07/20/2026
Opening Reception this Friday, July 24!
Gioi Tran is a Vietnamese-born artist and interior designer who lives and works in San Francisco, California. He received a B.S. in Interior Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Early in life he also pursued dance, touring professionally with ballet and modern dance companies before shifting fully into visual design and art.
In 1999, Tran co-founded Applegate Tran Interiors with Vernon Applegate, an award-winning residential design firm known for creative, high-end interior work across the U.S. and internationally (including France, New York, Hawaii, and Vietnam). His design work has been featured in publications like California Homes, Trends Magazine, The Robb Report, and on HGTV.
Alongside his design work, Tran is an active fine artist whose bold, color-driven paintings and large-scale canvases have been exhibited in galleries such as Arthaus in San Francisco. His paintings often explore vibrant abstractions inspired by nature, particularly reflections and light interplay, and he’s known for layering paint to create dynamic compositions.
Tran’s artwork contrasts with his interior design aesthetic: while interiors tend to be tranquil and often monochromatic, his paintings are expressive, saturated with color, and large in scale a creative release and personal artistic voice.
He maintains an art studio in San Francisco where he creates his works, sometimes alongside his design projects. Tran has also designed and launched furniture and lighting lines, blending artistic expression with functional design.
