On a bright spring day in Arizona, the late morning light streamed through the textured ceilings of a home Anita Lang affectionately calls The Onion Tower. It’s not just a residence — it’s the living embodiment of her design philosophy: layered, intentional, and soulfully expressive. Cameras were rolling as Anita sat with her team for a behind-the-scenes interview, reflecting on what defines true luxury. Mid-conversation, she paused, looked toward a beam of natural light casting across the stone floor, and said quietly but with conviction:
“Luxury isn’t about access. It’s about intention.”
That unscripted moment offered a rare glimpse into the depth of her process. Anita Lang—founder and principal of IMI Design and one of the most respected names in luxury interior design, based in Scottsdale, Arizona—has spent more than two decades helping high-net-worth clients reimagine the meaning of home. Her work is defined by aesthetics, emotional intelligence, wellness, and enduring craftsmanship.
For those seeking an interior designer who blends elevated style with deep intentionality, Lang’s approach offers something rare: spaces that are both visually exceptional and personally grounding.
This is more evident than in her alignment with biophilic design — an architectural and interior design philosophy that reconnects people to nature through space, light, and materiality. For Lang, biophilic design isn’t a passing movement. It’s a timeless principle rooted in wellness-driven design, emotional connection, and the art of living well.
What Biophilic Design Means
The term biophilia translates to “love of life.” Coined by psychologist Erich Fromm and later expanded by biologist Edward O. Wilson, the concept suggests that humans are not just drawn to nature — we are wired for it. At a neurological level, our bodies respond positively to natural elements: sunlight, water, expansive vistas, textured materials, and rhythmic, organic patterns. These aren’t just aesthetic preferences. They’re part of our biology.
Biophilic design channels this truth, not by filling a room with greenery but by crafting environments that feel alive. Spaces that change with the time of day, that shift in tone and temperature, that ground us, soften us, and allow us to exhale.
Incorporating biophilic principles into luxury interior design means moving beyond what we see and designing for what we sense: natural light diffused through woven textiles, the cool touch of stone underfoot in the morning, a ceiling that arcs like a canyon, the hush of thick plaster walls, and the glint of metal that warms as the day moves on.
A visitor might never name these details, but they are felt deeply by the body. They create what Anita Lang often refers to as subconscious harmony — a feeling that something just fits, even if you can’t explain why.
At IMI Design, this philosophy isn’t an overlay. It’s foundational. From site planning and architectural rhythm to the most intimate material selection, Lang’s work reflects a devotion to emotional wellness and sensory depth, all through the lens of high-end, Arizona interior design.
“Great design isn’t just about things,” Anita has said.
“It’s about the way a space makes you feel.”
Luxury That Feels Personal, Not Performed
Too often, luxury is mistaken for excess: oversized square footage, showpiece chandeliers, and high-gloss surfaces. But Anita Lang draws a distinct line between aesthetic opulence and intentional design. Luxury isn’t loud for her — it’s layered, personal, and deeply felt.
“Have you ever touched a surface and immediately felt its luxury?” she asks.
“Let me show you why.”
In her home, The Onion Tower, Anita gestures toward a bar wrapped in burnished metal—its surface soft to the eye and unexpectedly warm to the touch. It doesn’t demand attention; it invites curiosity. The same metal detail reappears, quietly, on the door to her bedroom. The gesture is subtle but deliberate.
“It’s those repeated gestures,” she explains, “that create subconscious harmony.”
This is what Anita means when she says luxury is felt. It’s not about shine or scale. It’s about how your hand moves across a material and feels its story — the patina, the weight, the care behind its selection. The warmth of that metal, the way it catches evening light, the sense of continuity it creates across the home — these are not accidents. They are the language of soulful, luxury interior design.
True luxury doesn’t always announce itself. Often, when you live in the space, brush your fingertips against a cool surface at night, or notice how one finish transitions into the next, you realize what’s been created is not just a beautiful room, but a deeply personal experience.
Biophilic Principles Reflected in IMI Design
While Anita Lang doesn’t adhere to any single design doctrine, her work is naturally aligned with the core principles of biophilic design — a framework developed by Yale social ecologist Stephen Kellert. These ideas aren’t formulas or rules, but intuitive guideposts that appear repeatedly in her work. They reflect a sensitivity to material, place, and presence, shaping how her clients experience luxury in deeply personal, embodied ways.
1. Environmental Features
Anita’s Paradise Valley home begins with limestone flooring — a deliberate choice over the porcelain trend.
“Even though there’s a porcelain craze right now, we chose to use limestone throughout the home,” she said. “If you look closely at it, it almost has lines you’d picture on a sandy desert floor.”
This material grounds the entire experience of the space.
“Living in a material that’s warm and comfortable… that’s where real luxury stems,” Anita shared. “It’s a deeper, soulful sophistication.”
2. Natural Shapes and Forms
In one guest bedroom, Anita integrated a tribal textile into the ceiling and brought in a local artist to paint a mural that echoed its flowing pattern.
“It softened the space and gave it this incredibly grounded, handcrafted feel.”
3. Natural Patterns and Processes
Anita intentionally selects materials that age gracefully—metal that patinas, plaster that softens, and finishes that carry the imprint of time.
4. Light and Space
“One of the most fascinating trickeries in design is the use of light,” Anita says.
She uses circadian lighting systems like Ketra to mirror the shifting tones of natural light throughout the day.
“It really supports well-being. We’re so affected by light — it has real biological effects on the body.”
5. Place-Based Relationships
“We wanted to connect to the vernacular of the Sonoran Desert,” Anita explained. “That meant pulling materials that reflect the topography and terrain.”
She does this with oak-plank ceilings, leathered limestone, and earth-toned finishes that mirror the surrounding landscape.
6. Evolved Human-Nature Relationships
“How do you want to feel in your space?” — This is the emotional anchor of every project. The answer becomes the blueprint for layout, material, light, and flow.
The Psychology of a Space
During that house shoot at The Onion Tower, Anita reflected:
“You don’t just use your home one way. Sometimes it should feel peaceful, other times it should feel energetic. Good design allows for both.”
For one client, it meant anchoring an office around a well-worn desk with generational meaning. For another, it meant earthy stone layered against a mineral wall finish, or balancing quiet, warm textures with dynamic architectural movement.
Her work is not just about how a space looks but also about how it feels and how it flexes with the lived rhythms of the people inside it.
Client Desires: Wellness, Meaning, and Style
Today’s luxury clients are no longer just asking for “beautiful spaces.” They’re asking for resonance. Restoration. Intention.
“We ask our clients: How do you want to live? What brings you peace, what energizes you?” Anita explains. “Because when you know that, you don’t just build a house — you build a life inside it.”
Among her clientele are those designing legacy homes for themselves and their children and grandchildren.
“True craftsmanship isn’t seen at first glance. It’s felt over a lifetime.”
These are homes that honor values, memories, and rituals and carry them forward with elegance.
Designing for the Spirit
Anita Lang’s work is rooted in the belief that interior design is a human experience, not just a visual one. Her process is strategic and spiritual — a blend of architecture, psychology, and poetic sensibility.
In a world where luxury often means visibility, Anita brings clients back to the invisible — the feeling of linen drapery in the breeze, the rhythm of natural light, the quiet certainty of stone beneath your feet.
For Lang and her team at IMI Design, biophilic design is not a trend. It’s an invitation to return to nature, to clarity, and to yourself.For those seeking a luxury interior designer who leads with emotional intelligence, natural beauty, and enduring artistry, Anita Lang offers more than design.
She offers a sense of home — and a sense of belonging.