Aidlin Darling Design
Aidlin Darling Design is a San Francisco-based architecture firm founded in 1998 that provides full-service architectural, interior design, and custom furniture/lighting services for residential, commercial, hospitality, and institutional clients across the U.S. and select international markets, operating from studios in San Francisco and Pittsburgh.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Aidlin Darling Design does
Aidlin Darling Design is an architecture and design firm founded in 1998 (alternatively cited as 1997) by Joshua Aidlin and David Darling in San Francisco. The firm provides full-service architectural, interior design, and custom furniture/lighting services across four primary segments: residential (custom homes, remodels, multi-family), commercial and hospitality (restaurants, offices, retail), institutional and public (educational, cultural, spiritual), and product/furniture design. Its stated design philosophy treats 'architecture as a social act' focused on engaging the senses and creating spaces that inspire, heal, serve, and educate; the firm emphasizes material innovation (rammed earth, reclaimed wood, concrete, steel) and sustainability credentials, including LEED Platinum and LEED NC Gold projects.
The business operates on a professional services revenue model, generating fees through custom architectural engagements typically priced as a percentage of construction cost or fixed-fee by project scope, with no public pricing disclosure. The firm serves a horizontal mix of clients spanning high-net-worth residential, cultural institutions (SFMoMA, AIA San Francisco), universities (Stanford, University of Virginia), technology companies (Expedia Group), publishers (Chronicle Books), and real estate developers (Wilson Meany for the Yerba Buena Island development). Projects are executed through a curated network of specialty fabricators and partners — Boyd Lighting, Concreteworks, Rammed Earth Works, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, and others — and the firm maintains an in-house woodshop for handcrafted pieces.
The firm operates from two studios: Studio West (headquarters) at 500 Third Street, Suite 410 in San Francisco's South Park neighborhood, and Studio East at 6101 Penn Avenue, Suite 201 in Pittsburgh, opened in 2022. Aidlin Darling Design is privately held by its two founding partners, with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or institutional backing. The firm employs between 11 and 50 people and markets itself principally through its project portfolio, industry awards, and architecture publications rather than paid channels.
Aidlin Darling Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aidlin Darling Design
- Legal name
- Aidlin Darling Design, Inc.
- Website
- https://aidlindarlingdesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Aidlin Darling Design is a San Francisco-based architecture firm founded in 1998 that provides full-service architectural, interior design, and custom furniture/lighting services for residential, commercial, hospitality, and institutional clients across the U.S. and select international markets, operating from studios in San Francisco and Pittsburgh.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Aidlin Darling Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Aidlin Darling Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: Full-service architecture firm providing design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and public projects. Revenue is generated through professional fees for architectural services, typically calculated as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee arrangements for specific project scopes.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Aidlin Darling Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aidlin Darling Design is a full-service architecture firm providing design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and public projects. The firm delivers comprehensive architectural services from concept through construction, combined with interior design and custom furniture/lighting design. Revenue is generated through professional fees for architectural services, typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed-fee arrangements for specific project scopes.
Product overview
Aidlin Darling Design is an award-winning architecture and design firm based in San Francisco, offering comprehensive architectural and interior design services across residential, commercial, public, and hospitality sectors. The firm also produces a portfolio of custom furniture and lighting products, including pendant lights (In Situ Pendant Lights, T-Light Pendant), tables (Ventilla Writing Table, Musilek Side Table, Kaplan Table, In Situ Bar Tables), and seating (Bar Agricole Banquettes, Lattice House Wood Bench). These products are often created through collaborations with manufacturers like Boyd Lighting and Concreteworks, and are sometimes integrated into their architectural projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services
- T-Light Pendant
- In Situ Pendant Lights
- Bar Agricole Banquettes
- Lattice House Wood Bench
- Ventilla Writing Table
- Musilek Side Table
- In Situ Bar Tables
- Kaplan Table
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 95% college graduation rate for students at Roseland University Prep designed by the firm
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Aidlin Darling Design
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Aidlin Darling Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Aidlin Darling Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Boyd LightingcoreBoyd Lighting worked with Aidlin Darling Design to incorporate the T-Light into their product collection. Created custom pendant lighting for In Situ restaurant at SFMoMA. Partnership resulted in commercial production of the T-Light pendant design.
- ConcreteworkscoreDesigned banquette seats for Bar Agricole restaurant combining warm reclaimed oak with 1" thick precast ductile concrete. Fabricator for custom concrete pieces including reception desk and custom furniture.
- GFDS EngineersminorStructural engineering partner for In Situ project and multiple other projects including 355 11th Street.
- Cello & Maudru ConstructioncoreC-Chassis Fabricator and Installation partner for Site & Senses Exhibition. General contractor for Art House project.
- Rammed Earth WorkscoreRammed Earth Mock-Up Fabricator for Site & Senses Exhibition. Rammed earth fabricator for Windhover Contemplative Center and House of Earth & Sky projects.
