Suomi Design Works
Suomi Design Works is a boutique hotel design studio founded in 2019 by Michael Suomi, providing custom interior design and brand identity services for hotel owners, developers, and brands across the hospitality sector.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Suomi Design Works does
Suomi Design Works is a privately held boutique hotel design studio headquartered in Manhattan with a secondary office in Florida. Founded in November 2019 by hospitality design veteran Michael Suomi, the firm provides custom interior design, conceptual development, and brand identity services exclusively to hotel owners, developers, and brands in the hospitality sector. Its design approach is differentiated by the integration of each property's local, cultural, and industrial histories with cross-industry creative influences drawn from fashion, technology, and cinema.
The firm's core product is end-to-end hotel design services delivered through an exceptionally personalized, principal-led process rather than a scalable platform. Suomi Design Works does not sell discrete technology modules, software, or repeatable productized offerings; instead, each engagement is a bespoke design project. The firm's marketing reach is supported by an unusually dense earned-media footprint in hospitality, architecture, and lifestyle publications (Forbes, New York Times, Architectural Record, Hospitality Design, Dwell, among others).
Commercially, Suomi Design Works operates as a B2B professional services firm with a sales-led go-to-market model. Revenue is generated through project-based design fees on selective engagements, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The firm has no disclosed outside investment, no parent company, and is led entirely by founder Michael Suomi. Notable projects include The Radical Hotel in Asheville, Aspen Meadows Resort, Hyatt Regency Jersey City, 60 State Street, and the Pelham Hotel in New Orleans, in addition to projects Suomi led at his prior firm Stonehill Taylor (TWA Hotel at JFK, Eliza Jane, Limelight Hotel Aspen).
Suomi Design Works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Suomi Design Works
- Legal name
- Suomi Design Works
- Website
- https://suomidesignworks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Suomi Design Works is a boutique hotel design studio founded in 2019 by Michael Suomi, providing custom interior design and brand identity services for hotel owners, developers, and brands across the hospitality sector.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Suomi Design Works industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hospitality Design Services
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)
Keywords
Where Suomi Design Works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Suomi Design Works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hotel Design Services: Professional design services for hotel owners, developers, and brands including concept development, interior design, and brand identity for boutique and branded hotels. Revenue generated through project-based consulting and design fees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Suomi Design Works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Suomi Design Works is a boutique hotel design studio offering custom interior design, concept development, and brand identity services for hotel owners, developers, hard and soft brands, and independent operators. Each project is grounded in the property's local, cultural, and industrial histories and is shaped through a personalized creative process that incorporates out-of-industry innovations from fashion, technology, and cinema.
Product overview
Suomi Design Works is a hotel design studio offering custom interior design services as a single, unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The firm, led by hospitality design veteran Michael Suomi, provides end-to-end hotel design services including conceptual design, interior design, and brand development for hotels. The core product is their hotel design service, which encompasses the entire design process from concept to completion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hotel Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Award-winning interiors for multiple high-profile hotel properties
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Suomi Design Works
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Suomi Design Works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Suomi Design Works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Suomi Design Works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AvroKO: Hospitality-focused design firm known for narrative-driven restaurant and hotel interiors (1 Hotel brand); overlaps with Suomi's boutique-hotel design and brand-identity positioning.
- Clodagh Design: Wellness- and hospitality-focused interior design studio working on branded hotels and residences; comparable boutique-hotel design niche and similar firm scale.
- Bill Bensley / Bensley Design Studios: Lifestyle and resort hospitality design firm behind branded boutique hotels (Capella, Rosewood, Four Seasons); competes for similar narrative-driven boutique hotel work.
- Yabu Pushelberg: Internationally recognized hospitality and interior design studio with a flagship hotel portfolio (Equinox, Park Hyatt); competes for the same boutique and luxury hotel design mandates as Suomi Design Works.
- Studio Munge: Toronto-based interior design firm specializing in luxury hotels and resorts globally; serves the same brand-and-boutique-hotel client base.
- Meyer Davis Studio: New York-based interior design practice with deep hospitality work including hotels, restaurants, and residences; competes for similar boutique hotel commissions.
- Champalimaud Design: Luxury hospitality interior design firm with major hotel and resort portfolio (Waldorf Astoria, Four Seasons); competing for the same premium boutique and luxury hotel commissions.
- Jeffrey Beers International: New York-based architecture and design firm with significant hospitality work across hotels, residences, and restaurants; directly competes for boutique and luxury hotel mandates.
- Stonehill Taylor: New York-based architecture and interior design firm where founder Michael Suomi previously built the interior design division; works on the same hotel and hospitality projects (e.g., TWA Hotel, Eliza Jane) and is the most directly comparable peer.
Broad incumbents
- Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA): Largest global hospitality interior design firm; competes for branded and luxury hotel design commissions at scale across most regions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Suomi Design Works social profiles
Digital presenceSuomi Design Works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Suomi Design Works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Suomi Design Works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Suomi Design Works 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 Suomi Design Works
What does Suomi Design Works do?
Suomi Design Works is a boutique hotel design studio offering custom interior design, concept development, and brand identity services for hotel owners, developers, hard and soft brands, and independent operators. Each project is grounded in the property's local, cultural, and industrial histories and is shaped through a personalized creative process that incorporates out-of-industry innovations from fashion, technology, and cinema.
Is Suomi Design Works a public or private company?
Suomi Design Works is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Suomi Design Works founded?
Suomi Design Works was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Suomi Design Works based?
Suomi Design Works is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Suomi Design Works make money?
One revenue line is on record: hotel Design Services.
Who are Suomi Design Works's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AvroKO, Clodagh Design, Bill Bensley / Bensley Design Studios, Yabu Pushelberg, Studio Munge, Meyer Davis Studio, Champalimaud Design, Jeffrey Beers International and Stonehill Taylor. Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Suomi Design Works have an API?
No public API is recorded for Suomi Design Works.
What industry is Suomi Design Works in?
Suomi Design Works's product category is Hospitality Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services, with a secondary code of MPAAAEAG, Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage). Its NAICS code is 541410.