OUR STORY
NANAI is a multi-disciplinary design studio based in Asheville, North Carolina.
We specialize in state-of-the-art modern designs that integrate nature and artisan craft. We believe our homes and spaces have the potential to heal communities, the environment, and our selves.
Our studio philosophy is guided by our shared a reverence for nature, relentless curiosity, and passion for quality craft and design. We partner with a community of artisans that extends from our Southern Appalachian region to the Southernmost country of Chile. We believe that buildings and interiors made beautifully and intentionally are designed to last.
About Us
Felipe Santander, Architectural Design
Felipe trained as an architect in Santiago, Chile, where sustainability is standard practice. Over nearly 20 years, he has designed custom homes, commercial spaces, and community projects across Chile and the United States — bringing a distinctive style rooted in place, culture, and the natural world. After moving to the states, he studied permaculture design, deepening his love for gardening and his commitment to creating structures that work with the land they inhabit.
Cassidy Santander, Artistic Direction
Cass is an award-winning journalist and storyteller who spent the first decade of her career as public radio reporter. Her coverage consistently surfaced social inequities in education, housing, and public health. That same instinct to look closely and ask "why?" shapes everything she creates at NANAI.
As Artistic Director, she leads NANAI's interior projects, guided by a lifelong pull toward artisan-made craft, designs that connect with a story, and spaces that invite stillness and care.
