Commercial Interior Designers - Best of 2026

A great commercial space doesn't just look good; it feels right the moment you walk in. The warmth of a restaurant that makes you linger over dessert. The lobby of a hotel that puts you at ease before you've even checked in. The salon that makes you feel a little more like yourself with every visit. Behind each of these experiences is a designer who understood something fundamental: that the way a space looks directly shapes the way people feel inside it.

That same principle applies to your home, too. But in the commercial world, the stakes are especially visible. A restaurant's design can influence whether guests return. A hotel's atmosphere can define an entire brand. A boutique's layout can make the difference between a quick browse and a meaningful purchase.

The commercial interior design firms on this list are the best of the best, and understand those dynamics deeply. Their work proves it, project after project, city after city.

AvroKO

AvroKO has held the #1 spot on Interior Design magazine's Hospitality Giants ranking, a distinction earned through over two decades of emotionally driven, narrative-based work spanning 22 countries. The firm is a multiple James Beard Award winner—a recognition that speaks to the depth and specificity of its food-and-beverage design work—and its projects consistently balance sensory storytelling with a sophisticated understanding of how guests actually move through and experience a space.

From boutique hotel lobbies to high-energy restaurant concepts, AvroKO's range and commercial interior design talents consistency set it apart. Their philosophy of "Hospitable Thinking"—integrating behavioral science and environmental psychology into the design process—gives each project a layer of intention that goes well beyond aesthetics.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City, San Francisco, Miami, London, Bangkok

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, bars, nightlife, retail, branded food-and-beverage concepts

Website: avroko.com

Rockwell Group

Founded by Tony Award-winning set designer David Rockwell, Rockwell Group approaches every hospitality project with a theatrical sensibility that few other firms can match. The firm has earned a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, two Emmy Awards, and a James Beard Foundation recognition, and it has been consistently ranked among the top three on Interior Design magazine's Hospitality Giants list.

What makes Rockwell Group exceptional is its ability to make large-scale commercial interior design projects feel intimate and personal—a rare quality in a firm of its size and scope. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Madrid, the firm has grown to 300 people and maintained the creative restlessness of a boutique studio, taking on everything from the Perelman Performing Arts Center to Din Tai Fung's first New York location.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City, Los Angeles, Madrid

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, cultural institutions, set design

Website: rockwellgroup.com

Yabu Pushelberg

With over 40 years of practice and induction into both the Interior Design Hall of Fame and the Order of Canada, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg have built a body of work that redefined what modern luxury hospitality looks like on a global scale. Their projects for brands like EDITION Hotels, Four Seasons, and Park Hyatt consistently demonstrate a refined minimalism that feels warm rather than cold—a balance that many firms attempt but few achieve at this level of consistency across continents and cultures.

Their design for The Pinky Ring, Bruno Mars's penthouse-inspired nightclub at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, shows they can bring the same level of sophistication to high-energy entertainment spaces as they do to five-star hotel suites. With a studio in New York in addition to their Toronto headquarters, their influence on American hospitality is significant and ongoing.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City, Toronto

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, retail, residential, product design

Website: yabupushelberg.com

Meyer Davis Studio

Named 2025 Design Firm of the Year by Hospitality Design Magazine, Meyer Davis has quickly become one of the most sought-after names in hospitality design. The firm works closely with elite restaurateurs like Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Tom Colicchio, and has designed spaces for Four Seasons, W Hotels, and Oscar de la Renta boutiques worldwide. What earned them this spot is the breadth of their client trust—working across both high-end hospitality and fashion retail with equal confidence and craft. Their interiors are recognizable for a certain warmth and restraint that lets the food, the people, and the experience itself take center stage rather than the design competing for attention.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City, Miami, Los Angeles

Commercial Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, luxury retail, branded residences

Website: meyerdavis.com

Kelly Wearstler

Kelly Wearstler is widely credited as one of the defining forces behind the designer hotel movement, bringing a bold, layered, sensory-driven approach to hospitality at a time when most hotel interiors played it safe. She's earned spots on the AD100, Elle Décor A-List, and Wallpaper* Top 20 Designers, and her work for the Proper Hotel Group and Four Seasons Anguilla has set a new standard for what a boutique hotel experience can feel like. Her inclusion reflects an influence that extends well beyond her project list—she's shaped the visual language of an entire category. Her product and furniture lines have further solidified her role as a tastemaker whose sensibility permeates not just hotel lobbies but also the broader culture of design-forward living.

