FORMA Design
FORMA Design is a Washington, DC-based interior architecture and design firm founded in 1994, serving residential, healthcare, and commercial clients through project-based professional services, with a specialty in patient-centered healthcare facility design and an award-winning portfolio of 150+ projects.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersCosta Mesa, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What FORMA Design does
FORMA Design is an interior architecture and interior design firm founded in 1994 and headquartered at 1524 U Street NW Suite 200 in Washington, DC. The firm is co-founded and led by Andreas Charalambous, AIA, IIDA, a Cornell-educated Fulbright scholar with 25+ years of healthcare design experience. FORMA delivers projects across three core practice areas — Residential Design, Healthcare Design, and Commercial Design — supplemented by a Furniture Design & Procurement add-on service and an associated furniture line at chachafurniture.com. Healthcare work is the most prominent vertical and includes medical, dental, oral surgery, plastic surgery, dermatology, prosthodontic, orthodontic, and pediatric practices, designed under a patient-centered methodology emphasizing wayfinding, patient flow, natural light, and healing environments. Commercial projects span corporate headquarters (FILA USA's 72,000 SF US headquarters, World Bank facilities, W.B. Doner Advertising, Intelligent Decisions), law offices, restaurants, hospitality venues, and furniture showrooms; residential work covers gut renovations, apartments, penthouses, rowhouses, and lofts primarily in the Washington DC metro and broader Mid-Atlantic region.
The firm operates on a project-based professional services revenue model, charging fees determined by project scope, complexity, square footage, and service requirements rather than through disclosed pricing tiers. Projects are sourced primarily through referrals, the formaonline.com portfolio, Houzz platform presence, HGTV features, and industry recognition rather than through outbound sales. FORMA has completed 150+ projects over 30+ years and has been recognized with 15 AIA awards, 21 IIDA awards, 7 consecutive Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards nominations, back-to-back National Healthcare Environment Awards, and features in over 200 local, national, and international publications. The firm is privately held by its founder, employs 1-10 people, has no disclosed funding rounds or external investors, and operates without subsidiaries or parent-company relationships. Strategic partnerships with POLIFORM, Sagart Studio, and various architecture and contractor firms extend delivery capability while preserving a boutique operational footprint.
FORMA Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FORMA Design
- Legal name
- FORMA Design Inc
- Website
- https://formaonline.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- FORMA Design is a Washington, DC-based interior architecture and design firm founded in 1994, serving residential, healthcare, and commercial clients through project-based professional services, with a specialty in patient-centered healthcare facility design and an award-winning portfolio of 150+ projects.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FORMA Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Interior Design Services
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural Services (54131)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)
Keywords
Where FORMA Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Costa Mesa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
FORMA Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional fees for architectural and interior design services on a project-by-project basis. Projects range from small residential renovations to large-scale healthcare facilities and commercial interiors. Revenue is generated through design fees, project management, and consulting services.
- Furniture Design and Procurement: Furniture design and procurement services, including custom furniture design, selection, and sourcing for completed projects. The firm also offers a furniture line through chachafurniture.com.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
FORMA Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FORMA Design is an interior architecture and design firm delivering modern interior design services for residential homes, healthcare facilities (medical, dental, surgical, dermatology clinics), and commercial environments (corporate headquarters, law offices, restaurants, hospitality venues). The firm provides integrated services spanning interior architecture, interior design, branding, graphics, custom furniture design, and full furniture procurement, often overseeing projects from concept through completion.
Product overview
FORMA Design is an award-winning interior architecture and interior design firm founded in 1994, offering services across three core practice areas: Residential Design, Healthcare Design, and Commercial Design. Its projects range from single-family homes and apartments to medical/dental clinics, corporate offices, and hospitality spaces. The firm also offers a Furniture Design & Procurement service as an add-on complement to its interior design projects. The firm's work has been recognized with multiple AIA and IIDA awards and has been widely published in design media.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Design Services Interior architecture and interior design for private homeowners, including single-family residences, apartments, penthouses, duplexes, rowhouses, and lofts. Services include custom furniture design, finish selection, and full furnishings procurement.
- Healthcare Design Services Interior architecture and interior design for medical, dental, pediatric, dermatology, oral surgery, plastic surgery, and maxillofacial healthcare facilities, including branding, graphics, and marketing materials. The firm specializes in patient-centered design emphasizing wayfinding, smooth patient flow, and healing environments.
- Commercial Design Services Interior architecture and interior design for corporate headquarters, law offices, restaurants, hospitality venues, conference centers, and retail showrooms. Notable past projects include the World Bank Headquarters, FILA USA, and law firm offices.
- Furniture Design & Procurement Custom furniture design and procurement services offered as a complement to interior architecture projects, providing clients with bespoke and coordinated furniture packages. Includes a furniture line marketed through chachafurniture.com.
