Daniela Gagliano'

Co-Founder @ ATELIER&STORIES | Visionary Entrepreneur | Luxury Interior Design | F1 Driver Husband 🏎

I help organizations transform from generic spaces into strategic cultural assets that attract talent, strengthen brand perception, and deliver measurable business impact.

Most companies invest heavily in real estate yet overlook the one factor that directly influences retention, recruitment, and loyalty. Cultural coherence.
Art is often treated as decoration. The result is expensive spaces that feel interchangeable, say nothing, and give people no reason to stay.

This is the gap I work in.

I’m the founder of Atelier / Stories, a strategic art and cultural advisory studio based in Dubai, working globally across the UAE, Europe, and the US. I partner with leadership teams, real estate decision-makers, and brand owners to design environments that function as competitive infrastructure, not visual noise.

My work sits at the intersection of culture, strategy, and space.
Not aesthetics for aesthetics’ sake, but intentional choices aligned with business goals.

What I do
• Strategic art advisory tied to talent, brand, and positioning
• Collection development with international artists and collectible designers
• Cultural programming that keeps spaces alive and relevant
• Brand and spatial alignment so environments reinforce identity
• Market intelligence on emerging artists, trends, and positioning

I work with:
• Luxury hospitality and premium real estate
• Private banks, family offices, and client-facing institutions
• Consulting, professional services, and tech environments competing for talent
• Developers positioning Class-A assets for discerning tenants

After 15+ years across luxury, design, and cultural advisory, I saw a pattern. Strategy was handled seriously. Culture wasn’t. So I built what didn’t exist. A practice that applies strategic rigor to cultural decisions, where space is treated as leadership signal and long-term value driver.

Culture is not what companies say.
It’s what people feel when they walk through the door.

If you’re planning a new HQ, flagship office, or major renovation, losing talent despite competitive compensation, or ready to treat culture as infrastructure rather than decoration, we should talk.

📧 daniela@atelierandstories.com

🌍 Dubai . Global Practice

I share weekly perspectives on culture and modern leadership.

Founder

Bespoke business advisory for creative organisations.

Unpopular opinion: Most office art is quietly killing productivity.



I see many companies treat art as decor. Filler space. A safe abstract print that says nothing and means nothing.

But walls speak.

They shape how people feel, think, and work in a space far more than we admit.


3 ways I use art as a workplace strategy:


1️⃣ Art for creative thinking

Art can nudge teams out of autopilot.
Not loud pieces, but works with tension, contrast, or open narratives.

In strategy rooms I like:
→ Works with unexpected materials
→ Strong forms, not passive backgrounds
→ Pieces that invite a second look

People start to read, compare, connect.
Problem-solving rises in the same space where perception is active.

2️⃣ Art as identity

Walls tell people who the company is.
They also tell employees if they are part of the story.

I work with:
→ Art that reflects local culture or city
→ Pieces aligned with brand values, not logos
→ Commissions that include narratives from the team

When people see their place, their landscape, their histories, performance is not abstract. It feels personal.

3️⃣ Art as a social connection

Art can be a neutral meeting point.
A reason to pause with a colleague, not only pass in the corridor.

I use:
→ Works placed in shared zones, not hidden in boardrooms
→ Pieces with layered meaning that invite conversation
→ Rotating displays that keep curiosity alive

Over time, those short exchanges become trust, then collaboration.

I am Daniela Gagliano'. I curate art and collectible design for brands and workplaces that see culture as strategy, not decor.


What is one wall in your office you would change first if you treated art as a cultural tool, not a backdrop?


#ArtInTheWorkplace #WorkplaceCulture #Productivity #Creativity #Teamwork #Inspiration

Strategic Cultural Advisor | Turning Art Into Competitive Advantage for Global Founders | Fashion • Luxury Hospitality • Financial Services • Real Estate | Dubai - Europe - USA

The Worst Possible Message Is “We Didn’t Think”


Here’s what I noticed many founders miss.

Space is not neutral.
It’s always communicating something.

So if you want your environment to work for you, not against you, start here.

Step 1. Decide the feeling first
Before furniture.
Before art.
Before layouts.

Ask one question.
How should people feel the moment they walk in?

Calm.
Confident.
Challenged.
Seen.

If you can’t name the feeling, your space will default to “safe”.

