6 Hip Studios Designing Stylish Spaces

The spaces we inhabit are more than just containers for our activities. Among other things, they actively shape how we feel and behave, whether it's a particular color or piece of decor that shifts our mood, or an architectural feature that informs how we move around and interact with the environment. In no particular order, the following are some studios bringing design innovation to places around the globe, from hotels and retail shops to residential properties and public areas.

Showing up at #1 is Local Projects, an experience design studio that connects people to brands and cultural institutions through meaningful interactions. Based in New York City, it creates immersive experiences that combine physical design and creative technology, employing an interdisciplinary team on each phase of a new project. The studio offers a wide breadth of services, including interpretive planning, prototyping, software and hardware development, and installation and maintenance.

Among the company's many projects are Planet Word, the world's first voice-activated museum, and The March, a virtual reality exhibit that invites visitors to experience Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Other projects have focused on art, such as a forty-foot touchscreen display at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and history, including New York at Its Core, which explores the state's entire history through technology, objects, and data.

For #2 we get Parts and Labor Design. Established in 2009 by Andrew Cohen and Jeremy Levitt, it's a creative, full-service design firm specializing in hospitality, commercial, and retail experiences. Each of the studio's projects begins with a collaborative immersion and discovery phase into a client's brand and vision. Considering all elements of the guest experience, the studio focuses on integrated programming and functionality paired with highly customized furniture and lighting.

PLD has worked on spaces throughout the country. In Washington, DC, it crafted the lobby and guestrooms for the Thompson DC hotel, as well as restaurant and bar areas. The studio gave an Art Deco look to The Evelyn Hotel in New York City, while in Chicago, it brought to life the California-inspired restaurant Pacific Standard Time. Additional projects include eateries in Las Vegas and Bermuda, lodging in Nashville, and a salon in New York described by the firm as "Tim Burton meets Coco Chanel."

Next up, at #3 is Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio. Striving to create environmentally sensitive places of beauty and meaning, JMMDS designs parks, arboreta, museums, memorials, cemeteries, children's gardens, and academic and corporate campuses. It travels widely to work with its clients on their property, and is onsite to ensure the quality execution of its finished landscapes. For homeowners who prefer the convenience of remote consultation, the studio offers online service via mobile and desktop apps.

JMMDS's public landscapes include the Remembrance Garden at Southern Connecticut State University; Little Falls Park in Greenville, South Carolina; and cemeteries in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. In collaboration with Japanese garden master Kinsaku Nakane, it created Tenshin-en at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The studio's home landscapes, meanwhile, encompass rustic and contemporary residential areas, including farms and retreats.

For #4 we find Nicholas Haslam, based in London. It was established in 1980 by Nicky Haslam, who owned and operated the company in partnership with Paolo Moschino. Today, Moschino leads the firm with Philip Vergeylen, creating residential, hospitality, and commercial interiors around the world. In addition to being an award-winning design studio, the company is also a shopping source, with its showrooms offering everything from fabrics and wallpaper to lighting, tables, decor, and fragrances.

The studio provides a full range of services, from initial plans and budget proposals to specifications, sourcing, and final installation. While the majority of its projects are focused on private residences in London, more recent work has involved chalets in Courchevel and Gstaad, a penthouse in Miami, a New York townhouse, and several homes in the Dominican Republic. The studio also oversaw a complete refit of a 50-meter, 1968 Mediterranean yacht, as well as a restoration of a 19th-century Sicilian hotel.

At #5 is Ab Rogers Design. Based in London and Melbourne, it believes in design and architecture that inspire and animate people through color, movement, and touch. Aiming to create active environments that are as entertaining and poetic as they are pragmatic and functional, the studio works internationally across the cultural, hospitality, residential, and commercial sectors.

With a full-time staff of architects, as well as interior, industrial, furniture, and graphic designers, ARD has brought many innovative projects to fruition. Its portfolio includes the Comme des Garcons store in Paris, micro-living solutions for students in Melbourne, and the Emperor Moth retail space in London. Additionally, ARD has worked with major cultural institutions such as the Tate Modern, the Royal Academy of Arts, and the Barbican Centre.

Finally, for #6 we come to Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, operating out of London and New York. Founded in 2000 by the eponymous interior designer, this studio has experience creating hotels, restaurants, bars, private members' clubs, and various residential developments. MBDS works across the world with notable clients including Four Seasons, Nobu Matsuhisa, Soho House Group, The Birley Group, and many others.

Projects by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio encompass a range of high-profile luxury spaces, such as The Mayfair Club at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, London's Linnaean wellness salon and cafe, and Hong Kong's Fortnum & Mason shop. The studio has designed restaurants throughout Europe, the US, and the Middle East, while its lavish hotel and residential properties span from Miami to Amman.