Poonam Khanna is the founder and creative director of Unionworks, a New York-based design studio renowned for its thoughtful, atmospheric interiors that blend architectural precision with soulful storytelling. With a background in both architecture and branding, Poonam brings a multidisciplinary approach to her work, designing spaces that are as emotionally resonant as they are visually refined.
Poonam began her career as an architect before moving into creative direction for some of the world’s leading lifestyle and hospitality brands. This foundation informs Unionworks’ holistic ethos: creating spaces that reflect not just how people live, but who they are. Since founding the studio, she has earned a reputation for her quiet yet impactful style – favoring natural materials, tactile surfaces, and a layered sense of history and place.
Unionworks takes on a broad range of projects, from private residences and boutique retail to creative studios and hospitality concepts. Under Poonam’s direction, the studio’s work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Livingetc, The Modern House Journal, Elle Decor, Design Anthology, House & Garden, and Dezeen, among others. The studio has also been recognised as part of House & Garden’s list of 100 Leading Interior Designers.
Poonam’s design sensibility is deeply influenced by materiality, memory, and mood. Her projects are known for their warm restraint – spaces that feel elevated yet grounded, intentional but unpretentious. She often collaborates with craftspeople and artists to bring a sense of the handmade into each project, celebrating imperfection and timelessness over trend.
With Unionworks, Poonam continues to push the boundaries of what interior design can be: not just decorative, but deeply human – spaces that hold meaning, inspire calm, and evolve with the lives lived within them.
