Farouki Farouki is a full-service architecture and interior design practice founded by the husband-and-wife team of Caroline and Sabri Farouki. Before founding Farouki Farouki, they each worked at some of the world's most renowned design studios. They have taught and lectured at top architecture and design programs in New York, Savannah, and St. Louis. With their practice, they aim to build a meaningful body of work that enhances people’s lives and progresses the fields of architecture and design. Farouki Farouki is currently based in New Orleans with projects throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico.
WE ARE ARCHITECTURE ANTHROPOLOGISTS.
We begin each project by researching its history, context, and people in search of a rich background. This culture-based approach results in design that is complimentary and rooted in ideas, not only aesthetics. This often involves a reinterpretation of something historical we discover – adding a new twist to an existing pattern, material or program. We believe spaces are most exciting and engaging when they have an interesting story to tell the occupants.
WE ALWAYS ASK HOW THINGS CAN BE BETTER.
We are able to call on a deep set of experiences and observations to recognize opportunities for improvement. Having worked on a wide variety of projects all over the world, we bring a strong intuition about aesthetics, functionality, and feasibility to the table throughout the process.
While previously working for practices which operate at the forefront of our fields, we learned the value of striving for excellence.
WE PUSH EACH OTHER TO DESIGN OUR BEST.
Interior designers and base-building architects have very different sets of skills. With one of each at the helm of Farouki Farouki, we have an uncommon capability to design cohesively at a broad range of scales.
Our personal design interests are also unique, but we have respect for one another’s ideas and see them as the missing piece of our own process. Caroline ensures our work is rooted in culture, has a human scale, and is warm and tactile. Sabri ensures our work is innovative and well-crafted.
WE HAVE LOTS OF GOOD IDEAS, BUT SO DO YOU.
Some designers think that only they know what is best for their clients and end-users. We much prefer a collaborative process which we feel produces the best product and outcome for the client.
We develop many good solutions to problems and avoid getting stuck on our preconceptions. Then, we share those many solutions with our collaborators to see which resonate the most with everyone else. It is our responsibility to find, develop, and share good ideas and encourage conversation.
WE BELIEVE EFFICIENCY IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS.
It is important to recognize key design opportunities early on in the design process so we know where to focus our efforts. We strive to make the most with the least, and we try to avoid designing things that are not practical.
CAROLINE LANDRY FAROUKI
Principal
Caroline is a graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts in Interior Design program at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) where she earned the graduate school’s top honor of Excelsus Laureate, as well as the Interior Design department’s Faculty Award. Prior to SCAD, she studied Architecture and Environmental Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. After graduating from SCAD, Caroline worked on a wide range of hospitality and retail projects at the renowned New York City studios AvroKO and Pompei A.D. Caroline has been a guest lecturer for the SCAD Building Arts Lecture Series as well as industry mentor for the Interior Design department at SCAD. She has also been a guest lecturer at the New School’s Parsons School of Design.
Since the founding of their New Orleans based practice in 2015, Caroline has enjoyed working on the design of numerous award-winning restaurant, bar, and hotel interiors from coast-to-coast, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Her work at Farouki Farouki has been featured in Dwell and Hospitality Design magazine and has received awards from Restaurant and Bar Design Awards and Eater Awards.
Having grown up in southern Louisiana, hospitality is in her blood. She lives for creating spaces and moments for friends and family to make memories together. She finds never ending inspiration in nature and finds joy in cooking, international adventure travel, and spending time with her joyous children, Remy and Mazin.
SABRI FAROUKI
Principal
Sabri earned a Masters of Architecture from Columbia University and a Bachelors of Science in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. At Columbia University, he received the Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Medal. At Washington University in St. Louis, he received the Excellence in Craftsmanship Award and was a finalist for the Frederick Widmann Prize and the Faculty Award for best overall achievement. Sabri finds teaching to be a rewarding way to combine his academic and professional fervor. At Washington University in St. Louis, he taught part of the core architectural representation curriculum as an Adjunct Lecturer. At Columbia University, he taught classes in digital fabrication and architectural representation as an Adjunct Assistant Professor.
Prior to founding Farouki Farouki, Sabri worked on a wide range of cultural and mixed-use projects at several renowned New York City studios. As a Senior Architect at Bjarke Ingels Group, he co-project managed a mixed-use residential and retail development in Honolulu. As an architect at the interdisciplinary design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Sabri worked on the new facilities for the Columbia Business School and the Berkeley Art Museum / Pacific Film Archive. Sabri also worked for SHoP Architects on a forty-story residential building in Queens and the renovation and repositioning of an 80,000 square foot art gallery building in Manhattan.
Sabri’s personal background notably includes living overseas in Cairo, Egypt for seven years. Sabri currently lives in New Orleans with his wife, Caroline, and their sons, Remy and Mazin.
JENNY RENN KEY
Senior Interior Designer
Jenny Renn Key holds a Bachelor of Interior Design from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University. At UC, the design program was rooted in an apprenticeship method, also known as “co-ops”, where she alternated semesters of studio work with semesters of internships. This took Jenny Renn to architecture firms in Chicago (HOK), San Francisco (Gensler), New York City (M Moser) and Cincinnati (GBBN). For her senior capstone studio project, she was awarded the top accolade of Director’s Choice Award for Interior Design.
After undergrad, Jenny Renn was drawn to the Tulane School of Architecture’s Small Center for Collaborative Design for the opportunity to work on design-build projects that link studio to the community. At Tulane University, she was awarded Top Student for the Comprehensive Semester’s Work as well as Outstanding Thesis for the Graduate Student Class. New Orleans captivated her, and so she stayed after graduating. She continues to love the scale, vibrancy and firm identity of place found within the city.
Prior to joining Farouki Farouki, Jenny Renn worked on local and national interior design and architecture projects at the offices of Concordia and Multistudio. She joined Farouki Farouki in 2019, shifting her focus to hospitality design. Taking advantage of her dual degrees, she loves the process of blending strong design with conceptual narratives.
Outside of work, she recently purchased and renovated a house in Mid-City with her husband Joe, where she currently resides.
LEAH WALD
Intermediate Interior Designer
Leah holds a Bachelor of Interior Design from the University of Cincinnati. During her time there, she participated in various internships, working at firms in New York City (Kara Mann Design and Rafael de Cárdenas / Architecture at Large), Columbus (L Brands’ in-house design), and Chicago (Kadlec Architecture and Design). This rooted Leah professionally in a broad range of hospitality, retail, and luxury residential design. At the end of her time at the University of Cincinnati , Leah was the recipient of the Director’s Choice Award for her senior capstone project, demonstrating “exceptional knowledge, creativity, and skill”.
Leah spent four years after college working for Kara Mann Design in Chicago, where she refined her skill set, focusing on interior architectural design and specializing in attention to detail, visual harmony, technicality, and practical function. She worked on various high-end hospitality and private residential projects throughout the US.
In 2023 Leah decided it was time for a change and made the move from Chicago to New Orleans, joining the Farouki Farouki team. She’s enjoyed stretching her design skills in new ways, applying her knowledge and experience to new settings and uses.
Outside of work, Leah enjoys expressing her creativity via multiple facets, and can be found making items for her home and creating a variety of visual artworks.