Get To Know Brisbane’s It Girl Of Interior Design
It's Sophia's world
Who is Sophia Klemenz-Ghanem? A mother, interior designer, business owner, wife, globe-trotter, and self-confessed fashion fanatic using her unique vision to craft beautiful spaces around Brisbane.
For most kids, living in a hotel is the stuff of dreams, but for Sophia, it was simply her reality. Born into a hotelier family, child to a Swiss father and Malaysian mother, she spent her childhood constantly moving between cities and hotels across the globe – Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Seoul, Yogyakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Jakarta, and Cairo. It’s no surprise then, when she says, “I can make anywhere feel like home.”
Sophia at Klemenza, James St
Indeed, she can. With a remarkable ability to transform spaces and infuse warmth and character into a room, Sophia’s diverse upbringing has not only shaped her adaptable personality, but also given her a global perspective that continues to influence her work today.
Sophia credits her unconventional childhood and her parent’s influence for guiding her toward a career in interior design. Reflecting on her father, Sophia says, “He was a humble and meticulous man with very high standards,” and it’s clear that his values were instilled in her from an early age. “My father always told us that the life we were living was not real life. He came from a very different upbringing in Zurich and wanted us to understand that for most people, reality looked very different.” This exposure to the world, paired with her father’s disciplined approach, fostered an eye for detail and a passion for quality that has become the cornerstone of Sophia’s work.
After gaining experience working for TV personalities in the design industry in Toronto and London, followed by an internship taking her back to her hotelier roots, she found herself in Brisbane working for a respected furniture company, which eventually led her to open her own business, Klemenza. A resident of the James St precinct, the retail shop and full-service interior design agency is an expression of Sophia’s essence – bold yet refined, creative, and a myriad of cultural influences.
Sophia at Hideki, Burnett Lane
Klemenza was born at a pivotal moment in Sophia’s life. Back in 2018, as a first-time mum, she sought a career that aligned with her new priorities while fulfilling a lifelong dream: creating a store reminiscent of the boutiques she had fallen in love with during her childhood in Southeast Asia. She also credits her mother’s interior design and furniture store in Cairo as a major source of inspiration, giving her early insights into running a business.
“I love sourcing and I believe that shopping should be a full sensory experience – from the visual to the olfactory, and of course the customer service,” she explains. “People remember how they felt and I think that’s really important.”
With a rich portfolio of projects under her belt, it’s Sophia’s latest undertaking, Hideki, that she’s most proud of. A Japanese-inspired yakitori bar tucked away in the CBD’s Burnett Lane, Hideki is the brainchild of Ghanem Group’s Wasim Ghanem – a well-known Brisbane restaurateur and Sophia’s husband. The project holds special meaning for several reasons. Firstly, the trust that Sophia felt was instilled in her throughout the process; secondly, her involvement from start to finish, from helping find the location to choosing the paint colour; and finally, the significance of Japan to the couple, where Wasim proposed to her.
Hideki, Burnett Lane
The result is a labour of love – a space that has been curated with the utmost care and precision. The restaurant is undeniably atmospheric and moody – a stark contrast to its urban surroundings, inviting guests to come in and escape from reality for a while. Hidden away down one of the city’s laneways, finding it is part of the fun.
For the interiors, “It was a combination of customisation and vintage sourcing,” Sophia says. “I’m most excited about the vintage artwork we sourced in our recent trip to Japan.”
A standout feature of Hideki is how seamlessly light and texture are woven together, creating a balanced atmosphere that enhances the ambiance. Sophia’s expertise in understanding lighting is evident, particularly in the striking lightbox positioned above the bar and reflective finishes layered over a monochromatic palette, which work together to craft an intimate and immersive atmosphere.
Hideki, Burnett Lane
“It’s like entering another world,” she says of the space.
With Hideki now officially open, the couple are gearing up to unveil its sibling location on James St, also named Hideki. The new venture will have a lighter, alfresco feel, serving as a bright counterpart to Burnett Lane’s moody charm. Set to open later this month, if there’s one thing we know about Sophia, it’s that everything she touches turns to gold.
