Episode Details

In this episode of the OLISE Podcast, Bilen sits down with interior designer Enass Mahmoud, founder of Studio Enass, for a powerful and honest conversation about heritage, representation, and what it means to build a design career with no roadmap to follow.

Enass shares her journey from Sudan and London, growing up surrounded by the colour, craft and eccentric self-expression of Sudanese culture, and how that visual language has shaped her design philosophy. She speaks candidly about the reality of starting out with no industry connections and no Sudanese reference point in design to look to, and how a single social media post for the O2 Arena VIP rooms became the accidental beginning of Studio Enass.

The conversation explores her belief that representation in design is bigger than any one career, the importance of building genuine community rather than going it alone, and her evolution from a designer who wanted to hide behind her work to one who understands she has to show up, front and centre, for the people coming up behind her.

Enass also reflects on her standout Garden Folly Room at WOW!house 2026, a deeply personal love letter to her Sudanese heritage and British upbringing, and the remarkable story of how she manifested the project a full year before it happened.

This episode is a celebration of heritage, community, and the courage to build something the industry has never quite seen before.

In this episode:

• Growing up between Sudan and London, and the influence of Sudanese colour and craft
• Starting Studio Enass by accident, with no reference point in the industry
• The first project, the O2 Arena, and the house that took a client from beige to bold
• Why building a personal brand can take years, and why that's okay
• The importance of community over going it alone
• Representation, visibility, and designing for the next generation
• Inside the Garden Folly Room at WOW!house 2026, and the heritage behind it
• Manifesting Wow House a year before the email arrived
• What's next: lighting design, product lines, and dream commercial spaces

Headline Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Moroso, the iconic Italian furniture house founded in 1952. Renowned for sculptural form, bold colour and artisanal craftsmanship, Moroso has spent over seventy years collaborating with the world's most influential designers, including Patricia Urquiola and Ron Arad, to create furniture that lives at the intersection of design, contemporary art and fashion. https://moroso.it

Perfect for: 

Interior designers, architects, creatives, entrepreneurs, students, and anyone interested in heritage, representation, and building a design career rooted in identity and authenticity.

Listen & Watch:
Full video available on YouTube
Audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms

Guest Links: 

Studio Enass: https://www.studioenass.com/

Enass Mahmoud: https://www.instagram.com/studioenass/

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