Areas in which this design firm operates: Los Angeles

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, retail, residential

Website: kellywearstler.com

Jeffrey Beers International

Founded in 1986 after receiving a personal blessing from I.M. Pei, Jeffrey Beers International has spent nearly four decades at the intersection of architecture and hospitality, producing award-winning restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues. The firm's portfolio includes the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, The Plaza Food Hall in New York, Jay-Z's 40/40 Club and Roc Nation headquarters, and multiple Gordon Ramsay restaurant concepts. JBI earned its spot here for a particular strength: the ability to bring architectural rigor and a fine-art sensibility to high-volume hospitality spaces without losing warmth or approachability.

After founder Jeffrey Beers's passing in 2025, the commercial interior design firm continues under partners Tim Rooney, Michael Pandolfi, and Nora Liu-Kanter, all of whom have spent 20+ years shaping the studio's creative direction.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City (global projects)

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, residential

Website: jeffreybeers.com

Gensler

As the world's largest architecture firm—with over 6,000 professionals across 50+ offices—Gensler brings a data-driven approach to hospitality that complements the more intuition-led studios on this list. The firm was the first to be inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame and has topped Architectural Record's list of the Top 300 Architecture Firms for over a decade.

Gensler's hospitality practice stands out for its ability to apply research on guest behavior and operational efficiency to create spaces that perform as well as they look. For projects that require deep integration between architecture, interior design, and brand strategy at scale—especially mixed-use developments and convention center hotels—Gensler operates in a category of its own.

Areas in which this design firm operates: San Francisco (HQ), with 50+ offices globally including multiple U.S. locations

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, retail, mixed-use developments, entertainment venues, convention centers

Website: gensler.com

Roman and Williams

Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch founded Roman and Williams with a background in film set design, and that cinematic sensibility runs through every project they touch. Their restaurant and hotel work—from The Standard High Line to Le Coucou to the Tin Building in New York—is defined by rich material storytelling, unexpected vintage references, and an almost archaeological attention to craft and history. They're on this list because their spaces don't just house restaurants; they create worlds around them.

Their RW Guild retail space in SoHo further demonstrates their ability to translate the same layered, narrative-driven design philosophy into physical environments where objects and atmosphere become inseparable from the experience.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, retail, cultural spaces

Website: romanandwilliams.com

Parts and Labor Design

Parts and Labor Design has become one of New York's most respected restaurant and hospitality studios by taking a deeply collaborative, owner-centric approach to food-and-beverage design. Their portfolio includes work for Major Food Group, the team behind Carbone and The Grill, as well as projects for high-profile chefs and operators across the city. What earned them this spot is a hands-on creative process where the design evolves alongside the culinary concept, menu direction, and operational reality of the restaurant—producing spaces where the interiors and the food feel like they were born from the same idea. Their work consistently avoids trend-chasing in favor of grounded, character-rich environments that age well.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Restaurants, bars, hotels, branded food-and-beverage concepts

Website: partsandlabordesign.com

Gabellini Sheppard Associates

Gabellini Sheppard Associates has set the standard for minimalist luxury retail design in the United States since founding its New York practice in 1991. The firm's portfolio includes flagship environments for Jil Sander (90 stores worldwide), Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo, David Yurman, Vera Wang, and the Bergdorf Goodman Contemporary Floor—a client list that reflects deep trust from fashion brands that demand both spatial sophistication and brand fidelity.

Michael Gabellini received the National Design Award in Interior Design from the Cooper Hewitt, and the firm has earned over 60 honors from the AIA, the Chicago Athenaeum, and other institutions. Their inclusion reflects a unique ability to treat space and light as sculptural materials, creating retail environments that feel elevated without being cold or unwelcoming.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Luxury retail flagships, showrooms, hospitality, residential, gallery and exhibition design

Website: gabellinisheppard.com

Tacklebox Architecture

Brooklyn-based Tacklebox Architecture has built a reputation as one of the most inventive boutique retail design firms in the country, with a portfolio that includes six Aesop stores, boutiques for Claus Porto, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Kenneth Cole, and Converse, and cafés for % Arabica and Ninety Plus Coffee. Founded by architect Jeremy Barbour in 2006, the firm is known for an approach rooted in reclaimed and unexpected materials—using 2,800 copies of the New York Times to line an Aesop store in Nolita, or 100-year-old salvaged sticks to clad a Washington D.C. boutique.

