MEET ELEMENTERRE
Rooted in nurturing the singular rarity of each project to create an enduring collection of radical reimaginings, Elementerre is an experiential design studio shaped by a profound reverence for the sacred endeavor of home making. At Elementerre, exploration is pervasive, and embracing curiosities and indulgences is paramount. Through bespoke processes, Elementerre curates spaces that showcase the felt pleasures of layered, spirited design and allow one’s depth of place to bloom.
Elementerre is a corollary to the shared curiosities of its founders, Shenel and Hassan Shaikh. The duo’s respective heritages have instilled in each a keen awareness and profound admiration of the interplay between culture and design. Their respect for the harmonious balance between these elements, coupled with their love for exploring remarkable corners of the world, have lent sundry inspiration to Elementerre’s design ethos. The couple resides in California with their beloved goldendoodle and design assistant, Bean.
SHENEL SHAIKH
Principal Designer
Shenel grew up on the Central Coast of California, raised by a mother whose artistic spirit nurtured her own creativity from a young age and filled her weekends with trips to flea markets and antique auctions. After graduating from UC San Diego, Shenel moved to North Carolina to attend Duke Law School—where she met Hassan on their first day of orientation. Following several years practicing as a civil litigator in Los Angeles and Washington, DC (all the while moonlighting as an ad hoc designer for close friends and family), Shenel moved on from her legal career to launch Elementerre.
HASSAN SHAIKH
Operations
Hassan, a first-generation American, was raised in a tight-knit Pakistani community in Sugar Land, Texas. A graduate of Baylor University and Duke Law School (where, he’ll tell you, his life changed forever when he serendipitously held open a door for the most beautiful girl he’d ever see), Hassan is a practicing healthcare attorney. His entrepreneurial spirit and predilection for creative direction have helped catalyze the duo’s burgeoning design studio.
ANASTASIYA
Director of Studio Systems & Strategy
Originally from Ukraine and raised by a mother whose artistic spirit shaped her earliest understanding of beauty, Anastasiya grew up immersed in fashion, interiors, and the quiet discipline required to support a creative mind. Equal parts imaginative and analytical, she was the kind of child filming organized desk tours long before workflow optimization became a profession.
With a degree in Cognitive Science from UC Irvine, she gravitates toward creative expression—through music, film, and design—and the architecture behind it. She brings to Elementerre a rare fluency in both aesthetics and infrastructure, translating ideas into executable frameworks, smoothing operational friction, and serving as a trusted sounding board in matters of brand identity and cohesion. A strategic bridge between creativity and structure, she ensures the studio’s vision is supported by systems built to sustain it—and proudly serves as the team’s resident dog aunt.
BEAN
Director of Barketing
Adopted in 2020, Bean quickly established himself as both the heart and unofficial mascot of Elementerre. A golden doodle with impeccable instincts and a strong sense of presence, he balances sass with gentleness and considers it his professional duty to attend all meetings—preferably from the most comfortable seat available.
A devoted shadow and enthusiastic hiking companion, Bean specializes in morale boosting, furniture testing, and strategic deployment of soulful eye contact. His contributions may be lighthearted, but his presence is essential: a reminder that thoughtful design, like good company, should feel warm, intuitive, and effortless.