- Strandberg EngineeringminorStructural engineering partner for Modernism Gallery project.
- ZGF ArchitectscoreCampus Architect for Expedia Group's 40-acre corporate campus where The Prow project is located.
- GLY ConstructioncoreGeneral contractor for The Prow biophilic retreat project at Expedia Group campus.
- KPFFcoreStructural & Civil Engineer for The Prow project at Expedia Group campus.
- Surfacedesign, Inc.coreLandscape architect partner for The Prow project. Also landscape architecture for Hollywood Hills project.
- Cello & Maudru ConstructioncoreGeneral contractor for Sonoma Vineyard Estate project.
- BCCI ConstructioncoreGeneral contractor for AIA San Francisco & Center for Architecture + Design headquarters project.
- Nikolas Weinstein StudioscoreGlass sculpture fabrication for AIA San Francisco & Center for Architecture + Design project.
- Sand StudiosminorCustom lighting design partner for AIA San Francisco & Center for Architecture + Design project.
- Chris Downey (Architecture for the Blind)minorArchitecture for the blind consulting partner for AIA San Francisco accessibility project.
- Andrea Cochran Landscape ArchitecturecoreLandscape architect partner for Windhover Contemplative Center. Collaborated on site & landscape integration.
- Plant ConstructioncoreGeneral contractor for In Situ restaurant at SFMoMA.
- Drew Maran ConstructionminorGeneral contractor for Light Loft project.
- KleyminorSite development partner for the company website.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Aidlin Darling Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Studio Schicketanz: Carmel-based boutique architecture practice with similar size, founder-led model, and focus on contextually responsive residential and hospitality work. Comparable to Aidlin Darling in California coastal high-end residential focus and sustainability orientation.
- Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based, mid-sized sustainability-focused architecture firm with comparable size, multi-office footprint, and decades of AIA Honor Awards. Both firms pair a deep commitment to biophilic and contextual design with strong cross-disciplinary offerings in interiors and furniture.
- Allied Works Architecture: Boutique, founder-led architecture firm of similar size with award-recognized cultural, civic, and residential work. Comparable to Aidlin Darling in design-led studio culture, multi-office footprint, and pursuit of institutional and cultural commissions.
- Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco-based architecture firm of similar size with a parallel focus on social-equity-driven institutional, civic, and educational projects, plus deep sustainability credentials. Most direct local geographic peer given shared Bay Area base and overlapping public/institutional client base.
- Marmol Radziner: LA-based boutique architecture and design firm offering architecture, interior design, and custom furniture fabrication with an in-house workshop. Highly comparable to Aidlin Darling in business model, founder-driven creative direction, and high-net-worth residential and hospitality clientele.
- Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Multi-office boutique architecture firm with a comparable founder-led creative culture and strong AIA award pedigree spanning residential, civic, and commercial work. The two firms compete for similar institutional, cultural, and high-end residential commissions and share a humanistic, site-driven design approach.
- Olson Kundig: Seattle-based, founder-led boutique architecture firm of similar size (~50-100 employees) with an equally deep award portfolio and a design-led philosophy emphasizing material craft. Both firms combine architecture, interior, and product design and serve high-end residential, hospitality, and institutional clients with comparable per-project fee structures.
- Bestor Architecture: Small, award-winning Los Angeles boutique architecture firm with a comparable residential and cultural portfolio and similar studio size. Both firms are recognized for bespoke design quality and have won comparable AIA and regional design awards.
- Commune Design: LA-based multidisciplinary design studio that, like Aidlin Darling, integrates architecture, interiors, and product/furniture design under one roof. The two firms pursue similar hospitality, residential, and retail clients and share an emphasis on craft, materiality, and human-centered design.
Emerging players
- Studio Gang: Founded around the same era as Aidlin Darling and similarly rooted in a founder-led design philosophy, Studio Gang has scaled to a larger multi-office firm with comparable signature cultural and institutional projects. Useful peer for trajectory benchmarking on how a founder-led design firm can scale while preserving creative identity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aidlin Darling Design social profiles
Digital presenceAidlin Darling Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aidlin Darling Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Aidlin Darling Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aidlin Darling Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aidlin Darling Design
What does Aidlin Darling Design do?
Aidlin Darling Design is a full-service architecture firm providing design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and public projects. The firm delivers comprehensive architectural services from concept through construction, combined with interior design and custom furniture/lighting design. Revenue is generated through professional fees for architectural services, typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed-fee arrangements for specific project scopes.
Is Aidlin Darling Design a public or private company?
Aidlin Darling Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Aidlin Darling Design founded?
Aidlin Darling Design was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Aidlin Darling Design based?
Aidlin Darling Design is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aidlin Darling Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Design Services.
Who are Aidlin Darling Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Studio Schicketanz, Lake|Flato Architects, Allied Works Architecture, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Marmol Radziner, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Olson Kundig, Bestor Architecture and Commune Design. Studio Gang is listed as an emerging player.
Does Aidlin Darling Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aidlin Darling Design.