Commune Design
From Residential to Experience Design
Commune Design
Architecture
Brand Strategy
Commune Design built exceptional residential architecture. But they wanted hospitality projects—boutique hotels, restaurants, mixed-use developments. Their portfolio communicated "residential specialists." Hospitality clients didn't take them seriously. The work was there, but positioning obscured it. They needed repositioning around approach, not building type.
Challenge
Commune Design built exceptional residential architecture. High-end homes. Exceptional craftsmanship. Happy clients who referred other wealthy homeowners. But they wanted hospitality projects. Boutique hotels. Restaurants. Mixed-use developments. Projects that define careers and attract press coverage. Their portfolio communicated "residential specialists." Every case study was a home. Every client testimonial was a homeowner. Their brand felt boutique—excellent for wealthy individuals, wrong for hospitality developers. Hospitality clients didn't take them seriously. RFPs went to firms with hotel experience. Developers couldn't see past the residential work. The work was there—several homes had hospitality-level detail and scale. But the positioning obscured it.
Solution
We repositioned around approach, not output. Instead of "residential architects expanding to hospitality," we positioned as "experience designers working across scales." Not about building types—about understanding how people inhabit space. New positioning: "Lived experience design." Portfolio restructured entirely. Instead of organizing by "residential" or "commercial," we organized by experience type: "intimate," "social," "retreat," "urban." A 2,000 sq ft home and a 20-room boutique hotel could both be "intimate" projects. Visual identity shifted from boutique to editorial. Magazine-style layouts. Photography focused on how spaces are used, not just how they look. Documentation of material choices and spatial decisions. New services articulated: spatial programming, experience mapping, material systems. Language that works for any building type.
Result
- First boutique hotel project secured within 4 months ($8.5M development) - Featured in Wallpaper*, Dezeen, Architectural Digest - Hospitality RFP invitations increased from 0 to 12 in eight months - Residential client inquiries didn't decrease—they increased (premium clients want architects who do hospitality) - Speaking invitation at AIA conference (hospitality design panel) - Restaurant project in development (celebrity chef partnership) "We're not residential architects anymore. We're experience designers who happen to work across building types."
From our Client:
"We're not residential architects anymore. We're experience designers who happen to work across building types."
Maya Patel
Principal, Commune Design