They earned this spot on our list of the best commercial interior designers because their work proves that a small, idea-driven studio can deliver retail environments with as much identity and craft as any large firm, at a fraction of the budget. Their AIANY New Practices Award and inclusion in Architect's Newspaper's Top 50 Interior Architecture Firms further validate that approach.

Areas in which this design firm operates: Brooklyn, New York (projects nationwide)

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Boutique retail, cafés, residential, furniture design

Website: tacklebox-ny.com

Michele Pelafas

Michele Pelafas is one of the most recognized names in salon and spa interior design, with over 25 years of focused experience in the category. Her practice is devoted entirely to wellness environments—a level of specialization that's rare in a field where most designers work across many categories. What earned her this spot is that dedicated focus: she understands the specific functional requirements of salon and spa buildouts (plumbing configurations, ventilation, client flow, styling station ergonomics) in ways that a generalist interior designer typically doesn't. Her projects consistently demonstrate that a salon can feel as refined and intentional as any high-end hospitality space, and her repeat client relationships across the country speak to the reliability of her results.

Areas in which this design firm operates: United States (nationwide)

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Luxury spas, salons, wellness centers

Website: michelepelafas.com

New World Design Builders (NWDB)

Led by Chris Kofitsas with over 20 years of experience, this commercial design firm has built a strong reputation designing luxury salons and spas in New York City. Their portfolio includes projects like Bangz Salon & Wellness Spa and Depasquale Salon, and they've earned multiple design awards for their work. What sets NWDB apart—and why they earned this spot—is their hands-on approach to both design and construction. As a design-build firm, they control the process from concept through completion, which results in tighter execution and fewer of the miscommunication issues that can plague salon buildouts where design and construction teams are separate. For salon and spa owners in the New York market, having one team that understands both the vision and the physical reality of construction means fewer surprises, faster timelines, and more control over quality.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Luxury salons, spas, commercial renovations

Website: nwdb.nyc

Ken Fulk

San Francisco-based Ken Fulk has built one of the most distinctive multi-category design practices in the country, working across restaurants, hotels, private clubs, retail, and residential with a maximalist, story-driven aesthetic that's instantly recognizable. His portfolio includes The Battery private club in San Francisco, the Virgin Hotels brand, and Dolly Parton's Dollywood DreamMore Resort, among dozens of high-profile hospitality projects.

Fulk earned this spot because of the rare consistency he brings to wildly different project types—whether designing a members-only club, a Nashville honky-tonk, or a Napa Valley estate, his interiors share a common thread of warmth, narrative depth, and unapologetic personality. His namesake retail bungalow in San Francisco further reflects the same instinct: design as an experience rather than a backdrop.

Areas in which this design firm operates: San Francisco, New York City

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, private clubs, retail, residential, event design

Website: kenfulk.com

MARKZEFF

MARKZEFF is a New York-based commercial interior architecture and design studio that has been shaping hotels, restaurants, and retail spaces for over 25 years, with a client roster that includes Marriott, Kimpton, Hyatt, and W Hotels. The firm is especially known for creating distinctive food-and-beverage spaces within larger hospitality projects—an increasingly important skill as hotels compete on the strength of their dining programs. MARKZEFF earned this spot for the versatility and consistency of their output: they can move from a boutique hotel in Brooklyn to a large-format resort restaurant without losing the detail-orientation and personality that distinguishes their work.

Their interiors tend to have an approachable warmth that resists feeling either overly formal or too casual, which makes them a strong fit across hotel brands at different price points.

Areas in which this design firm operates: New York City (projects nationwide and globally)

Commercial projects on which they commonly work: Hotels, restaurants, bars, residential, branded environments

Website: markzeff.com

Bring great commercial design to life with the right contractor from Block

Studying the work of these firms can do more than inspire a commercial buildout. It can sharpen your eye for what makes any space—including your own home—feel intentional, comfortable, and truly yours.

Many of the principles these designers use in restaurants, hotels, and shops apply directly to residential renovations: thoughtful material selection, smart spatial flow, lighting that sets a mood, and finishes that reflect the personality of the people inside. The difference between a space that feels forgettable and one that feels right often comes down to those details.

If you're planning a renovation and want to bring some of that intentionality to your own kitchen, bathroom, or living space, Block Renovation can help. Our free Renovation Studio lets you visualize design options, test different materials and layouts, and see real-time cost estimates—so you can make informed decisions before construction begins. And when you're ready to build, we connect you with vetted, licensed contractors matched to your project, with built-in protections that keep your renovation on track and on budget.