we can give each one the time, curiosity, and attention it deserves. The result is not a signature style. It is a world that could only belong to you.
Services
Private Residences
Full service interior architecture and design for private homes, guiding a project from the earliest architectural conversations through the final layers that transform a house into a home.
Boutique Hospitality
Hotels, restaurants, and lounges designed as complete environments, composed through architecture, art, and storytelling so the space is both true to the brand and impossible to forget.
Creative Direction
Creative leadership and technical expertise across the thousands of thoughtful decisions behind a memorable environment, with a commitment to protecting the integrity of the design from concept through completion.
Procurement
Sourcing and purchasing of furnishings, art, and custom pieces, managed so the finished environment arrives exactly as it was drawn.
Design Consultations
For projects that do not call for full service design, a ninety minute consultation in your space that gives you direct access to our design thinking. Offered in person across the Bay Area and virtually for clients elsewhere.
E-Design
Good design is too beautiful to miss out on because of geography, so we also work remotely with clients well outside the Bay Area.
Work with Aquilo Interiors
Tell them about your space, your timeline, and your budget. You'll hear back from the studio directly.