What atelier cho thompson does

Atelier Cho Thompson is a privately held, women-owned multidisciplinary design firm founded in 2014 by Christina Cho Yoo and Ming Thompson, operating from offices in New Haven, CT (headquarters) and San Francisco, CA. The firm delivers architecture, interior design, graphic design, brand strategy, furniture design, and exhibition/installation services under an integrated practice model that intentionally crosses discipline boundaries to produce holistically conceived environments. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees quoted by scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing or subscription model; clients range from individual projects (e.g., Hillside Home, Lafayette Home) to enterprise and institutional commissions (Kinkaid Upper School, 225,000 sf; MOCA Workshop; Turo; Goodwater Capital; EQ Office; Michigan Central Station) and civic engagements (City of New Haven Goffe Street Armory).

The firm's technology stack is centered on its proprietary integrated design methodology rather than software products. Notable technical components include custom signage and wayfinding systems (Spice Kit pegboard/elastic system, Pebbles Toy Store branding), modular retail fixtures (Michigan Central Station polycarbonate/wood/metal system), and the publicly accessible Interwoven interactive light/sound installation in the Flatiron Public Plaza. The firm is also developing Tabula, a digital dashboard intended to transform student transcripts into an active collaborative tool for student development, representing its first software product.

Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven: project acquisition comes through direct client engagement, design competition wins, professional referrals, and editorial visibility in Dezeen, Architizer, Interior Design, Architectural Record, and Metropolis. Distribution is regional (California and Connecticut) with growing national project delivery. Marketing relies on earned media, awards competitions (AIA, Architizer, Dezeen, NYCxDesign), academic teaching by the principals at Yale, UC Berkeley, and CCA, and a project portfolio website. Customer segments span educational institutions (Kinkaid, Yale, Stanford, SFUSD, Riverdale), arts and cultural organizations (MOCA, Long Wharf Theatre, NXTHVN), corporate and venture capital clients (Turo, Goodwater Capital, EQ Office), hospitality and retail (Gioia, Pebbles, Spice Kit, Umami Mart), and government/public institutions (City of New Haven).

Name

atelier cho thompson

Legal name

Atelier Cho Thompson, Inc.

Website

https://chothompson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atelier Cho Thompson is a women-owned multidisciplinary design firm delivering architecture, interiors, graphics, and brand strategy for educational, cultural, corporate, hospitality, and public-sector clients across the US from New Haven and San Francisco offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Interior Design Services: Full-service architecture and interior design for residential, commercial, institutional, and hospitality projects. Revenue generated through project-based fees for design, permitting, construction administration, and related professional services.
2. Graphic Design and Branding Services: Brand identity, graphic design, environmental graphics, signage, and wayfinding services for businesses and organizations across various industries including food, education, fashion, and technology.
3. Furniture and Installation Design: Custom furniture design, museum installations, exhibition design, and public art installations for corporate clients, institutions, and community organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Atelier Cho Thompson is a multidisciplinary design firm that provides integrated architecture, interior design, graphic design, brand strategy, furniture design, and installation/exhibition design services. The firm serves educational institutions, cultural organizations, corporate clients, and hospitality brands with project-based professional design services delivered through a cross-disciplinary methodology.

