We love to make the weird work
At Design the Commons, we thrive on bringing creativity, strength, and balance to real-world challenges. Whether it’s a hospitality space requiring clear expression, a retail environment demanding both innovation and tight functionality, or a workplace balancing flexibility, performance, and experience - we make the weird work. We see contradictions as opportunities, crafting designs that are simple, sustainable, and unmistakably yours.
We’re not just architects and designers; we’re trusted partners in bringing a shared vision to life. With that vision as our compass, we bring deep commitment, clarity, and a knack for turning challenges into possibilities.
By embracing complexity and finding harmony in opposing needs, we deliver solutions that transform ambitions into a thriving reality—we’re here to help you build not just a structure, but the foundation for your next chapter
Two kiwis walk into a bar
We began in New Zealand almost twenty years ago in Architecture school. A shared passion for design sparked our first conversation that has only deepened over time. Our careers have spanned the globe working for some respected Urban Design, Interior and Architectural offices on a wide range of projects from our home for the last 15 years, Amsterdam.
In 2024 we started, Design the Commons.
The Commons is grounded in our experience that projects succeed with a common vision, & direction.
We believe great design is about truly understanding the heart of our clients’ ambitions and translating them into spaces and experiences that perform, inspire, and endure.
Our mission is simple: to create functional, beautiful, spaces that measurably improve the lives and business of our clients.
We thrive on turning unknowns into clear, actionable plans. We have turned the idea of doing more with less into a rich working method of sustainable, efficient and surprising solutions for our clients where all resources, time, money and materials are handled with care.
If you’re curious to know more, please, as they say in New Zealand, give us a shout!