CASA TANUKI

ABOUT RUTH SAFDIE

FOUNDER OF CASA TANUKI | INTERIOR DESIGNER, ARTIST & FURNITURE DESIGNER

A NATIVE NEW YORKER WITH AN INTERNATIONAL SOUL, RUTH SAFDIE CULTIVATED HER EYE FOR DESIGN THROUGH A LIFETIME OF CULTURAL IMMERSION. RAISED IN GENEVA, SÃO PAULO, AND PANAMA CITY, SHE WAS SURROUNDED BY A RICH BLEND OF AESTHETICS, ARCHITECTURE, AND TRADITION THAT SHAPED HER INSTINCTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF SPATIAL HARMONY AND VISUAL STORYTELLING. THIS GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE FORMS THE CORE OF HER DESIGN PHILOSOPHY; ONE THAT BLENDS REFINEMENT, WARMTH, INDIVIDUALITY, AND TIMELESS ELEGANCE.

RUTH’S CREATIVE IDENTITY IS MULTIFACETED: SHE IS NOT ONLY AN INTERIOR DESIGNER BUT ALSO AN ARTIST AND FURNITURE DESIGNER. HER WORK BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN FUNCTION AND FORM, OFTEN DESIGNING BESPOKE PIECES; EITHER PERSONALLY OR IN COLLABORATION WITH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS; TO REFLECT THE SOUL OF A SPACE. EACH CREATION EMBODIES HER COMMITMENT TO CRAFTSMANSHIP, MATERIAL INTEGRITY, AND ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.

INITIALLY TRAINED IN BUSINESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS, RUTH’S PATH ULTIMATELY LED HER TO INTERIOR DESIGN, WHERE HER PASSION FOR CULTURE, ART, AND TRANSFORMATION ALIGNED. SHE STUDIED AT THE NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, REFINING HER TECHNICAL SKILLS AND DEEPENING HER UNDERSTANDING OF MATERIALS, COMPOSITION, AND THE EMOTIONAL RESONANCE OF SPACE.

HER PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATION WAS BUILT AT NATALIE KRAIEM INTERIORS, WHERE SHE WORKED ON HIGH-END RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROJECTS. KRAIEM’S FIRM HAS BEEN FEATURED IN ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, ELLE DECOR, AND THE HOLIDAY HOUSE DESIGNER SHOWHOUSE, OFFERING RUTH A FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE OF ELITE DESIGN EXECUTION AND CLIENT EXPECTATIONS.

HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ART WORLD RUNS DEEP. AT KREËMART, A PLATFORM THAT BRINGS TOGETHER CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, CHEFS, AND LUXURY BRANDS, RUTH WORKED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF RAPHAEL CASTORIANO, EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF FINE ART, SENSORY DESIGN, AND CONCEPTUAL STORYTELLING. THIS IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE FURTHER SHARPENED HER ABILITY TO TRANSLATE ARTISTIC NARRATIVES INTO PHYSICAL SPACES.

IN 2020, RUTH LAUNCHED THE HIGH MID LOW, A CHARITABLE PLATFORM DEDICATED TO SOURCING AND CURATING ART WITH A PURPOSE. THROUGH ONLINE AUCTIONS AND PERSONALIZED ACQUISITIONS, SHE SUPPORTED BOTH EMERGING ARTISTS AND URGENT HUMANITARIAN CAUSES—PROVING THAT DESIGN CAN BE BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND SOCIALLY MEANINGFUL.

THROUGH HER STUDIO, CASA TANUKI, RUTH NOW DELIVERS HIGHLY PERSONALIZED DESIGN EXPERIENCES TO A GLOBAL CLIENTELE. SHE COLLABORATES WITH ARTISANS, ARCHITECTS, AND CONTRACTORS ACROSS CONTINENTS TO CREATE SPACES THAT ARE INTELLECTUALLY ENGAGING, EMOTIONALLY RESONANT, AND ARTISTICALLY RICH. WHETHER INTEGRATING EUROPEAN ANTIQUES, CONTEMPORARY BRAZILIAN FURNISHINGS, OR ONE-OF-A-KIND COMMISSIONS, HER INTERIORS ARE AS THOUGHTFUL AS THEY ARE SOPHISTICATED.

FLUENT IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, AND FRENCH, RUTH WORKS WITH AN INTERNATIONAL CLIENTELE AND ADAPTS EFFORTLESSLY TO CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXTS. HER DESIGNS TRANSCEND TRENDS—SPEAKING THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF ARTISTRY, ELEGANCE, AND PURPOSE.

FOR THOSE SEEKING AN INTERIOR DESIGNER WHO IS ALSO A MAKER, STORYTELLER, AND CURATOR OF MEANINGFUL SPACES, RUTH SAFDIE OFFERS A DISTINCTIVE VISION—WHERE ELEVATED INTERIORS ARE BORN FROM ART, CULTURE, AND THE SOUL OF THE INDIVIDUAL.