GOLSANA HESHMATI
FOUNDER
SABRINA AMHAMA
OPERATIONS MANAGER
YULIA DE LA CALLE
DESIGN COLLABORATOR / PM
CHELSEA KREIELSHEIMER
HEAD OF DESIGN
ANIRUDH ANAND
DESIGNER I
YALDA HESHMATI
HUMAN RESOURCES
SIMON SCHADLER
SENIOR DESIGNER / BIM MANAGER
XENA PETKANAS
DESIGN COLLABORATOR / PM
LEO KREIELSHEIMER
AMBIENT CONDITIONS SPECIALIST
Past Collaborators -Lindsey Dieter -Sarah Gentile -Aarohi Mittal -Yoni Remacka -Aida Miron -Ilo Tarrant -Quincy Drane -Sofia Marmuta -Nikitha Naredla -Naghmeh Hosseinzadeh -Barzin Noorzad -Gulnihal Yildiz -Renee Zhang -Ramyar Vala -Mani Khosrovani -Leela Shanker
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.
​
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.
​
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.
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.
SIMON SCHADLER / SENIOR DESIGNER + BIM MANAGER
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 multi-instrumentalist musician who plays in multiple NYC and Cincinnati-based touring bands. He is heavily involved in the local music scene of NYC and is passionate about fostering community through DIY music and art.
SABRINA AMHAMA / OPERATIONS MANAGER
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.
ANIRUDH ANAND / DESIGNER I
Anirudh (Ani) is an interdisciplinary designer, educator, and aspiring Architect. He recently graduated from the dual-degree Master of Architecture and MFA Lighting Design program with honors from the Parsons School of Design, where he now teaches a class on design representation.
Before starting his journey in lighting, Ani studied Architecture at Carnegie Mellon (CMU), and worked as an architectural designer at IN STUDIO (formerly Christoff:Finio). His experiences in theatrical design at CMU and his time working in architecture prompted him to expand his horizons with lighting design.
Inspired by his explorations of light in theater, art, and architecture, Ani strives to develop an interdisciplinary mode of practice that holistically incorporates light with architecture. He enjoys learning from disciplines outside design, drawing inspiration from his diverse interests in the arts, natural forms, history, science fiction, and cuisine. He enjoys making with his hands, and working with light as a medium.
XENA PETKANAS / DESIGN COLLABORATOR + PM
Xena Petkanas has joined The SEED as a senior project manager and collaborator, bringing over a decade of experience across architectural lighting, interiors, art, and spatial design. With a background in theatre lighting, her practice is grounded in atmosphere and narrative, informed by a deep understanding of how light shapes perception, sculpts form, and supports experience.
​
Her work spans a wide range of project types, with a particular focus on arts and cultural projects, collaborations with artists and exhibition designers, and daylighting-driven design. Past projects include the Rockefeller Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College, and installations at MoMA PS1. Across scales and contexts, her approach emphasizes the experiential and material qualities of light, balancing strong conceptual intent with technical rigor.
​
Xena holds MFAs in Interior Design and Lighting Design from Parsons School of Design, where she currently teaches a daylighting design studio. In 2025, she was selected as one of the global 40 Under 40 top lighting design talents. She previously spent eight years at Arup, contributing to a broad range of work, from complex, multidisciplinary projects to community-centered initiatives and sculptural installations.
​
In addition to her collaboration with The SEED, Xena is the founder and head of &Sun Studio, an architectural lighting design practice working across architecture, interiors, art, and spatial experience.
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.
​
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).
YALDA HESHMATI / HUMAN RESOURCES
Yalda Heshmati brings extensive expertise, leadership and knowledge to our team members. As a New York licensed educator with a masters in Cognitive Science and Language from University of Barcelona and ID/Autism from Columbia University, Yalda’s understanding of the support, policies and procedures required to foster a collaborative and cohesive environment are integral to our team.
LEO KREIELSHEIMER / AMBIENT CONDITIONS SPECIALIST
As SEED’s Ambient Conditions Specialist, Leo is responsible for maintaining optimal studio atmosphere across all projects and daily operations. With a keen sensitivity to shifts in energy, and mood, Leo ensures that the studio environment remains balanced, productive, and creatively charged.
Specializing in real-time environmental feedback, Leo conducts ongoing assessments of comfort, morale, and spatial dynamics, often identifying issues before they are perceptible to the human team. His work includes strategic placement within key zones of activity, passive observation during design reviews, and active engagement during moments requiring recalibration.
With a strong background in rest cycles, routine enforcement, and interpersonal connection, Leo brings a calming presence to the studio while supporting team wellbeing. His approach is intuitive, responsive, and rooted in the belief that great design begins with a well-tuned environment.
