Meet Kiran
Kiran Rai is the founder and principal of Kiran Rai Design, an interior design studio and online vintage shop. She founded the fashion and textile label Sir Alistair Rai in 2006, and in 2010 launched Satya Rai, which became Sir Alistair Rai's primary marketplace. Between 2008-2012, the label garnered press coverage in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, and on NBC New York and NBC News. It ran until 2016, its sourcing and remaining textiles now an archive that serves as a central pillar for Kiran Rai Design.
About Kiran Rai
Born in London, England to Indian parents who emigrated from Bombay and had a love marriage, Kiran spent her formative years traversing the globe with her family for her father’s business as a primatologist who farmed primates for the Western pharmaceutical industry. Time spent in hotels, surrounded by regional objects, artwork, and locally-sourced textiles proved an early inspiration, as did her mother’s study of literature in the United Kingdom. Her family emigrated from London to the United States in 1975. Kiran later attended boarding school at The American School in Lugano, Switzerland, while her family lived in New York and San Francisco.
Her career began as a fashion buyer/merchandiser for GAP. Continuously inspired by her memories of travel as a child, Kiran spent many years living and working across the U.S., Europe, and India. In the early 2000s, she completed non-degree coursework at Pratt Institute and Otis College of Art and Design, then earned an AS in Fashion/Textile Design with an embedded Certificate of Completion in Interior Design from Phoenix College. In 2019, Kiran completed non-degree coursework at New York University, including Postcolonial Visual Culture, which examines how imperial histories shape what we see: war photography, refugee camps, urban planning, propaganda, and prison architecture. This course illuminated how imperialism has shaped Kiran’s life personally and professionally, from her Indian father’s work and her success selling Indian textiles to studying imperial histories and sourcing objects steeped in history. It continues to inform her work today.
In 2023, Kiran Rai Design opened its doors with footprints in Los Angeles, New York, and London. Kiran’s formative experiences with hotel room textiles and global decor continue to influence her aesthetic today. In 2026, her Los Angeles home that she designed and styled using sustainable and vintage decor was featured in Architectural Digest. She writes Chaos : Curated on Substack.
Kiran’s inherent scepticism of the algorithm informs her approach to design and styling, empowering clients to eschew trends in favor of listening to their instincts. With a focus on globally sourced, sustainable vintage items that help tell her clients’ story, Kiran Rai brings a curator’s eye to every project, resulting in one-of-a-kind spaces that reflect the people who inhabit them.
Meet Soraya
Soraya Cepeda is an interior designer at Kiran Rai Design. She received her Diploma in Interior Design from the Florence Institute of Design International, which has informed her global approach to design and inspires her to hunt for vintage treasures that bring out the personality of a home. Soraya is committed to taking the gatekeeping out of interior design and styling, helping clients uncover their innate instincts for design and making each project fun, accessible, and sustainable.
Working with Kiran Rai Design
With a focus on sustainability and a mission to make curated design an accessible, fun, and shared endeavor, Kiran Rai Design globally sources vintage objects that reflect the beauty of diverse cultural aesthetics to tell the story of your surroundings.
By blending affordability with authenticity, we empower you to create a meaningful space that reflects your unique life experience.
Tell us what you love most about your family heritage or where you took your favorite trip–we want to know who you are so we can help reflect that in your space.
We offer a range of tailored services, from art curation and accessory collection to interior architectural programming, planning, and design. Whether you have a cherished historic home or are undergoing new construction, we can help you make your space a source of solace and delight.
Our Services Include
New Construction
Vintage / Antique Curation
Remodels
Interior Architectural Programming, Planning, and Design
Custom Furniture Design
Technical Drawings / CAD Documentation
Art Curation and Accessory Selection
Budgeting and Estimating
Project Management
Installation Coordination
