The Johnson Studio

What The Johnson Studio does

The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry is an Atlanta-based hospitality design practice specializing in restaurants, hotels, country clubs, cruise ships, and sports venues. Founded in 1987 by Bill Johnson as a sole practice and operating today as a specialized studio within global design firm Cooper Carry since 2016, the firm has completed more than 600 restaurant projects over its history. Its service offering spans the full design-to-installation lifecycle: conceptual development, architecture, interior design, specialty lighting design, and furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) purchasing.

Its practice is differentiated by deep domain specialization in restaurant and hospitality interiors rather than general commercial architecture, an integrated multi-discipline model that brings architecture, interiors, lighting, and FF&E under one team, and a narrative-driven design philosophy that treats each project as a story-driven concept. The firm collaborates with specialized artisans in metals, glass, and woodworking, and its leadership holds LEED, WELL AP, and NCIDQ certifications.

Commercially, The Johnson Studio operates as a B2B professional services firm with project-based fees determined by scope and complexity. It targets enterprise clients — restaurant groups, hotel flag operators (notably Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt), country clubs, cruise lines (Windstar), and stadium operators (Mercedes-Benz) — and acquires work through industry reputation, referrals, and the Cooper Carry parent network. Marketing relies primarily on earned media (Forbes, Architectural Digest, CNN, Fodor's), an active Instagram presence, and a substantial backlog of industry awards (ASID, IIDA, NEWH, Golf Inc., ICSC, BDNY, HD Awards). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue figures are not reported.

Name

The Johnson Studio

Legal name

The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry

Website

https://johnsonstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry is an Atlanta-based hospitality design firm specializing in restaurants, hotels, country clubs, cruise ships, and sports venues, delivering architecture, interior design, lighting design, and FF&E purchasing services across 600+ projects since 1987.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant and Hospitality Design Services: Complete design service consultation including conceptual development, architecture, interior design, lighting design, and furniture purchasing for restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and hospitality venues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry provides integrated restaurant and hospitality design services, including architecture, interior design, lighting design, and furniture/FF&E purchasing, delivered from initial concept through construction administration. The studio specializes in creating distinctive dining and hospitality environments for restaurants, hotels, country clubs, cruise ships, and sports venues across the U.S. and internationally.

Product overview

The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry is a restaurant and hospitality design firm offering comprehensive design services including architecture, interior design, lighting design, and furniture purchasing (FF&E). The studio specializes in creating immersive dining environments for restaurants, hotels, country clubs, cruise ships, and stadium venues. Their portfolio includes over 600 restaurant projects spanning coast-to-coast and international locations. The firm operates as a studio within the Cooper Carry global design firm, providing specialized hospitality and restaurant design expertise alongside Cooper Carry's broader architectural practice in mixed-use, workplace, and hospitality sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Architecture Services Full architectural design services for restaurants and hospitality venues, including conceptual development, space planning, and construction documentation. Sold to enterprise hospitality operators including restaurant groups, hotels, country clubs, and sports venues.
• Interior Design Services Interior design consultation encompassing furniture selection, material specification, and custom millwork design for restaurant and hospitality environments. Sold to enterprise hospitality operators.
• Lighting Design Services Specialized lighting design services including tunable white lighting systems, decorative fixtures, and theatrical lighting for open kitchens and dining areas. Sold to enterprise hospitality operators.
• Furniture Purchasing / FF&E Services Furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) purchasing services including vendor coordination, budget preparation, and installation management. Sold to enterprise hospitality operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Forbes named Casa Don Alfonso at the Ritz-Carlton America's Best New Italian Restaurant
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cooper CarrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2016, The Johnson Studio joined global design firm Cooper Carry, adding their deep restaurant design expertise to Cooper Carry's 60 years of architectural experience in Hospitality, Mixed-Use, Office Workplace and other studios. Now operating as The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Yabu Pushelberg: Toronto- and New York-based luxury interior design firm with strong hotel, restaurant, and retail portfolio. Directly comparable in delivering narrative-driven, high-end hospitality interiors.
• AvroKO: New York-based hospitality design firm with deep restaurant and hotel interior design practice. Closely comparable as a multi-disciplinary studio focused on restaurant-led hospitality environments.
• Parts and Labor Design: Hospitality-focused design firm with restaurant and hotel practice. Comparable in boutique-scale studio model and restaurant specialization.
• Meyer Davis Studio: New York-based architecture and interior design firm with a hospitality-led practice. Comparable in scale and in restaurant/hotel design focus.
• Roman and Williams: New York-based architecture and design firm with notable restaurant and hotel work (e.g., The Standard hotels, many NYC restaurants). Closely comparable in narrative-driven hospitality design approach.
• Studio Munge: Toronto-based interior design firm specializing in luxury hotels, restaurants, and residences. Comparable in emotional, narrative-led approach to high-end hospitality interiors.

Broad incumbents

• Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA): Global hospitality interior design firm serving luxury hotel brands worldwide. Comparable in serving luxury hotel clients (Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt) but operates at much larger scale across many properties.
• Wilson Associates: Global hospitality design firm with extensive hotel and resort portfolio. Comparable for premium hotel interior work but operates across much broader global footprint.
• Rockwell Group: Larger New York architecture and design firm with a significant hospitality and restaurant practice. Comparable for premium hospitality project work but operates at broader scale across multiple sectors.

Regional players

• Mark P. Finlay Architects: Atlanta-based architecture firm with restaurant and hospitality projects in the Southeast. Comparable regional competitor sharing the same Atlanta base and hospitality focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thejohnsonstudio
• Xx.com/johnsonstudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/johnsonstudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 The Johnson Studio