Who we are

At Studio Ovo, authenticity is at the core of our mission. We prioritize integrity in all aspects of our work, from our relationships with clients to executing their unique visions. We believe in the raw beauty of natural materials and celebrate the way they age and patina over time. We embrace modern design that is warm, tactile, experiential, and non-toxic. As a woman-owned architectural firm, our design practice is inclusive, approachable, and always centered on creating spaces that are both stunning and functional. We are passionate about making the process of designing and building easy, enjoyable, and deeply personal for each client, ensuring that the end result feels genuinely theirs.

  • Founder / Design Principal

    Caroline Nassif is the founding architect at Studio Ovo. An Egyptian American with over 19 years of experience in the San Francisco Bay Area, Caroline began her career designing student and multi-family affordable housing at Pyatok Architects in Oakland. She then spent a transformative decade at Lundberg Design under Olle Lundberg, leading award-winning projects across various sectors, including single-family homes, restaurants, office remodels, wineries, and spas.

    Caroline’s approach to design is shaped by curiosity, empathy, and highly attuned listening skills, attributes rooted in both her professional journey and personal story. Her family immigrated from Cairo to Houston when she was nine, requiring her to navigate an unfamiliar culture and often create ways to make herself understood.

    Starting a new architectural project — from permits and budgets to understanding drawings — can feel like stepping into a foreign world for many clients. Caroline is dedicated to demystifying the design process, creating a shared language, and collaborating closely to bring her client's visions to life.

    A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin’s five-year Bachelor of Architecture program, Caroline also holds a dual B.A. in the Plan II Liberal Arts Honors program. She is a licensed architect in California, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects. Outside of her practice, Caroline enjoys knitting, watercolor, playing the ukulele, cooking with her toddler, and exploring San Francisco on urban hikes while listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

  • Studio Director / Project Manager

    Misa brings 9 years of experience managing high-end residential, restaurant, and retail projects, beginning at Swatt + Partners (formerly Swatt Miers Architects) and most recently at Lundberg Design, where she met Caroline. Her passion is in managing complexity in support of beauty. To Misa, design involves a constant interplay of detail and vision, carefully wading through a labyrinth of considerations and problem-solving exercises without losing the central idea, all while ensuring her clients have a trustworthy and compassionate guide to help them through the process. 

    Misa earned her B.A. in Japanese from Dartmouth College, where she spent two summers abroad immersing herself in the language and culture of her heritage. During this period of reconnecting with her roots she fell in love with the modular simplicity and connection to nature that is central to traditional Japanese architecture. This influence, combined with an upbringing steeped in creativity thanks to her artist mother and a deep love of math and spreadsheets, eventually led her to the Architecture program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco where she could pursue the perfect fusion of the technical and the aesthetic. 

    When she is not at her desk, she can be found chasing around her two children, teaching herself how to garden, or dreaming of long hikes through the redwoods.

What we stand for

We embrace modern design that is warm, tactile, experiential, and non-toxic. We celebrate the natural beauty of materials and honor how they age and patina over time. We are committed to architecture that is deeply PERSONAL, genuinely APPROACHABLE, and always ACHIEVABLE.