Smita Sahoo is Owner, Founder and Creative Director of ??aya | DESIGN, a Chicago based luxury interior design and architecture firm, with nearly 20 years of expertise specializing in multifamily residential, commercial and hospitality design. Smita thrives on designing spaces that strengthen emotional connections to the places we live, work, and interact. Her design methodology starts with a compelling design concept, a story narration for the users with their goals in mind. Smita's signature creations are largely informed by a diverse background in architecture, interior design, environmental psychology, and sustainability, and present a considerate blend of design innovations of the west paired with timeless elements of the east. Her firm's mission is to produce projects that positively impact the growth and enrichment of a client's brand equity from an economic, social, cultural, and environmental perspective, employing social entrepreneurship as a top pillar. She currently serves on the Insightful Chicago board as well as University of Florida's Department of Interior Design's Advocacy board, where she lends insight on topics like design thinking, industry trends, mentorship, and EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion). She is also a long-term supporter of SHaD (She Has a Deal), an organization that promotes women towards hotel and CITTA, an NGO that help build and support development in some of the most economically challenged, geographically remote or marginalized communities in the world.