Chai Style Home: Chef Brings in Light with Spiraling Modern Drama

Modeling the Guggenheim Museum where spacious rooms of soaked white curves and angles serve as a backdrop for edgy art, chef Nadia Deljou feels “an elegant sense of comfort, togetherness, and warmth — where family and friends instantly feel at ease and connected” in her Sandy Springs home.

Crisp white and timeless ecru lends a certain stillness alongside unchartered Zen both indoors and out. To add to the layering, Nadia turned to her Persian-born parents, art maven Kamy and Roya Deljou, to make creative decisions. “Our lifestyle has always been about teamwork. Each of us bring our own talents and love into the equation, and together we make the best of what we can. We all share a creative side, though in different ways — some more visual, others more emotional, the rest more rooted in compassion and experience.”

Marcia: So, how was this a family affair?
Nadia: When it came to design and finishes, we all pitched in. My dad was more focused on the actual execution of the vision, while my mom and I leaned into the selection process — furniture, finishes, colors, and the details that bring everything to life. In the end, it was a really enjoyable project that borrowed from all of our tastes and strengths. There’s a piece of everyone in this home and that feels really special.

Marcia: What did you like about the house to draw you away from the Beltline buzz vs. this suburban feel? 
Nadia: The moment I walked in, I understood Kamy’s encouraging push to always seek bigger and better — the house felt like the perfect place for the next chapter of my life. I gravitated toward the open space, the natural light, the layout. The house is modern, like my childhood home, the house my parents still live in. It feels naturally artistic in architecture, something I’ve learned to value as the daughter of an artist.

Marcia: You have a full commercial kitchen downstairs and this kitchen on the main level. How does your culinary business fit in?
Nadia: I recently shifted the core of my business, focusing mostly on R&D at home, while all the cooking takes place at a commercial location, Bistro at River Ridge, or client’s homes. This way, I can keep my business and living space separate, which gives me peace of mind. I cook at clients’ homes, providing either weekly meal prep, or curating multi-course dining experiences for their guests. We focus on Middle Eastern flavor profiles and emphasize vegetable-forward cooking. A popular feature is “Carrot 3 Ways,” with curry brown butter, chilies and herbs, or our steak with celeriac and black garlic puree, and sumac demi-glace. My personal kitchen upstairs on the main level is for personal cooking and family enjoyment.

Marcia: The bones of that kitchen?
Nadia: My sister, Tallia’s, in-law’s own a stone company, Luxor Tile and Stone. For the countertops, including the exquisite waterfall with the countertop and backsplash, we had them fabricate a gorgeous piece. The cabinets were already in such great shape that we didn’t want to replace them.
Dad knew an incredible cabinetry finisher, whom we hired to repaint the cabinets to give them a more modern look, and my color vision turned out perfect! For the light fixture over the island, we had to rig a special device to position the centerpiece light properly, since it was slightly off-center. My dad is great with things that require a challenge and putting things together to create a full vision.

Marcia In addition to natural lighting?
Nadia: In my opinion, the best lighting, aside from the kitchen countertop, is what we did in the powder room. By using an onyx stone and under-lighting the unit, it creates a soft, cozy, and even romantic atmosphere, especially against the dramatic black walls.

Marcia: And the art?    
Nadia: We got to hand select a few art pieces from Deljou Art Group, most of them are figures, or faces of women — the main piece in the dining room is an abstract wide piece of women riding horses on resin. One of my favorites is the shadow box piece of a woman’s profile, the detail in her eyelashes is amazing.

Marcia: The furniture pulls it all together.
Nadia: My color palette is neutral, whites, blush pinks, golds, soft taupe, browns. The floor is bleached pine which lifts the lighting and makes it feel cozy and bright. We curated a lot of the furniture from Roche Bobois and Cantoni, Arhaus for the dining room, Horizon Home and Direct Furniture for bedding.

Marcia: Describe the primary bedroom.
Nadia: We completely redid the vanities, mirrors, light fixtures, and other details. There was also a small window to the outside. My dad, our architect, Alex Munoz, and my cousin, Micheal, with Emanuel Property, came up with a plan to turn the window by the bed into a door! We then built a beautiful deck outside, complete with a spiral staircase under my cousin’s supervision that leads you right down into the backyard. Here we can sunbathe, grill, or read on the balcony

Marcia: So, there are various outdoor venues off the different levels?
Nadia: We have multiple porches, the main one next to the kitchen has a raised bed garden where we planted fresh herbs and flowers, and a nice couch we use to enjoy the beautiful weather. The one off the master is used for access to the backyard, and the one off the main entrance of the house, I like to enjoy with guests when we host dinner parties for family and friends as it’s right next to the dining room.

Marcia: So, what’s next for you?
Nadia: Writing a cookbook and coming up with more recipes to highlight my unending love for carrots.