Meet the interior design and architectural firm gaining momentum in New York

New York City is considered a cultural giant in the fine-dining scene, and the greater New York area boasts a number of up-and-coming restaurants that more than hold their own.  Across the state, in towns like Albany and Troy, new restaurants are popping up regularly, featuring bold layouts, stunning visuals, and impeccable design that offer guests a memorable night out.

One design firm is building a notable footprint in the New York restaurant scene with its unique design strategy.  Dunne Kozlowski is an architecture, interior design, branding, and project delivery firm that operates around a single core belief: that meaningful experiences are built on more than design alone.  Led by founders Corey Dunne and Paul Kozlowski, the firm designs around how people actually live, not how spaces are traditionally categorized or how they are supposed to function.

“Many restaurants are designed to look good, but fail operationally,” says Corey Dunne, co-founder. “We start in a different place.  We listen first, spending time understanding how our clients move through the day.  Design decisions come after that, not before.”

Dunne Kozlowski

The team at Dunne Kozlowski considers the brand’s initial vision, how the space will actually be used, and the experience they want to create for their guests.  Then they work with them to design a restaurant that serves its guests not just visually, but practically.

“We don’t design for ego or for a pretty picture in a magazine,” says Paul Kozlowski, co-founder.  “Hospitality is about more than just getting a meal.  It takes into account many things, from how the customer feels to the quality of their experience and the seamless flow of operations.”

The other part of the equation that helps define Dunne Kozlowski is its holistic approach to restaurant design. Whereas traditional architectural firms draw up architectural plans before handing them off to outside vendors, Dunne Kozlowski handles every part of the process from concept through completion.  

The firm offers services including architecture, interior design, concepting, branding, project management, procurement, and construction administration.  Its strategy of consolidating everything under one roof came as a natural evolution of years spent watching clients deal with friction, costly delays, and vendor miscommunications.

“We brought interior design services in-house to reduce friction for our clients,” says Dunne.  “From there, we’ve continued to evolve by identifying the services in a project that can cause the most problems for our clients and integrating them into our business—allowing operators to stay focused on running theirs.”