GOLSANA HESHMATI
FOUNDER
SARAH GENTILE
DESIGNER
ZHENYU YE
DESIGNER
LINDSEY DIETER
DESIGN DIRECTOR
CHELSEA KREIELSHEIMER
HEAD OF DESIGN
YULIA DE LA CALLE
DESIGN COLLABORATOR / PM
SIMON SCHADLER
DESIGNER
SABRINA AMHAMA
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
AAROHI MITTAL
DESIGN INTERN
GOLSANA HESHMATI / FOUNDER
Golsana Heshmati is a designer with a diverse professional background that includes experience as an architect, lighting designer and an educator. She holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture and a Master’s Degree in Architectural Lighting from Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain.
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Golsana is a Professor of Design at Parsons School of Design , Pratt Institute School of Architecture and New York School of Interior Design.
Prior to founding Studio of Embodied Experience Design, Golsana has worked as an Associate and team leader at HLB Lighting Design, an Associate at Callison Architects in NYC, and a Designer at AGF in San Francisco and two prestigious design firms in Barcelona, Spain.
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She was selected as one of 40 under 40 top lighting design talents in 2017 and was also a recipient of design retail honor awards. Golsana currently serves as a member of illumination engineer society education committee and as a Jury member for international association of lighting designer’s awards program.
LINDSEY DIETER / DESIGN DIRECTOR
Lindsey Dieter is an interdisciplinary designer with an extensive body of work in lighting, interior and exhibition design projects. Trained as a contemporary ballet dancer, a fascination with movement and unwavering belief in the power of design to encourage physical engagement drive her creative work.
Prior to joining The SEED as Design Director and Project Manager, Lindsey was an Interior Design Lead and Active Design Researcher on the Sustainability Team at WeWork and a Lighting Designer and Project Manager at HLB Lighting Design. Her most recent highlights at The SEED include corporate amenity and wellness based projects, EQUINOX fitness clubs and high end single-family residences. She considers wellness in every aspect of her work and is currently completing her WELL Building Certification.
Lindsey received her Master of Fine Arts in Lighting and Interior Design from Parsons the New School for Design with Honors and was awarded the Double Major Graduate Thesis Prize. She was recently selected as one of 40 under 40 top lighting design talents in 2022 and has strong leadership, project management and communication skills and takes an energetic and resourceful approach to design challenges. Off the clock you can find her on the olympic weightlifting platform, racing bikes or with her hands in a bucket of plaster.
SIMON SCHADLER / DESIGNER
Simon Schadler is a designer with a fascination for interdisciplinary design and is passionate about pushing the boundaries of conventional design methods. Simon has a unique ability to pick up, utilize, and navigate design technology quickly and efficiently to create visualizations and custom design approaches. Aside from being the resident BIM master and custom 3D modeler, he specializes in custom chandelier/light fixture designs. Simon's design approach is informed by connections between architecture and natural entities by utilizing relationships of light, sound, and material, to create purposeful designs that explore human interactions.
Simon received his Bachelor's in Architectural Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He has previously worked as a casework designer for Hamilton Casework Solutions in Ohio and as a lighting designer at Buro Happold working on various scales of work.
Outside of design, Simon is a professional multi-musician who plays in New York and Cincinnati-based touring bands. He has played in black-box musicals, managed other bands, and produces audio and video for original solo musical content.
SARAH GENTILE / DESIGNER
Sarah Gentile holds a Master’s degree from the New York School of Interior Design and previously acquired a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Fordham University in New York. Her creativity and interest for interior design coupled with her understanding of human emotion and behavior helps her design spaces that aim to improve people’s quality of life. She is particularly in healthcare and hospitality design. Her passion for lighting developed during her studies at the New York School of Interior Design where she was exposed to the ability of architectural lighting design to completely transform the atmosphere of a space and enhance its architectural qualities.
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Sarah is an expert in interior lighting design, 3d modeling and lighting calculations. Her professional experience in Lighting Manufacturing informs her holistic approach to design and specifications, taking cost and lead time into consideration from the beginning of the design phase. Her project portfolio includes corporate workplaces, fitness studios, amenity spaces, residential and retail lighting.
CHELSEA KREIELSHEIMER / HEAD OF DESIGN
Chelsea is an interdisciplinary designer with a background in lighting, interior, and sustainable design. With a decade of experience, Chelsea has navigated the design, development, and production of large-scale lighting design projects across industries.
Much of her work has focused on environmental impact, where she has prioritized carbon reduction and human centered lighting design. She has earned both LEED AP ID+C and WELL AP certifications. In 2023, she was recognized as one of Light Collective's 40 under 40, which distinguishes individuals who stand out in their application of lighting in architecture.
