Best interior designers for HiFi spaces including cafe, bar and gyms

When visiting public spaces like coffee shops, bars, restaurants or gyms - design and audio are crucial elements in addition to the actual service offering. Who is behind these spaces that tend to look AND sound good?

Some of the New York spaces are listed here:

• Best sounding bars in New York
  
• Best sounding coffee shops in New York

To design high-fidelity (HiFi) spaces like the Softbar by Bolt, you need a designer who understands acoustic performance just as much as interior aesthetics. The "HiFi" trend, rooted in Japanese jazz kissas, has expanded into "social wellness" (gyms/recovery) and "listening bars" (cafes/bars).

The following table summarizes 20 of the world's leading interior design firms specializing in high-fidelity (HiFi) listening bars, cafes, and premium "social wellness" spaces:

Top Designers for HiFi & Wellness Spaces

#	Design Firm	Instagram Handle	Headquarters	Notable HiFi / Sound Project
1	Bolt Design Group	@boltdesigngroup	Brooklyn, NY	Softbar (Social Wellness/Listening)
2	EBBA Architects	@ebba_architects	London, UK	Space Talk (Listening Bar)
3	Parts and Labor Design	@partsandlabordesign	NYC	Eavesdrop (Listening Bar)
4	Akin Atelier	@akinatelier	Sydney, AU	JAM Record Bar
5	Fraher and Findlay	@fraherandfindlay	London, UK	Spiritland (Kings Cross)
6	Bells + Whistles	@bellsandwhistles_design	Los Angeles, CA	Remedy Place (HiFi Wellness)
7	Pirajean Lees	@pirajeanlees	London, UK	Kioku Bar (The OWO)
8	Plantea Estudio	@planteaestudio	Madrid, ES	Gota Wine (Listening Bar)
9	RIOS	@rios_imagines	Los Angeles, CA	Equipment Room (Austin)
10	StudioKOS	@studiokos_nyc	NYC	Public Records (Brooklyn)
11	Muromuro Studio	@muromurostudio	Bucharest, RO	Bar Ton (Listening Bar)
12	Leopold Banchini	@leopoldbanchini	Geneva, CH	Goodbye Horses (London)
13	Francesco Lupia	@francesco_lupia_	Milan, IT	L'Atelier Sonore (Valentino NYC)
14	Barbara Chancey	@barbarachancey_design	Dallas, TX	Ritual Fitness (Boutique Gym)
15	zynk Design	@zynk_design	London, UK	BodyWorksWest (Luxury Fitness)
16	Grzywinski+Pons	@grzywinskipons	NYC	ANIMA (Locke Berlin)
17	Solum Studio	@solum_arc	Milan, IT	Onda Listening Bar
18	Mia Architecture	@miakarlssoninteriordesign	London, UK	Under the Counter (Soho)
19	AvroKO	@avroko	NYC	Eaton Workshop (Radio Station)
20	Mojo Stumer	@mojostumer	Greenvale, NY	Equinox (Multiple NYC locations)

 

Key Acoustic Features for These Spaces

To successfully pitch your speakers to firms like these, your design should account for the specific architectural constraints they often work with:

• Plywood Millwork: Used by Parts and Labor and Akin Atelier to create "diffractive" surfaces that break up standing waves.
• Heavy Drapery: Employed by Bolt and Pirajean Lees for variable acoustic dampening, allowing a space to transition from "lively" (cafe) to "dry" (critical listening).
• Porous Materials: Natural cork, lime plaster, and "pink batt" (insulation) left exposed as high-design textures that double as sound absorbers.

Here are 20 of the best interior designers and firms specialized in designing sound-centric cafes, bars, and premium fitness spaces.

1. Bolt Design Group (Brooklyn, NY)

Notable Projects: Softbar + Café, Good Bar, The Lot Radio.

The firm behind your example, Softbar. They are masters of the "third space," blending industrial fabrication with soft, acoustic-absorbing materials (curtains, wood joinery, and plush seating).

2. EBBA Architects (London, UK)

Notable Project: Space Talk (Clerkenwell).

EBBA collaborated with designer Charlotte Taylor to create a multi-zone "living room" listening bar. They use monolithic woodblock walls and curved steel to guide sound waves while creating an intimate, domestic atmosphere.

3. Parts and Labor Design (NYC)

Notable Projects: Eavesdrop (Brooklyn), Hi-Note.

They designed Eavesdrop, one of the most famous modern HiFi bars. Their approach treats the furniture as acoustic baffles, using custom plywood millwork and integrated speakers to create a "sonic living room."

4. Akin Atelier (Sydney, AU)

Notable Project: JAM Record Bar.

