The Atelier
Janan — painter, restorer, technician.
“What inspires me is the personality behind the bag I'm painting and their vision — and how to get their vision onto that bag and create a piece of art out of it.”
30+
Years of Artistic Practice
3000+
One-of-One Pieces Delivered
NY · DXB
Ateliers in New York & Dubai
01 — Origin
It started with a spilled espresso.
A close friend dropped an espresso on her pristine white Balenciaga. She was distraught. I told her to leave it with me.
I turned the stain into a geisha girl. I painted pink chrysanthemums around the bag. She wore it the next week, and three women stopped her to ask where it came from.
That was 2008. Janan Studio was born in that quiet hour at my desk.
In 2014, we launched the first painted Chanel at Harvey Nichols in London — at the time, nobody had ever seen a painted Chanel before. We sold out for six consecutive years.
Since then, the atelier has painted Hermès, Birkins, Kellys, Chanels, Balenciagas, leather jackets, denim jackets, walls, doors, dressers, marquetry panels, yacht interiors, and a car. A Hermès I painted for a Parisian client was sold at auction for €65,000 as a unique art piece.
I'm one of the original founders of this kind of work. I say this humbly. Many of the painters who came later began their careers writing initials on greeting cards. My background is in fine art — trompe l'œil, marquetry, restoration, furniture — and that's what I bring to every bag that comes through the door.
02 — Before the studio
Chicago. London. Cairo. Dubai.
Born in Chicago to Palestinian parents. Boarding school in London during the King's Road punk years.
At 22, an ad on a Washington DC highway sent her to the scaffolds of DC Artworks — first as a studio cleaner, then as assistant to muralist Byron Peck. She has been outdoors with a brush ever since.
Twenty years in Cairo followed — painting walls and ceilings for the city's most private clients, grinding her own pigments when shops carried none. The 2011 revolution moved the family to Dubai. The work followed.
There is a quieter argument for this work too: a commission is almost always more affordable than buying a new piece in the same house, and it gives a bag, a jacket or a wall a second life instead of a quiet retirement in a closet. The atelier is, by nature, a sustainable practice — luxury extended, not replaced.
"I care deeply about the planet. The rise of global temperature is a real concern — I wanted to raise awareness visually, with melting fauna and flora on a vintage carpet, symbolizing our beloved planet earth."
03 — While I'm at it
Most clients are pleasantly surprised.
While a piece is in the studio, I'll also fix what I see — a soft corner, a scuff along the edge, a fading hardware finish. Most clients send me a bag they think is ruined and receive a restored, painted heirloom in return. The painting is the headline, but the repair is part of the work.
Individuality
A piece for one person, never to be repeated.
Storytelling
Each painting carries the owner's history, not the artist's signature.
Craft
Trained over decades. Repaired where damaged. Made to last.
Beauty
Because surroundings should reflect their owner.
Timeline
Three decades between New York and Dubai.
1996 → today. The work, in a line.
1990's
Paris · LVMH
Master painter for Louis Vuitton
Years inside the Louis Vuitton ateliers — painting, restoration, and the discipline that still shapes the work today.
2008
Dubai
The first painted bag
A coffee stain becomes a geisha. The atelier is born.
2014
Harvey Nichols · London
First painted Chanel at Harvey Nichols
Nobody had seen a painted Chanel. Sold out six years running.
2018
Paris
Hermès sold at auction for €65,000
A painted Hermès. The hammer falls at €65,000.
2024
New York
New York atelier opens
A second atelier opens. Two cities, one hand.
04 — Two homes
Between New York and Dubai.
Dubai is the working studio — the long-form commissions, the marquetry, the wall work, the painted furniture. Shipping in and out is straightforward; clients across the MENA region are seen here often.
New York is the second atelier — quicker turnarounds, more leather goods, more in-person consultations. Pickup and delivery are handled directly across the city.