Master Bedroom & Bathroom
Residential
A full primary-suite transformation in warm, layered neutrals — soft light, hand-finished walls and a bed that feels like an embrace.
Nairobi · Est. Interior Design Studio
Spaces that hold your story
We design luxury interiors tailored not to a trend, but to the way you actually live — gathering, resting, working. Every texture and tone chosen with intention, and managed through to the final reveal.
The Studio
We believe a home should feel like the person who lives in it — not like a magazine page. So we listen first, and design second.
Yaara Design Studio was founded on a simple belief: refined does not have to mean cold. Working across Nairobi and beyond, we blend rustic warmth with modern elegance and masterful colour harmony — from a single-room refresh to a fully managed home transformation. Recognised as Best Interior Design in 2026.
Selected Work
Projects, one room at a time
Dining Extension
Residential · Architecture
A stone-clad dining and servery extension, rich in texture and light, built to gather large families for long evenings.
Powder Room
Residential
A jewel-box powder room — small space, big personality. Deep tone on tone, brass and stone.
Boutique Hotel Rooms
Hospitality
Guest rooms designed to feel like a private retreat — carved screens, woven artwork and linen that invites you to stay.
Stone & Brass Cloakroom
Residential
Charcoal limewash, fluted travertine and aged brass — a small room treated with the seriousness of a gallery.
What We Do
Five ways into a considered space
- 01
Pick My Brain
A focused consultation that gives you expert guidance on design direction, colour psychology and the real potential of your space — without the full commitment. You leave with clarity and a roadmap.
Enquire - 02
Shopping Service
We put our eye and our supplier network to work finding the exact pieces you need — on brief, on budget, from makers and suppliers we trust across Nairobi and beyond.
Enquire - 03
Styling
We transform a single room — measured plan, curated shopping list, mood boards, wall art and a final styled setup — so the space reads as intentional rather than assembled.
Enquire - 04
Signature Design
Our most considered design package: brief and style analysis, space planning, 3D visualisation and revision rounds, so every decision is informed before a single item is bought.
Enquire - 05
Full Service Luxury Project Management
Planning, purchasing oversight, tradesmen supervision, quality assurance, timelines, setup and handover. You deal with one studio — not a dozen contractors — and simply move into the finished home.
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The Founder
“I have never been interested in rooms that only photograph well.”
Yaara began with a frustration: beautiful Nairobi homes that nobody felt at ease in. Rooms that were technically correct and emotionally empty. So the studio was built around a different order of operations — understand the person, then the plan, then the palette.
Today that means long first conversations, honest budgets, and materials chosen because they age well in our light and our climate. It means working with the inherited armchair instead of replacing it. And it means being on site, in the dust, until the last detail is right.
Design Philosophy
Personal, functional, timeless — in that order
Personal
We design for your life and your soul, never a trend. Every brief starts by listening — how you host, where the light matters, what you cannot part with.
Functional
Beauty that fails in daily use is not luxury. Layouts, storage, materials and maintenance are resolved before anything is specified.
Timeless
We choose textures and tones that will still feel considered in ten years — natural materials, honest craft, restrained colour.
- 01
Discovery & Brief
We start by understanding you — your taste, how you live or work, and what success looks like. We design for your soul, not a trend.
- 02
Concept & Direction
We translate the brief into a clear creative direction with mood, materials and a costed plan you sign off before anything begins.
- 03
Craft & Refine
We design, source and refine in close collaboration — you see progress at every stage, never a black box.
- 04
Deliver & Reveal
We manage delivery end-to-end and hand over a home finished to the last detail — refined, warm and completely yours.
Before & After
The rooms nobody photographed
Every finished space started somewhere far less flattering. Drag the handle to see what changed — and what stayed.
BeforeAfter
The Living Room, Reimagined
Kilimani, Nairobi
The shell was sound but silent — grey plaster, cold tiles, nowhere to sit. We warmed every surface in limewash, laid a woven floor, and built the room around one long, low sofa so the family finally had somewhere to land at the end of a day.
BeforeAfter
From Dark Formal Room to Gathering Table
Karen, Nairobi
Heavy varnished furniture and a fluorescent tube had made this room a place nobody lingered. We stripped it back to light: sand-toned plaster, a solid oak table, rush-seat chairs and a single woven pendant that gives the whole room its centre.
BeforeAfter
A Bedroom That Finally Rests
Lavington, Nairobi
Damp-marked walls, a bare frame and mismatched curtains. We resolved the damp, softened the walls in warm plaster, and layered linen, clay tones and woven pendants until the room felt like the quietest place in the house.
Client Love
“Our Karen home now feels like a boutique hotel — elegant, calm, and timeless.”
“The team understood exactly what I wanted — a modern space with warmth and personality.”
“Their design was not only beautiful but practical and easy to maintain.”
“The space feels more open, productive, and classy.”
“Yaara delivered amazing designs and truly high-quality work.”
Ways to Work With Us
Choose the experience, not a package
Every engagement is scoped to your space and your ambitions. Tell us where you are and we will recommend the right starting point — and give you a clear, costed plan before anything begins.
Pick My Brain
- Expert consultation with the studio
- Design direction and recommendations
- Flexible extensions if you need longer
- No long-term commitment
Shopping Service
- Dedicated days of sourcing with you
- Access to 50+ trusted suppliers
- Budget optimisation and negotiation
- Logistics and delivery coordination
- Detailed shopping report with photography
Styling
- Site visit and measurement
- Detailed floor plan
- Mood board and colour psychology
- Curated shopping list
- Wall art and styling direction
- Final setup and styling
Signature Design
- Two site visits and detailed analysis
- Client brief and style analysis
- Space planning and layout optimisation
- 3D visualisation of the final design
- Two rounds of design revisions
- Budget approximation and sourcing guide
- Complete shopping list and recommendations
Full Service Luxury Project Management
- End-to-end planning and coordination
- Purchasing on your behalf with budget oversight
- On-site supervision and quality assurance
- Weekly progress documentation
- Timeline and milestone management
- Complete handover with care guides
- Warranty and invoicing record-keeping
Journal
Notes from the studio
Materials
Why we design with plaster, not paint
Flat paint gives you a colour. Hand-finished plaster gives you a surface that changes hour by hour with the Nairobi light.
Process
Reading a room before you change it
Before we move a single wall, we watch where the light lands, where people sit, and which corner nobody uses. The room usually tells you.
Sourcing
Five African makers we return to
The pieces our clients love most are rarely from a catalogue. They come from people we can call by name.
Questions
Before you enquire
Enquire
Have a project in mind?
Tell us how you want to live. We will listen first, then design and deliver a space that feels unmistakably yours.