Step 2. Curate, don’t decorate
Decoration fills space.
Curation tells a story.

Every piece should earn its place.
If it doesn’t say something about your values, your culture, or how you think, it doesn’t belong.

Luxury brands do this instinctively.
That’s why their spaces feel intentional, not expensive.

Step 3. Remove what says nothing
Silence is better than noise.

Generic art.
Leftover walls.
Objects chosen to “match”.

These are not neutral.
They quietly say, “We didn’t think.”

One final question to sit with.

If your space could speak today,
What would it say about how you lead?

From the outside, entrepreneurship looks like freedom and growth.


But behind that image there's a different reality.

The real journey, at least the way I live it, looks more like this:

▶️ Feeling doubt inside while showing calm to teams and clients.

▶️ Fixing problems before they even show up.

▶️ Balancing long-term goals with cash flow, deadlines, and market ups and downs.

▶️ Taking care of people and partners, even when the way forward isn’t clear.

And what “success” often hides:

✅ The effort to keep standards high when it would be easier to say yes to everything.

✅ The private conversations with yourself when you turn down money or opportunities that don’t fit.

✅ The personal cost in time, rest, and attention that no one sees.

✅ The mental load of leading through changing markets, trends, and complicated situations.

Building a business, a practice, or a brand changes you.

It teaches you how to make better decisions.
 
It teaches you how to choose what to say yes to.

It teaches you how to rebuild systems, offers, and even yourself, again and again.

Real growth doesn’t come from the moments everyone notices.

It comes from the unseen work.

From setting boundaries.

From showing up consistently.

From keeping discipline when no one is watching.

What’s one principle you are using to lead your business with more focus and less noise?


I’m Daniela Gagliano'. I work with CEOs, designers, collectors, and luxury and hospitality brands, curating art and collectible design and shaping emotionally resonant brands that are memorable, well positioned, and built for long-term growth.

We live in a world obsessed with usefulness.


But what if beauty is useful?

The way a space, an object, or a moment makes us feel—calm, inspired, alive—that’s data too. 

It tells us who we are and how we want to move through the world.

What’s one beautiful thing in your life that doesn’t “do” anything… but changes how you feel every single day?

Everyone loves to talk about growth.


More clients. More projects. More.

But the most memorable collections and businesses are rarely created by those who chase every shiny object. 

They're shaped by people who know what to say no to.

When you walk into a truly remarkable collection, you don't think, "This person must have bought everything they saw." You notice the intention, the story, the restraint.

Great collectors are editors. So are the best entrepreneurs, designers, and architects. 

They obsess over alignment. 

They choose what matters, and they let go of what doesn't, even when it's lucrative or tempting.

I've watched top clients make tough calls. 

Turning down a high-profile collaboration when the ethos isn't right. 

Letting go of business opportunities that would bring short-term wins but dilute the long-term legacy.

It's not always easy, especially in fast-paced markets like today where new opportunities are everywhere, and the pressure to say yes is intense.

But legacy is never built on a pile of almost-rights.

Legacy is built when you make hundreds of hard choices and edit relentlessly. 

You leave out the noise. 

You make space for the pieces, the collaborations, and the ideas that carry real meaning.

Every 'yes' consumes resources, time, energy, focus. 

Every 'no' creates clarity.

The best architects I know would rather leave a space empty than fill it just to check a box. 

The most discerning collectors would rather wait a year for the right piece than settle for something that doesn't tell their story.

This mindset doesn't just protect your standards. 

It defines them. 

It shows the world (and your future self) what you stand for.

So, if you're building a collection, a business, or even a legacy, try this

Make a not-to-do list. Sharpen your vision. Cut the almosts.

Ask yourself: If I had to remove one thing right now – one project, one acquisition, one obligation – to get closer to what I want to be known for, what would it be?


I’m Daniela Gagliano'. I am an art and collectible design curator, helping people choose beauty that feels personal, instinctive, and deeply their own.

Co-Founder @ Atelier / Stories | Art & Collectible Design Strategist | Curating art, collectible design and brand narratives | Advisor to designers, collectors and hospitality brands | Dubai • Italy • Europe • USA

I see a pattern in the way we speak about our lives.


We wait.
For a sign.
For approval.
For a title.

But nobody is coming to approve your life.

