THE BUSINESS OF ART
How Public Interiors Shape Success—Whether You’re Selling Lattes, Lifestyle, or Legacy
I often read books my clients would read—not because I have plans to open my own restaurant, retail store, or boutique hotel, but because I believe public places are products.
And as unromantic as that sounds, it’s the truth: our favorite spaces—the ones we return to, photograph, recommend, and remember—are tethered to bottom lines, target audiences, shifting markets, and acquisition costs (among a mountain of other things).
These are products we only get to build once, but that have to survive multiple lives. So I read. I study restaurant margins, retail flow patterns, hospitality metrics—not just for the sake of it, but to understand the complex systems our work needs to support. I want to grasp the mountain of decisions my clients face every day. And more than that, I want to find the humanity inside all of it. The place where commerce and art meet. Where the truth of a place is expressed through structure.
It’s not either/or—it’s also/and. We can design the most beautiful spaces in the world, but if no one uses them, that’s not good design—that’s just real estate. And it’s definitely not good business.
We call this designing the system. And to build a well-designed system, we have to understand what we’re translating into the built world. That’s nearly impossible if the designer and client can’t speak the same language. When your design can’t be tied to the foundation of a business, it becomes disposable. And ultimately, it’s humanity that suffers.
It’s Not Just About Looking Good
The shift has already happened. Interiors are no longer static images—they’re the pitch. They tell a story, yes, but in the business world, that story needs to inspire action: stay longer, spend more, come back. Bring someone next time. Or even more to the point work here versus there.
The right design choices aren’t just aesthetic. They’re behavioral. Strategic. And yes, they’re artful—but in service of something bigger.
Because design isn’t just visual. It’s visceral. And in a public-facing business, the right spatial experience can drive real results—from revenue to retention.
Every Space Is Selling Something
There’s a reason Restaurant Success by the Numbers devotes entire chapters to location, visibility, layout, and guest behavior: the environment isn’t just the backdrop—it’s part of the product.
The best dish in the city can’t save a space that doesn’t make people feel welcome, comfortable, or intrigued. On the flip side, an average menu in an unforgettable space? That can build a cult following.
Even if you hire an expert branding studio, it’ll fall flat if the core product stays the same—same programming, same operations, same look and feel. You’ll know it when it happens because consumers stop connecting with the brand and start buying based on price or proximity alone.
And this extends far beyond hospitality. Retail, wellness, education, cultural institutions—any time you invite the public in, your interior becomes an extension of your brand. It’s the handshake. The mood-setter. The tone before anyone says a word.
Just look at multi-family housing: it’s stuck in a sea of sameness. Branding teams are doing great work, but it still struggles to stick—because the product didn’t change. Workplaces are losing employees not because the culture isn’t aspirational online, but because the lived experience doesn’t measure up. Retail isn’t losing to e-commerce (most online carts get abandoned anyway)—they’re losing to the lack of experience inside the store.
The Rules of the Game
I approach interiors the same way every other product gets made—with a smaller margin for error. It’s the physical expression of a business plan: your unique proposition, brand essence, values, and market position, all translated into space.
It’s written in materials, rhythm, light, and layout.
How do you want people to feel?
What do you want them to do?
What should they remember?
These are business questions—answered through design.
Brand values aren’t just printed on a wall—they’re embodied. Minimalism communicates clarity. Richness suggests care. Soft lighting says stay a while. Circulation patterns reveal priorities.
When design is done with intention, it becomes the clearest, most immediate expression of what a business stands for. And that’s the game: knowing the rules well enough to bend them into something unforgettable.
The ROI of Well-Designed Experience
It’s easy to think of interiors as a “nice-to-have.” But that’s outdated thinking. Good design drives performance. Dwell time increases. Instagram posts follow. Emotional attachment builds. Return visits happen.
It’s not just about looking polished—it’s about creating emotional memory. That’s what brings people back. That’s what gets talked about. And in a world full of options, that’s what makes a business thrive.
We’ve seen spaces outperform their peers not because they had the most money, but because they had the most clarity. Clarity in what they stood for. Clarity in what they wanted people to feel. Clarity in how that feeling was executed, spatially.
At the Intersection of Art and Commerce
It might seem contradictory, but the more emotionally resonant a space is, the more successful it tends to be. Because when people connect to place—when they feel something—the rest follows.
Public interiors today are part gallery, part stage, part brand expression. The walls talk. The seating speaks. The light tells you what’s important. And good design—great design—is the business of making all of that feel seamless.
Because in the end, it’s not just about what a space looks like. It’s about what it does.
And that’s where the art of design meets the reality of commerce.
Further Reading (for the design-curious and commerce-obsessed):
Here are a few books I’ve returned to more than once—each one peels back the layers of what makes a space work:
Restaurant Success by the Numbers by Roger Fields – A brutally practical guide that reminds you how tight the margins really are.
Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill – Essential for anyone designing spaces that sell.
Setting the Table by Danny Meyer – Hospitality as a competitive advantage.
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker – A beautifully human take on why we come together (and how to make it matter).
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas – A sharp look at branding, perception, and the evolution of value.
What else should be on this list? Drop your favorite book recs in the comments or send me a message—I’m always looking for my next rabbit hole.