Prior to joining The SEED, Chelsea was an Associate at Atelier Ten, Senior Associate Lighting Designer at WeWork, and earlier in her career, a Designer at Focus Lighting. Chelsea remains involved in multiple industry organizations including GreenLight Alliance, Women In Lighting Design, IES, and IALD. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Interior Design.
Outside of her work in architecture, Chelsea enjoys pottery, swimming, and cooking, as well as evening walks along the Brooklyn waterfront with her husband Mike and their dog Leo near their home in Williamsburg.
SABRINA AMHAMA - ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Sabrina Amhama studied and graduated in law at Paris Sud University, and with her love for the performing arts, moved to the bustling city of NYC in 2020. Originally from France, she radiates optimism, eager for new opportunities and exciting adventures.
Sabrina’s diverse background is a reflection of her curious mind and her enthusiasm to explore different paths in her career. Her role extends beyond administrative tasks and acts as an essential backbone in the lighting design process. She passionately supports the design team by carefully communicating with designers and clients and delivers a unique perspective on internal discussions. Sabrina is more than proud to contribute to the success of The SEED as she creates more opportunities for creative brilliance and unforgettable experiences.
Beyond her organizational duties, she is an ardent explorer of various artistic realms. Whether it's immersing herself in the rhythms of music or the decisive movements of boxing, she finds inspiration and happiness in diverse expressions of creativity. While singing has always been a lifelong passion rooted in raw talent, her experiences in the ring have taught her valuable lessons in discipline, perseverance, and the thrill of challenging oneself.
ZHENYU YE / DESIGNER
Zhenyu Ye’s Chinese heritage strongly influences her approach to lighting design. Her work is mesmerizing yet clear, and is executed with a high level of detail and precision. As a designer she is passionate about creating unique design styles by incorporating traditional Chinese aesthetics into design.
Fueled by a profound enthusiasm for art and design, Zhenyu Ye received her Masters in Architecture from the University of Southern California with a concentration in cultural and academic sectors. Throughout her architectural studies, she was not only exposed to art and design, she additionally trained her technical expertise skills for 2D graphic and 3D modeling. Zhenyu started her lighting career in 2014 specializing in daylighting and sustainable design. She is well-versed in different design software, including AI, Adobe Suite, and all things 3D modeling. She deeply understands how architecture and lighting design complement each other.
When Zhenyu isn't designing with The SEED from across the world she is also an illustrator and she enjoys recording life with paintbrush.
YULIYA DE LA CALLE / DESIGN COLLABORATOR + PM
Yuliya de la Calle is the founder and Lead Designer of Station 22, a bureau specializing in architectural lighting and daylighting design. Yuliya is an experienced and award-winning lighting designer with over 10 years of experience.
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Over her career, Yuliya has worked on more than 100 lighting and daylighting projects, including for large corporations such as IBM, Salesforce and Sixty Hotel, renowned art centers and fairs like the Venice Architectural Biennale, MoMA PS1 New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as for major public infrastructure such as the Seattle and San Francisco airports and the Lowline in New York. In September 2022, Station 22 started collaborating with Seed Lighting on the Newport Atlanta Residential Development and Field of Histories permanent installation in Toledo, Ohio.
Yuliya has a dual-master’s degree in Architecture and Lighting Design from Parsons the New School for Design, New York, and was a recipient of a fully-funded Dean’s scholarship. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Spatial Design from Samara State University. Yuliya is also a certified LEED AP.
Yuliya is an American citizen currently living in Paris, France, with her husband (Sergio), son (Alexandre) and an English bulldog (Rosco).
AAROHI MITTAL / DESIGN INTERN
Originally from New Delhi, Aarohi moved to New York in 2016 to pursue her passion for design. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, she holds a BFA in Interior Design (2020) and an MFA in Lighting Design (2024). She is deeply committed to creating spaces that are both engaging and purposeful.
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With the knowledge she gained in the interior design industry, Aarohi transitioned to lighting design, believing that light has a unique power to tell a story in a way no other design element can. It has the ability to transform environments, shape perceptions of space, and influence moods. For her, lighting isn’t just about illumination—it’s about creating an atmosphere, highlighting the beauty of architecture, and guiding people through a memorable experience.
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Aarohi finds inspiration in the natural world—the softness of a sunrise, the vibrancy and dramatism of a sunset, and the ever-changing phenomena of natural light. Having lived in New York for almost eight years, she is also inspired by the dynamic energy of the city, where the interplay between architecture and light is constantly evolving.
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Outside of the studio, Aarohi enjoys baking, swimming, dancing, exploring photography, and walking around New York, always seeking out new corners of the city to discover, and trying new cafes and restaurants.