In art and design, clients sometimes ask me
If a choice is “allowed”.

Can I mix these works
in one room.
In one collection.
In one story.

My answer is always the same:

You decide.
You live with it.
You carry the feeling.

Life works in a similar way.

Good things do not come to those who wait.
Good things come to those who act with intention.

The turning points in my own path did not arrive with full clarity.

Moving between continents.
Starting ATELIER/STORIES 
Choosing work that felt aligned, not safe.

No one sent a letter that said:
“Approved. You are ready now.”

I had to give myself permission first.

Here is what I see in people who move forward:

→ They accept imperfect timing
→ They act before they feel fully ready
→ They trust they will adjust in motion

The life you want sits on the other side of the permission you give yourself to live it.

Not from a partner.
Not from a boss.
Not from the market.

From you.

What is one decision you would make today if you stopped waiting for external approval and started trusting your inner voice?


 I am Daniela Gagliano'. I work with CEOs, designers, collectors, luxury and hospitality brands, curating art and collectible design and helping build a memorable and emotionally resonant brand that strengthens positioning, drives long-term value, and supports sustainable growth.

I have been reading about how unplugging became luxury’s most valuable currency in 2025. Now we are in 2026.


Is this here to stay, or is it already changing shape?

What interests me is not the trend.

It is the desire behind it.

When we say we want to go offline, what are we really asking for?

I do not think we are tired of being online.

I think we are tired of how our attention is handled.

Everything is designed to guide us.

To measure us.

To decide what we should see and want next.

That is the exhaustion.

We are not looking for less connection.

We are looking for connection that feels free.

Not tracked.

Not packaged.

Not turned into content moments later.

You can see this clearly in the art world.

More spaces are creating experiences that resist the screen.

Moments that lose their power once photographed.

Interactions that only exist if you are fully there.

Presence becomes essential again.

Not optional.

Still, one question stays with me.

Are we going offline to touch something real?

Or are we simply practising a new kind of scarcity?

Because if being unreachable becomes the new status symbol, nothing truly changes.

The stage shifts, but the performance stays the same.

So I am curious.

Are we genuinely seeking presence or just rewriting the rules of status?


I am Daniela Gagliano'. I am an art and collectible design curator, helping people choose beauty that feels personal, instinctive, and deeply their own.

A few things I have learned along the way about using social media.


1. I stopped chasing trends and trying to understand the algorithm. I think about myself first. What feels right, what feels true, and what actually reflects my work.

2. I share when I feel ready, even if it feels a bit exposed. Everyone has their own story. When I share mine honestly, it naturally attracts the right people.

3. I go offline often to reset. That is where my creativity comes from. From being alone, travelling, looking at art, and giving myself space to think.

4. I keep my content focused. I talk about things I genuinely care about and live every day, and I come back to them consistently.

5. I choose real connections over numbers. For me, social media is not about followers. It is about meaningful conversations and long-term relationships.



What has been your biggest shift in how you use social media over the last years?


I am Daniela Gagliano'. I work with designers, collectors, luxury and hospitality brands, curating art and collectible design and helping build memorable and emotionally resonant brands that strengthen positioning, drive value, and support sustainable growth.

Culture moves so fast now, it's almost impossible to keep up.


By the time you notice a trend, it's already fading.
By the time you react, you're behind.
By the time you adapt, something new is here.

This is the pace we're all operating at.

But maybe we're asking the wrong question.

Cultural relevance isn't about speed.

It's not about catching every wave or responding to every moment.

It's about being meaningfully present in the conversations that actually shape how people live and think.

Real relevance comes from engaging with your time with intention and clarity.

Not by being first.
Not by being loud.
But by knowing what truly matters right now.

The work that lasts doesn't chase every shift.
It ignores the noise and focuses on what really changes how we see the world.

Most cultural moments don't require our participation.
They need our discernment.

The real skill isn't staying current.
It's knowing which moments deserve your energy and which ones you can let pass by.


What's one cultural conversation you're choosing to engage with right now? And what's one you're intentionally letting go?


I am Daniela Gagliano'. I am an art and collectible design curator, helping people choose beauty that feels personal, instinctive, and deeply their own.

If you invest millions in branding but ignore your spaces, you’re missing the real leadership asset. Space is strategy now.


When I enter a company space, I see a story about power, care, and taste.
Long before I see any strategy deck.

