What Markzeff does

Markzeff is a privately held, multi-disciplinary boutique design firm founded in 1985 by creative director Mark Zeff and headquartered in Westhampton Beach, New York. The firm operates through three integrated departments — Architectural/Environmental Design, Interior Design, and Branding/Marketing — with inter-departmental teams assembled per project under Mark Zeff's creative direction. Service offerings span site planning, building design, interior design from concept through decoration, brand strategy, visual identity, collateral design, and licensed product design across the Bronze Age, BLACKBARN Furniture, Cape Collection, Textiles/Wallcovering/Flooring, and Watermark H-Line and Rainey hardware lines. Markzeff also owns the registered BLACKBARN lifestyle sub-brand, which extends into residential properties in the Hamptons (Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Southampton, Watermill), a restaurant concept, a café and bar, and branded merchandise.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional design fees quoted against scope, complexity, and requirements, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct: clients — including hotel brands, restaurant groups, and high-net-worth residential buyers — engage Markzeff directly for bespoke engagements, with no intermediaries or distribution partners. Notable enterprise clients include Virgin Hotels (Nashville 2020, NYC 2023), Canopy by Hilton across multiple properties (Portland, Washington DC, Ithaca Downtown, San Antonio Riverwalk, State College), Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas, Hotel Van Zandt Austin, Mountain Shadows Scottsdale, and Kimpton Hotels (St. Louis, in progress), alongside residential commissions for figures such as Hilary Swank.

Markzeff serves primarily the hospitality, restaurant/nightlife, and luxury residential verticals, with secondary exposure to multi-family residential, commercial/retail, and product design. The firm has executed projects nationally across New York, Las Vegas, Austin, Scottsdale, Minneapolis, Denver, Portland, San Francisco, Nashville, San Antonio, Encinitas, and New Orleans, and internationally in the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and France. Its recognition portfolio includes the 2025 Forbes America's Top Hospitality Architects & Designers listing, the 2023 International Design & Architecture Award (Residential £10M category), and 2018-2019 LUXE Red and BDNY Gold Key Award nominations. With 11-50 employees and no disclosed institutional investment, the firm remains founder-led and independently operated.

Name

Markzeff

Legal name

MARKZEFF

Website

https://markzeff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Markzeff is a multi-disciplinary boutique design firm founded in 1985 by Mark Zeff, providing architectural, interior design, branding, and product design services to hospitality brands, restaurants, and high-net-worth residential clients across the U.S. and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interior Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN), Wayfinding, Signage & Environmental Graphic Design (BPAHAKAN)

Keywords

• Interior design services
• Architectural design services
• Brand identity design
• Hospitality design
• Residential interior design

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Project-based professional design fees for architectural, interior design, branding, and product design services. Revenue generated through custom design engagements for hotels, restaurants, residential, and commercial projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MARKZEFF is a multi-disciplinary boutique design firm providing architectural/environmental design, interior design, and branding/marketing services for hotels, restaurants, residential, spa, multi-family, and commercial clients. Projects are delivered by inter-departmental teams led by founder Mark Zeff's creative direction and senior project managers, and span concept development through final decoration, with branded product lines such as BLACKBARN, Bronze Age Furniture, Watermark H-Line, Watermark x Rainey, Cape Collection, and custom textiles/wallcovering/flooring.

Product overview

MARKZEFF is a multi-disciplinary boutique design firm operating since 1985, organized into three core departments: Architectural/Environmental Design, Interior Design, and Branding/Marketing. The firm offers a unified design approach where all disciplines work under creative direction of Mark Zeff. The company has developed the BLACKBARN sub-brand, a lifestyle brand encompassing residential properties (Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Southampton, Watermill), restaurants, cafes, bars, and furniture collections. MARKZEFF also licenses product lines including the Watermark H-Line Collection and Watermark x Rainey Collection. The product portfolio includes the Bronze Age Furniture Collection, BLACKBARN Furniture Collection, Cape Collection, and Textiles/Wallcovering/Flooring. Services span hotel, restaurant, spa, multi-family residential, commercial, and retail projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BLACKBARN: A lifestyle brand concept by MARKZEFF featuring residential properties, restaurant concepts, café & bar, furniture collection, and branded merchandise in Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Southampton, and Watermill locations.

