The Studio
Aquilo is an interior architecture and design studio creating immersive residential environments, boutique hospitality spaces, and experience-driven interiors. We believe design has the power to shape how we feel, gather, and move through the world. Every project is approached as a complete environment, thoughtfully composed through architecture, art, and storytelling to create spaces that are both deeply personal and enduring.
Our Practice
We intentionally take on a limited number of projects each year, allowing us to devote the time, curiosity, and attention every environment deserves. Our practice spans private residences, boutique hospitality, creative direction, procurement, and select design advisory engagements, guiding projects from the earliest architectural conversations through the final layers that transform a house into a home.
Our Values
Soul
We believe the spaces we inhabit should nourish us. Every project begins with emotion, creating environments that foster connection, inspire gathering, and reflect the lives unfolding within them.
Wonder
We believe imagination belongs in everyday life. Through storytelling, unexpected moments, and immersive design, we create worlds that invite curiosity, spark conversation, and leave lasting memories.
Artistry
Rooted in architecture, fine art, and craftsmanship, we approach every project as a carefully composed work. Beauty is found not only in the finished space, but in the thought, collaboration, and detail behind it.
Stewardship
A strong vision requires thoughtful leadership. We guide each project with care, protecting the integrity of the design while navigating thousands of decisions, fostering collaboration, and carrying every environment from first sketch to final installation.
Our passion is art and design.
Our purpose is creating environments that enrich the lives of both people and animals.
Every project allows us to move one step closer to a future where thoughtful design extends beyond the home into sanctuary spaces, hospitality experiences, and places that foster deeper connections between humans, animals, and the natural world.
Carmen René Smith
Carmen René Smith doesn’t think of herself as someone who decorates homes.
She builds worlds.
Every project begins with a feeling, a question, or a story waiting to be told. Through architecture, art, and a love of the beautifully unexpected, she creates homes that invite people to slow down, look closer, and experience everyday life with a little more wonder.
Classically trained in both Architecture (B.Arch) and Fine Art, her work lives at the intersection of imagination and precision. Each space balances thoughtful planning with artistic expression, blending history, craftsmanship, color, texture, and objects that tell a story.
Beyond design, her purpose is rooted in something much larger.
Every project helps support her lifelong mission of creating
a future where people and animals can live beautifully
together. The result isn’t a signature style. It’s a world that
could only belong to you.
Micha Keyser
Creativity flourishes when everything else is taken care of.
With a background in Interior Design and Design & Applied Arts, Micha brings equal parts creativity and precision to every project.
At Aquilo, she leads procurement and project operations, guiding each project from design development through installation. From sourcing furnishings and managing custom fabrication to coordinating vendors, purchasing, logistics, and installation, she transforms countless moving parts into a seamless experience for both our team and our clients.
Curious by nature, Micha finds inspiration through travel, architecture, craftsmanship, and the everyday details that reveal the character of a place.
Her work allows the creative process to remain exactly what it should be: creative.
Ashley Williams
Every thoughtfully imagined world begins with a strong foundation.
Ashley leads design development and technical documentation at Aquilo, translating creative ideas into detailed drawings and carefully resolved interiors. From space planning and interior architecture to construction documentation and design coordination, she brings precision, curiosity, and thoughtful problem solving to every project.
Influenced by years living in Philadelphia, Oakland, and Mexico City, Ashley is drawn to spaces that celebrate history, craftsmanship, and everyday life. Her work helps transform imagination into environments that feel timeless, personal, and deeply considered.
For Ashley, good design isn't about following trends. It's about creating spaces that grow alongside the people who call them home.
Our Collaborators
Aquilo is supported by a trusted team of artisans, fabricators, and specialty consultants. Every project is assembled around the people best suited to bring it to life. Not every collaborator is pictured here, but every one leaves their mark on the worlds we create.
Beyond the Studio
Aquilo Interiors is proud to be listed on the AD PRO Directory, a curated network of trusted design professionals recognized by Architectural Digest. We also believe beautiful design extends beyond the spaces we create. As members of the Board of Directors for Full Circle Cats, we're committed to supporting the rescue, care, and lifelong wellbeing of animals in our community.