Today leadership and space feel very close.
Almost the same language.

Old leadership:
→ corner offices, closed doors, heavy desks
→ art as decoration, not as voice
→ long corridors, no place to pause

New leadership:
→ shared light, shared views, shared tables
→ art as conversation, not wallpaper
→ clear paths for focus, rest, and real exchange

Design is never neutral.
Layout is policy.
Art is a sentence about who belongs there.

When I walk into a headquarters or a hotel, I ask three simple questions.

1️⃣ How does the space speak about power

Where is the best light.
Who sits near the windows.
Who has the soft chairs and who stands.

Small details show a lot.

→ A leader's desk on a stage says, 'Watch me.'
→ A leader sitting in the circle says, 'Join me.'

2️⃣ How does the space hold emotion

We talk about kind leadership.
Then create rooms with no colour, no texture, no place to breathe.

I look for:
→ one quiet chair in a busy floor
→ one table that invites long talk, not fast talk
→ one work of art that holds a feeling, not a logo

3️⃣ How does the space invite culture to grow

Culture is not words on glass.
Culture lives in daily routes.

Where do people walk first in the morning.
Where do they meet by choice, not by order.
Where do they go when they need courage.

In the Gulf, I see huge investment in surfaces.
Marble, steel, glass.
Strong symbols of success.

I am more interested in the second layer.
How design, art, and order of rooms support:

→ listening instead of noise
→ presence instead of rush
→ dignity instead of status games

For me, modern leadership is a form of curation.

You curate:
→ who and what enters the space
→ where attention rests
→ which stories stay visible over time

Not only how you lead in meetings.
How you host through design.

Ask yourself as a leader:
If someone walked through your office with no context, only looking at light, art, and how people move, what kind of leadership would they think you practice?


I am Daniela Gagliano'. I work with designers, collectors, luxury and hospitality brands, curating art and collectible design and helping build a memorable and emotionally resonant brand that strengthens positioning, drives long-term value, and supports sustainable growth.

Years ago, Martin Parr decided to photograph things most people ignored.


Plastic chairs. Bad food. Tourists. Sunburnt skin. Cheap souvenirs.

What many called ordinary, even ugly, he turned into cultural evidence.

He didn’t chase beauty.
He questioned it.

And that choice made him one of the most influential photographers of our time.

Here are 9 principles behind why his work still matters today:

1. The ordinary is never neutral
What we dismiss as banal often says the most about who we are.

2. Point of view beats perfection
Technical beauty fades. A sharp perspective stays.

3. Culture lives in details, not statements
Consumption, habits, rituals. That’s where truth hides.

4. Irony can be a form of care
Observing without judgement can still be deeply human.

5. Consistency builds authority
Same curiosity. Same lens on the world. Over decades.

6. Discomfort creates memory
If the work feels too easy, it’s probably forgettable.

7. Documentation is power
Recording reality is also shaping how history will be read.

8. Style is a byproduct of obsession
Saturated colours weren’t a trend. They were a consequence.

9. Relevance comes from honesty, not approval
Parr was criticized before he was celebrated.


In a world obsessed with polish, the real edge is attention.

Attention to what others overlook.

Attention to what feels too small to matter.

That’s not just photography.

That’s strategy.

That’s branding.

That’s leadership.

What does leadership look like when attention becomes the differentiator?

Last week we closed a large art deal.
It felt great—and also strangely uncomfortable.

Not because the collector was wrong.
Not because the works were wrong.

Because in business today, speed is the default.
In art, depth is the job.

Those two do not always play nice.

I see this in brand deals too.

Quick call.
Nice deck.
Verbal yes.
Contract same week.

Done.
Everyone happy.
Targets smile.

But under the surface, some deals are thin:

• No clear reason why this artist, not any artist
• No link between brand story and the work on the wall
• No shared language for success in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years

Fast win.
Weak root.

In the art world, that danger is high.

Culture moves fast now.
New fairs.
New spaces.
New “must have” names.

Brands feel the rush:
“We need an activation.”
“We need art in the lobby.”
“We need a cool collaboration before the season starts.”

Speed helps the numbers.
Speed kills the narrative.

Here is how I try to stay sane in fast sales cycles:

1/ I slow the questions, not the deal

The timeline can move fast.
My questions move slow.