Products and services

• Architectural / Environmental Design Environmental and architectural design services including site planning, building design, and landscape integration for residential and commercial projects, delivered as part of MARKZEFF's multi-disciplinary service offering.
• Interior Design Comprehensive interior design services for hotels, restaurants, residences, and commercial spaces, spanning from concept development to final decoration.
• Branding / Marketing Brand strategy, visual identity design, collateral design, and brand development services for commercial clients including hotels, restaurants, casinos, spas, and retail.
• BLACKBARN Lifestyle Brand A lifestyle brand encompassing residential properties, restaurants, cafés, bars, and furniture collections featuring a modern farmhouse aesthetic, with multiple property locations in Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Southampton, and Watermill.
• Bronze Age Furniture Collection Furniture collection featuring bronze-inspired designs showcased at Maison Gerard, unveiled in Wallpaper magazine.
• BLACKBARN Furniture Collection Furniture pieces designed to complement the BLACKBARN lifestyle brand aesthetic.
• Watermark H-Line Collection Bathroom fixtures and hardware collection designed in collaboration with Watermark Designs.
• Watermark x Rainey Collection Bath hardware collection designed in partnership with Watermark Designs.
• Cape Collection Product collection designed by Mark Zeff.
• Textiles, Wallcovering & Flooring Custom textiles, wallcovering, and flooring products designed for interior projects.

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hilton Hotels & ResortscoreOthersOngoing working relationship providing interior design services for multiple Canopy by Hilton properties including Portland, Washington DC, Ithaca Downtown, San Antonio Riverwalk, and State College. Repeat client across multiple hotel projects.
• Virgin HotelscoreOthersInterior design and branding services for Virgin Hotels Nashville (2020) and Virgin Hotels New York City (2023). Major hospitality brand projects.
• Kimpton HotelsminorOthersIn-progress interior design project for new Kimpton hotel in St. Louis, MO.
• Watermark DesignsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduct design collaborations including H-Line Collection and Watermark x Rainey Collection. Designer furniture and hardware partnerships.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rockwell Group: David Rockwell's multi-disciplinary design firm specializing in hospitality, restaurant, and entertainment interiors with integrated branding. Directly comparable to MARKZEFF's integrated architecture-interior-branding model and prestigious hospitality client base.
• Yabu Pushelberg: Toronto-based luxury hospitality and residential interior design firm with strong branding capabilities. Comparable in target market (high-end hotels, residences), boutique scale, and integrated design approach for luxury hospitality clients.
• Meyer Davis Studio: New York-based design studio specializing in hospitality, residential, and commercial interiors. Direct competitor in the boutique hospitality design space, serving similar luxury hotel and high-end residential clients with full-service interior design.
• Roman and Williams: New York-based interdisciplinary design firm with strong portfolio in boutique hotels, restaurants, and residences. Comparable boutique scale, hospitality focus, and integrated design philosophy that blends architecture, interiors, and styling.
• AvroKO: Hospitality-focused design firm known for integrated brand, interior, and concept development for hotels and restaurants. Directly comparable integrated multi-disciplinary model and similar boutique hospitality client base.
• Champalimaud Design: Luxury hospitality and residential interior design firm serving flagship hotel brands and high-net-worth clients. Comparable in targeting ultra-luxury hotel and residential projects with bespoke design services.
• Studio Munge: Toronto-based interior design firm specializing in luxury hospitality projects globally. Direct competitor in the boutique hotel design space, serving similar enterprise hospitality brands.
• Pierre-Yves Rochon: Paris-based luxury hospitality interior design firm with international portfolio. Comparable in focus on ultra-luxury hotel interiors, founder-led boutique model, and similar global hospitality client base.

Broad incumbents

• Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG): Large global hospitality design and architecture firm with integrated services across architecture, interior design, and branding. Operates at a significantly larger scale than MARKZEFF but competes for similar enterprise hospitality clients.
• Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA): World's largest hospitality design firm with extensive global hospitality portfolio. Competes with MARKZEFF for enterprise hotel projects but operates at a much larger scale with broader geographic coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/MARKZEFFdesign
• Xx.com/with_replies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Markzeff