Jenna Kessaram

Project Designer

Jenna joined The Brooklyn Studio in the spring of 2023. She earned her Master of Architecture from Pratt Institute in 2021, and spent two years working closely with the Long Island Railroad and other government agencies on various infrastructural projects.

Prior to her career in architecture, Jenna earned her Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, where she lived and worked for several years before moving to New York to pursue a career in the publishing industry. In her spare time, Jenna enjoys exploring upstate New York, hunting for vintage furniture, and exploring the city’s restaurant scene.

The Proust Questionnaire

Taking inspiration from a popular nineteenth-century parlor game, we sat down with each member of our team and asked them a few questions about their inspirations and aspirations.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Sitting beside a body of water on a sunny day with a loved one, a bottle of wine, and a charcuterie board.

What is your greatest fear?

Cockroaches. Less existential than a fear of death, but much more pervasive than you’d think.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Buying a vast and expensive assortment of cheeses. (See question 1.)

What talent would you most like to have?

The ability to speak all the Romance languages flawlessly.

What is your favorite color?

Certain shades of green (forest, chartreuse, sage).

What is your favorite virtue?

Diligence.

Which living architect or designer do you most admire?

Renzo Piano.

Which dead architect or designer do you most admire?

Louis Kahn and Carlo Scarpa.

What is the trait that you most appreciate in a building?

Surprising and thoughtful transitions into new spaces. And attention to detail of course.

What is your favorite type of project to work on?

One with history, and creative challenges that can become opportunities.

Who is your favorite author?

Kingsley Amis.

Who is your hero of fiction?

Cassandra Mortmain.

Who is your favorite artist?

John Singer Sargent.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Jane Jacobs.

What is your most treasured possession?

My Bose headphones.

Where would you like to live?

If not New York, a utopian mixture of London, Paris (for the access to cheese and wine, see above) and Mexico City (for the affordability).

What quality do you most admire in others?

Sense of humor.

Stranded on a desert island, you have two books in your possession. What are they?

Infinite Jest (maybe with infinite time I’ll finally finish it) and Battlefield Earth (for kindling)