Home decor designer Poonam Khanna of Unionworks shares tips for creating home environments that positively impact mood.
Poonam Khanna, the acclaimed designer and founder of Unionworks, is renowned for her ability to create homes that exude emotional depth and intentionality. With a background in architecture, interiors, and custom furniture design, Khanna's work is regularly featured in leading design publications.
At Unionworks, the multidisciplinary design studio based in New York, Khanna and her team are celebrated for creating quiet, soulful spaces that balance restraint with deeply personal storytelling. These homes, far from being mere decorations, feel grounded, tactile, and timeless.
Khanna's approach to design begins with an emotional reference, such as images of objects or physical things that clients love. She listens for the undercurrent or emotional subtext in clients’ desires, rather than just their explicit requests. This approach allows her to design homes as personal stories, layering textures and materials that resonate emotionally.
Natural and handcrafted elements are key to Khanna's designs. Currently, she is interested in using plaster, cork, and cork-clad surfaces. She values subtle textures and the marks of the maker, as they carry stories and a sense of childlike quality. In her quest for the perfect lighting, Khanna considers light as a material and is planning to use a Ketra lighting system in her projects.
Khanna's designs often feel more curated than decorated, and spaces are never considered "done." She aims to create spaces that make people feel comfortable and evoke a sense of groundedness. The homes she designs invite calmness and reflection, feeling both restrained and soulful.
For Khanna, a home should be curated thoughtfully instead of simply decorated. She enjoys shopping for unique pieces in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, South America, Japan, and London. Her home is adorned with ceramics made by her brother and friends, which are special to her.
In conclusion, Poonam Khanna's design process results in homes that feel deeply personal, intentional, and emotionally rich. Her approach to design, which involves understanding the unspoken desires of her clients and creating spaces that invite calmness and reflection, has earned her a reputation as one of the most sought-after designers in the industry. You can see her work at Unionworks.
[1] Source: Interview with Poonam Khanna, 2021.