Led by Kelvin Ho, this firm designed JAM to feel like "drinking a cocktail inside a giant speaker box." They utilize pink fiberglass insulation panels and sound-absorbing cork as a primary aesthetic feature.

5. Fraher and Findlay (London, UK)

Notable Project: Spiritland (King’s Cross).

Pioneers of the UK listening bar scene, they worked with Spiritland to create a space that functions as a world-class recording studio and a public cafe, using Ash mocca and brass accents to complement the massive Living Voice speakers.

6. Bells + Whistles (Los Angeles, CA)

Notable Project: Remedy Place (NYC/LA).

If you are looking for "HiFi gyms" or wellness spaces, this is the benchmark. They designed the brutalist, minimalist social wellness clubs with high-fidelity integrated sound, focusing on "maximal texture" to manage acoustics.

7. Pirajean Lees (London, UK)

Notable Project: Kioku Bar at The OWO.

Specialists in storytelling through materials, they designed the Kioku sake bar with oxblood dado and clay walls, featuring a custom solid-wood turntable station integrated into the millwork.

8. Plantea Estudio (Madrid, ES)

Notable Project: Gota Madrid.

They are known for "Volcanic Volumes," using exposed brick and warm walnut with discreet lighting to create a sophisticated, low-intervention environment for vinyl listening.

9. RIOS (Austin/LA)

Notable Project: Equipment Room (Austin).

This firm transformed a hotel basement into a vinyl-only lounge using Japanese kissa principles. They specialize in high-concept hospitality where audio equipment is the focal point.

10. StudioKOS (NYC)

Notable Project: Public Records (Brooklyn).

They worked on the expansion of Public Records, arguably the most important HiFi venue in the US. Their work emphasizes "functional acoustics"—using wood slat ceilings and custom-built sound systems as architectural elements.

11. Muromuro Studio & Anda Zota (Bucharest, RO)

Notable Project: Bar Ton.

They specialize in adaptive reuse, turning historic music shops into HiFi bars. They use birch plywood shelving as a structural element to hold thousands of records, doubling as a sound diffuser.

12. Leopold Banchini Architects (Geneva, CH)

Notable Project: Goodbye Horses (London).

This firm used a single oak tree to craft the entire interior of a listening bar. Their minimalist, natural approach (lime plaster and earth flooring) provides exceptional organic acoustics.

13. Francesco Lupia (Italy)

Notable Project: L’Atelier Sonore (Valentino Madison Ave).

Lupia designed the "Sound Atelier" for Valentino in collaboration with Terraforma. It features undulating modular velvet seating and floor-to-ceiling curtains designed for "avant-garde listening salons."

14. Barbara Chancey Design Group (International)

Specialty: Boutique Fitness Sound.

Unlike generalists, Chancey specializes in "sensory-filled atmospheres" for gyms. They handle the architecture, acoustics, and the installation of "rock legend" grade sound systems for spin and HIIT studios.

15. zynk Design (London, UK)

Specialty: High-End Gym/Spa Wellness.

They are the leading architects for the luxury wellness industry, focusing on intelligent layouts that connect sound, light, and movement. They are experts in isolating heavy vibrations (gym weights) from high-fidelity audio.

16. Grzywinski+Pons (NYC/London)

Notable Project: Locke at East Side Gallery (Berlin).

Their work often features custom-built timber furniture and natural textures that are perfect for the "soft industrial" HiFi look found in Berlin and Brooklyn.

17. Solum Studio (Milan, IT)

Notable Project: Onda Milan.

They utilize a "stainless-steel-meets-wood" aesthetic, pairing cold industrial surfaces with warm wooden paneling to balance the sound in high-energy cocktail/listening bar hybrids.

18. Mia Architecture (London, UK)

Notable Project: Under the Counter (Soho).

A newer firm specializing in underground, low-lit minimalist havens. They worked closely with Klipsch to ensure the spatial geometry of the bar maximized the horn-loaded speaker performance.

19. AvroKO (Global)

Notable Projects: Eaton Workshop (DC), Quality Bistro.

Known for their "hospitable thinking" philosophy, they are experts at integrating "Listening Rooms" into larger hotel and gym developments, treating audio as a core pillar of the guest experience.

20. Mojo Stumer (New York, NY)

Notable Projects: Equinox Gyms.

Specialists in luxury gym architecture, they are the go-to firm for "The Equinox look"—sleek, modern fitness spaces where high-end sound and architectural lighting are fully integrated into the ceiling and wall structures.

If you're starting one of these spaces, feel free to reach out to them or just get inspired by their work!