Product overview

Atelier Cho Thompson is a multidisciplinary design and concept firm engaged in architecture, interiors, graphics, brand strategy, furniture, installations, and exhibitions. The firm operates as a single integrated practice with three core service offerings: Architecture & Interior Design Services (for residential, commercial, institutional, and hospitality projects), Strategy & Graphics Services (brand identity and visual strategy), and Furniture & Installation Design. Notable featured projects include the award-winning Interwoven public art installation, Kinkaid Upper School educational facility, Forest Pavilion residential project, MOCA Workshop museum archive, and Co.House boutique hospitality. The firm is also developing Tabula, a digital dashboard for student transcripts. The company is co-founded by Christina Cho Yoo and Ming Thompson, with offices in San Francisco and New Haven. The firm has received numerous industry awards including AIA CT Project of the Year, Interior Design Best of Year, and Architizer Best Young Interiors Firm. The firm is certified as a Women-Owned San Francisco Local Business Enterprise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture & Interior Design Services Comprehensive architecture and interior design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and hospitality projects. The firm works closely with clients to create environments addressing their needs and desires, capitalizing on technical know-how to produce inspirational, inventive designs.
• Strategy & Graphics Services Brand identity development, visual strategy, and graphic design services for businesses in food, education, fashion, technology, and other industries. Services span from business cards to signage, wayfinding, and storefront design.
• Furniture & Installation Design Custom furniture design and installation/exhibition design services. The firm develops booths, installations, exhibitions, and furniture that reflect brand identity or mission and produce compelling experiences at multiple scales.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple AIA Connecticut awards including Project of the Year and multiple Design Awards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yerba Buena Center for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Selected to design the Community Prototype for the Market Street Prototyping Festival in San Francisco. Worked closely with Think Tank of community groups to design Swallowtail pavilion serving the Central Market neighborhood. Featured in AIA's 2017 Emerging Professionals Exhibit.
• Vera ShurminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Collaborated with Vera Shur on Market for L'Aquila proposal, with guidance from Shigeru Ban & Danielle Etzler. Project was a proposal for modular marketplace for L'Aquila, Italy following devastating earthquake.
• Harvard Graduate School of DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed graphic design for Convergent Flux Exhibition, 2nd in Harvard GSD's New Trajectories series. Exhibit presented innovative Korean architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning projects. Contents available in book titled Convergent Flux: Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism in Korea.
• Van Alen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon 8th annual Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition sponsored by Van Alen Institute & Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership. Interwoven installation on view November 22, 2021-January 2, 2022 in Flatiron North Public Plaza, Manhattan.
• Flatiron/23rd Street PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition winner. Interwoven installation created highly visible landmark at iconic NYC intersection.
• Equity by Design / AIA San FranciscominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated infographics displaying results of landmark survey on equity in architectural practice. Infographics featured at Equity by Design 2016: Meaning, Metric, & Matrices national conference.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Gang: Boutique multidisciplinary architecture and design firm known for integrated approach across buildings, interiors, and installations. Comparable in scale, multidisciplinary breadth, and award-winning positioning to Atelier Cho Thompson.
• Rapt Studio: Specialized workplace design firm combining architecture, interiors, and brand strategy for tech and corporate clients. Directly comparable to Atelier Cho Thompson's corporate/commercial segment (Turo, Goodwater Capital, EQ Office, Google).
• MASS Design Group: Mission-driven architecture and design firm combining built environment work with research, exhibitions, and installations. Comparable multidisciplinary scope and emphasis on social impact across cultural and institutional clients.
• Olson Kundig: Boutique Seattle architecture and design firm recognized for integrated residential, commercial, and installation work with strong craft and material focus. Comparable boutique positioning and multidisciplinary design practice.
• Aidlin Darling Design: Small, award-winning San Francisco-based architecture and design practice with similar multidisciplinary scope spanning architecture, interiors, furniture, and installations. Comparable boutique scale and design-led approach in the same West Coast market.
• Clive Wilkinson Architects: Workplace-focused architecture and interiors firm with strong corporate client base (notably Google). Comparable in scale and focus on office interiors, branding integration, and custom workplace installations.

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global design and architecture firm with broad practice across workplaces, hospitality, education, and culture. Operates in many of the same verticals as ACT but at vastly larger scale and with a much broader service offering.
• Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Established architecture firm recognized for integrated design of buildings, interiors, and product/brand work including Apple stores and tech headquarters. Comparable craft-led multidisciplinary approach; co-founder Christina Cho Yoo previously worked there.
• Snøhetta: Internationally recognized multidisciplinary design practice spanning architecture, interiors, graphic design, and landscape. Larger than ACT but shares the integrated multidisciplinary ethos and brand-driven design approach across cultural and civic projects.
• SHoP Architects: Larger New York-based multidisciplinary architecture firm with technology-driven, integrated design approach. Notable because ACT co-founder Christina Cho Yoo previously worked there, indicating comparable methodology and design culture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atelier-cho-thompson-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 atelier cho thompson