Quantifiable outcome
- Back-to-back National Healthcare Environment Awards for healthcare design excellence
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use FORMA Design
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
FORMA Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
FORMA Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- POLIFORMcorePOLIFORM and Sagart Studio collaborated with FORMA Design on the Duplex at The Weslie project in Arlington, VA. POLIFORM provided cabinetry for kitchen and bathrooms, and their furniture line was used throughout the project. FORMA served as architect reconfiguring spaces to accept the client-selected POLIFORM products.
- Sagart StudiocoreSagart Studio collaborated with FORMA Design and POLIFORM on the Duplex at The Weslie project. Sagart Studio handled interior design and kitchen/bathroom/cabinetry/furniture selections while FORMA served as architect.
- Wnuk Spurlock ArchitectsminorWnuk Spurlock Architects served as architects of record while FORMA served as design architect for the Chevy Chase Renovation project.
- Barnes Vanze ArchitectsminorBarnes Vanze Architects collaborated with FORMA on the Spring Valley Residence project, working alongside Arenz Landscape Architects.
- Arenz Landscape ArchitectsminorArenz Landscape Architects collaborated with FORMA on the Spring Valley Residence project, creating pool and landscaping as extensions of living areas.
- MCA RemodelingminorMCA Remodeling served as contractor on the Loft in Arlington project, working in coordination with FORMA Design and their staff.
- DBI (Design architect of record)minorFORMA served as design architect with DBI as architect of record for the World Bank Headquarters Building conference center project completed in 2001.
- Visual Profile Books (NYC)minorVisual Profile Books of NYC published FORMA Design's 25-year anniversary monograph 'FORMA Design | 25' featuring healthcare and residential design projects.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
FORMA Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Rapt Studio: Rapt Studio is a boutique interior architecture and design firm focused on commercial, residential, and experiential design with offices in San Francisco and New York. Comparable to FORMA in boutique interior-design scale and brand-driven project acquisition.
Broad incumbents
- CannonDesign: CannonDesign is a large national architecture, engineering, and design practice with a substantial healthcare design portfolio. It competes with FORMA for healthcare design mandates but offers full-service scale, multiple offices, and integrated engineering.
- Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a global architecture and design firm with award-winning healthcare, commercial, and residential practices. It competes with FORMA in healthcare and commercial interior design but at enterprise scale with national coverage.
- HKS: HKS is a national architecture firm whose Healthcare practice is one of the largest in the U.S. It is comparable to FORMA in healthcare design specialization but operates globally with significantly more resources and integrated engineering.
- HOK: HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant healthcare, corporate, and commercial interior design practices. Comparable to FORMA's commercial and healthcare design focus but at enterprise scale with global delivery.
- IA Interior Architects: IA Interior Architects is a large interior architecture firm serving corporate, healthcare, and commercial clients globally. Comparable to FORMA's commercial interior design capability but at significantly greater scale and with broader geographic reach.
- Gensler: Gensler is the largest global design firm with practices across commercial, healthcare, and residential. It is comparable to FORMA's commercial and healthcare interior design capabilities but operates at vastly larger scale.
Direct peers
- EwingCole: EwingCole is an architecture and interior design firm with a deep healthcare design practice (hospitals, medical office buildings, research facilities). It directly compares to FORMA's healthcare design specialization, though it operates at much larger scale with multiple regional offices.
- Daroff Design + Interiors: Daroff Design + Interiors is a Philadelphia-based interior design firm with a strong healthcare design portfolio serving academic medical centers and research institutions. Closely comparable to FORMA in boutique healthcare interior design specialization and project scale.
- Array Architects: Array Architects is a Philadelphia-based architecture firm focused on healthcare facility planning and design. It competes with FORMA in the same healthcare-specialized interior architecture category with comparable patient-centered design philosophy and project scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FORMA Design social profiles
Digital presenceFORMA Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FORMA Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
FORMA Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FORMA 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 FORMA Design
What does FORMA Design do?
FORMA Design is an interior architecture and design firm delivering modern interior design services for residential homes, healthcare facilities (medical, dental, surgical, dermatology clinics), and commercial environments (corporate headquarters, law offices, restaurants, hospitality venues). The firm provides integrated services spanning interior architecture, interior design, branding, graphics, custom furniture design, and full furniture procurement, often overseeing projects from concept through completion.
Is FORMA Design a public or private company?
FORMA Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was FORMA Design founded?
FORMA Design was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is FORMA Design based?
FORMA Design is headquartered in Costa Mesa, United States, in the North America region.
How does FORMA Design make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architecture and Design Services are the primary driver. The others are furniture Design and Procurement.
Who are FORMA Design's main competitors?
Rapt Studio is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are CannonDesign, Perkins&Will, HKS, HOK, IA Interior Architects and Gensler. Direct peers are EwingCole, Daroff Design + Interiors and Array Architects.
Does FORMA Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for FORMA Design.
What industry is FORMA Design in?
FORMA Design's product category is Interior Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAM, Industrial/Product & Furniture Design. Its NAICS code is 541410.