I ask:
Why now?
Why this artist?
Why this space?

I ask again later, in other words.
If the answer changes each time, I know we are not ready.

2/ I sell the long Tuesday, not the launch night

I do not talk only about opening photos.

I talk about:
How the space feels at 7am when staff walk in
How a collector feels on a quiet day at home
How a guest remembers the lobby one year later

When a client starts to see that picture, the deal shifts.
We move from “nice art” to “living story.”

3/ I protect “no” as much as “yes”

In a fast world, “yes” is easy.
“Yes, we can do it.”
“Yes, we can meet the date.”

I use “no” as a tool:

No, this name does not fit your values.
No, this space does not need more pieces.
No, this project is not a real cultural partnership.

I lose some deals short term.
I gain trust long term.

Because true business relations in art are not one-season.
They live across collections, spaces, cities, even roles.

People move.
Budgets move.
Markets move.

The one thing that stays is how you made someone feel in the process.

Seen or pushed.
Advised or sold to.
Guided or rushed.

Fast forward a few years:

The partners who come back to me say one line again and again:
“You slowed us down in the right place.”

Not in signing.
In thinking.

That is where I want my work to sit.

Fast on paper.
Slow in intention.

In your world, how do you keep sales strong while you still protect depth in the relationship?

I am Daniela. I work with designers, collectors, luxury and hospitality brands, curating art and collectible design and helping build a memorable and emotionally resonant brand that strengthens positioning, drives long-term value, and supports sustainable growth.

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Treat 2026 like a blank gallery.
What do you dare to hang on its walls?

I think about this a lot.

A new year is not only a book with 365 blank pages.
It is also a white room.
Silent. Empty. Waiting.

You can fill it with:

→ loud trends and quick wins
→ or slow work that feels like you

In my world, a bad exhibition is easy.
Add many pieces. Many names. Many statements.

A good one is different.
Few works. Strong dialogue. Clear point of view.

Life works in the same way.

For 2026, I am less interested in more.
I care about:

1. Fewer projects with deeper cultural meaning
2. Partnerships that shape legacy, not only visibility
3. Spaces that feel honest about where they come from and where they want to go

When I curate a collection, I ask:

→ What belongs together
→ What needs space to breathe
→ What is beautiful, but not right for this story

I am asking the same for my time, work, and attention next year.

Because our days are also pieces.
They will either become decoration.
Or they will become a body of work.

I am Daniela Gagliano. I curate art, collectible design, and narratives for people and brands who care about what stays.

For your own blank gallery of 2026, what will you remove so what matters can finally take the wall?



I am Daniela Gagliano'. I work with designers, collectors, luxury and hospitality brands, curating art and collectible design and helping build a memorable and emotionally resonant brand that strengthens positioning, drives long-term value, and supports sustainable growth.

Most CEOs say the problem is workload.


Long hours. Too many decisions. Constant pressure.

But that’s not why leadership is burning out.

Here’s the part no one wants to look at.

71% of leaders report increased stress.
40% are considering quitting.
59% of executives say empathy is “nice to have,” not essential.

That contradiction is the real crisis.

Leadership isn’t failing because people work too much.
It’s failing because we built environments where empathy cannot survive.

I’ve walked through dozens of executive offices.
Efficient. Silent. Sterile. Optimized for output, not for humans.

And then I hear leaders say,
“We need more human leadership.”

But the space tells a different story.

You can’t ask for empathy in rooms designed like call centers.
You can’t expect presence in environments built only for speed.
You can’t sustain emotional intelligence when everything around you signals detachment.

Sterile offices create sterile leadership.
Physical environments shape emotional capacity.
Spaces don’t just host leadership. They condition it.

When leaders sit all day in places designed only for efficiency, they slowly lose access to the very qualities we now say we want. Listening. Care. Nuance. Judgement.

This is the quiet crisis no one is naming.

Burnout is not a personal failure.
It’s an environmental one.

This is why my work focuses on creating spaces that allow leaders to be human again. Not softer. More grounded. More present. More capable of real connection.

Because empathy doesn’t start with training.
It starts with conditions.


If this perspective resonates, join my newsletter INSIDE STORIES, where I speak to creators and leaders about culture and the environments that shape how we think, feel, and lead. https://lnkd.in/e8XUWEWd

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