6 Design Firms And Studios Transforming Spaces Of All Types

Design touches every aspect of our lives. All the spaces we inhabit were shaped by designers of one kind or another, who brought their skills to bear in an effort to make forms that are at once aesthetically pleasing and useful. In no particular order, here are some contemporary firms and studios at the forefront of creativity.

At #1, Johannes Torpe Studios was founded in 1997. The group works with companies of all sizes to tell their brand stories through design concepts. The eponymous founder has worked across a multitude of creative industries and developed his vision without undertaking a formal education. With his team, he offers a suite of services including interior, architectural, and furniture and object design.

As an interior design firm, Johannes Torpe Studios has worked on projects including resorts, retail outlets, nightclubs, and restaurants. It has undertaken architectural ventures in cities such as Beijing and Lynge, Denmark. The group's object design efforts encompass everything from chairs and tables to cellular phones and underwater flashlights.

The #2 entry is The Lionesque Group, which offers retail strategy, experiential design, and pop-up architecture to brands across North America. The company sees its mission as the development of novel concepts that will help clients make a lasting impression on customers. Lionesque and founder Melissa Gonzalez have received press coverage in outlets including Yahoo Finance, Fortune, and Modern Retail.

With retail clients, Lionesque takes a holistic approach, helping companies define and express their brands through physical environments by studying their customers and cross-analyzing competitors. The group's design services aim to deliver beautiful spaces that keep operational and technological needs in mind. Clients engaging the organization for project management receive assistance throughout the whole process, from concept development through construction.

In the #3 position, C&G Partners is a multi-specialty creative studio that describes itself as "dedicated to design for culture ." The group's multiple design practices include branding, digital installations, exhibits and environments, print, signage and wayfinding, and websites.

C&G's exhibits and environments arm has crafted indoor and outdoor spaces for a variety of cultural institutions. These have included museums dedicated to September 11, American history, and Jewish heritage, as well as landmarks like the Griffith Observatory and the Library of Congress.

#4 on our list is Design, Bitches, founded in 2010 by Catherine Johnson and Rebecca Rudolph. The company's mission is to promulgate a bold and irreverent vision to make architecture significant in daily life. Based in Los Angeles, the group collaborates on an international range of projects, from brand identity and commercial spaces to ground-up residential and cultural buildings.

The firm has executed full-scale architecture and interior design projects for coffee shops, restaurants, and bars, as well as educational spaces and event venues. With other commercial clients, they have focused on branding elements like signage and exterior graphics. Design, Bitches has also produced art installations, developed logos, and offered creative direction for conferences.

The #5 spot is held by Evergreene Architectural Arts, with offices in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. The nation's largest specialty contractor of architectural arts, its team of business developers, conservators, designers, craftspeople, artists, and project managers works with clients on restorations, replications, and new designs.

Its conservation efforts comprise research, testing, and analysis of historic materials, and the implementation of preservation treatments for culturally significant art, architecture, and artifacts. Restoration specialists reverse the effects of aging, structural instabilities, and exposure to the environment. Clients seeking new builds can receive preconstruction planning and design guidance.

Wrapping up our list at #6, Ora Ito is a multidisciplinary designer whose studio has worked on everything from telephones to buildings, furniture to perfume bottles, and headphones to sunglasses. He calls his design philosophy "simplexity," referring to the process of making complicated things easy.

In 2013, Ora Ito created MAMO, an art center on the roof terrace of Cite Radieuse designed by Le Corbusier in Marseille, which has exhibited artists including Dan Graham and Xavier Veilhan. The designer also maintains his own line of consumer electronics, all featuring the bright minimalist styles for which he is known.