Farouki Farouki is a full-service architecture and interior design practice founded by the husband-and-wife team of Caroline and Sabri Farouki. Prior to founding the firm, they worked at some of the nation's most renowned design studios and taught at leading architecture and design programs.
Their work is driven by a desire to create projects that are creative, ambitious, and enduring. Based in New Orleans, the firm works on projects throughout North America.
WE ARE ARCHITECTURAL ANTHROPOLOGISTS.
We begin each project by studying the history, culture, and context of its location in search of a deeper understanding of place. We are interested in how people gather, celebrate, work, rest, and move through the world around them.
This research-driven approach results in design that is rooted in ideas rather than aesthetics alone. Often, it leads to the reinterpretation of something we discover—a pattern, material, tradition, or ritual—transformed into something new through a contemporary lens. We believe the most engaging spaces are those that have an authentic story to tell while offering a fresh perspective on the familiar.
WE ALWAYS ASK HOW THINGS CAN BE BETTER.
Good design begins with curiosity. We draw upon a broad range of experiences and observations to recognize opportunities that others may overlook.
Having worked on diverse project types in a variety of places, we have developed a strong intuition for what makes spaces beautiful, functional, memorable, and meaningful. We believe every project can be refined, strengthened, and made more compelling through thoughtful questioning, creative problem-solving, and careful observation.
WE CHALLENGE ONE ANOTHER TO DO OUR BEST WORK.
Interior designers and architects bring different perspectives and skill sets to the design process. With one of each leading Farouki Farouki, we have an uncommon ability to think cohesively across a wide range of scales—from the overall building to the smallest details of the guest experience.
Our individual interests are complementary. Caroline is naturally drawn toward culture, human scale, and material warmth. Sabri gravitates toward innovation, clarity, and craft. Together, these perspectives create a productive tension that encourages experimentation and consistently strengthens our work.
WE BELIEVE GOOD DESIGN IS A CONVERSATION.
The strongest projects are shaped through dialogue among designers, clients, operators, consultants, builders, and end users. We do not believe great design is the product of a single voice.
Our role is to generate possibilities, test ideas, and facilitate meaningful discussion. Rather than becoming attached to a single solution, we explore multiple directions and work collaboratively to identify the approach that feels both original and appropriate to the project and its ambitions.
WE BELIEVE RESTRAINT IS A DESIGN TOOL.
The most memorable projects are rarely the ones with the largest budgets or the most complicated solutions. They are the ones with a clear idea and the discipline to pursue it thoughtfully.
By identifying the opportunities that matter most, we can focus our effort where it will have the greatest impact. We strive to make the most with the least—creating spaces that feel generous, inventive, and enduring without unnecessary complexity.
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.