In an era where experience drives retail, hospitality, and mixed-use success, Vancouver-based Black Label Designs is leading a quiet revolution. Founded by Pria Rajput, the firm is repositioning underperforming properties into dynamic, revenue-generating destinations by treating design not as decoration, but as strategy.
In a Q&A with Retail Insider, Rajput shares how her multidisciplinary firm integrates architecture, interiors, and brand identity to drive performance and emotional connection — whether for a legacy restaurant, transit-adjacent strip mall, or new mixed-use development in Squamish.
“We treat every square foot as investable equity,” says Rajput. “Design isn’t just about how a space looks — it’s about how it performs.”
A Strategic Repositioning Approach
Black Label Designs refers to itself not simply as a design studio but as a “branding-and-design repositioning strategist.” For developers, landlords, and hospitality groups, that distinction is meaningful.
“We audit a property through three converging lenses: asset value, brand story, and guest experience,” explains Rajput. “Then we choreograph those elements so the space starts performing like a business engine, not just a backdrop.”
One example she shares is a heritage hotel restaurant with strong bones but lagging traffic. Instead of gutting the space, Black Label Designs salvaged original millwork, refreshed the visual identity, and re-mapped circulation.
“We created a coffee-to-cocktail concept that works from 7 a.m. to midnight,” she says. “Six months later, seat turns were up 35 percent, the grab-and-go counter added a new revenue stream, and bar sales surpassed previous full-day totals — all without a costly rebuild.”
From Fashion Shoots to Design Strategy
Rajput’s unconventional path to leading a design firm helps explain her unique lens.
“Before architecture and interiors, I ran a hair-and-makeup studio as a creative director,” she shares. “I was curating lighting, music, and palettes for shoots. That taught me that great design is a mosaic of emotion, function, and atmosphere.”
Her multidisciplinary career spans beauty, branding, and large-scale architectural projects. Founding Black Label Designs allowed her to unite those experiences into a cohesive offering.
“Space, story, and operations must dance together or the experience falls flat,” she notes.
That philosophy now underpins projects across Canada and internationally, from New York to Dubai.
Rooted in Vancouver, Working Nationally
While now headquartered in Vancouver, Black Label Designs works across Canada with a growing portfolio.
“Vancouver is a city where design, culture, and commerce intersect,” Rajput says. “There’s a strong appetite for intentional, community-driven spaces. But our studio has always been national. We’re set up to work remotely and on the ground.”
One of the most anticipated projects currently underway is in Squamish, where the team is reimagining a long-vacant site into a food and entertainment destination.
“Picture a dark, unused space,” she says. “We saw a chance to flip it into a regional draw. Think chef-driven kiosks, rotating pop-ups, intimate performance corners — a flexible plaza for markets and music.”
Though branding and tenant details remain under wraps, community and operator interest has been “electric.”
“We’re layering the experience so it feels both rooted in Squamish’s mountain-to-sound heritage and forward-looking. More to come soon,” Rajput adds.
One Studio, Two Disciplines: Design and Branding
What makes Black Label Designs stand out in a crowded field is its dual offering of interior design and branding services — a rare combination under one roof.
“Most studios do interiors or branding, not both. Fewer still do both with a strategic lens grounded in business goals,” says Rajput.
The firm’s integrated model means messaging, customer journey, visual identity, signage, and spatial layout are all created as one system.
“That saves time, avoids misalignment, and results in spaces that are beautiful, branded, and revenue-aware,” she says. “We think holistically, whether it’s naming a concept, planning the back-of-house, or laying out the customer journey.”
Metrics That Matter
Rajput and her team don’t just design — they measure. Key metrics include dwell time, spend per square foot, energy usage, and brand sentiment.
“Those numbers tell you whether the space is delivering both economic and emotional returns,” she says.
Black Label Designs uses dashboards integrating tenant POS data and visitor analytics to track real-time performance, enabling clients to move beyond subjective aesthetic judgments.
Unlocking Hidden Value
Rajput is especially enthusiastic about overlooked real estate and adaptive reuse opportunities.
“Under-loved strip centres near transit, heritage buildings with boutique landlords, hospitality groups exploring wellness amenities — these are the spaces we love,” she says. “They’re ripe for blending narrative, architecture, and commerce.”
The firm’s recent refresh of 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters’ flagship illustrates that approach. The redesign increased seating by 45 percent, added a branded merchandise area, and introduced layout changes that aided content creation for marketing.
“We aligned story, layout, and brand touchpoints — lighting, scent, digital — to reignite emotional connection. The results spoke for themselves,” Rajput notes.
Planning for the Future
Looking ahead, Rajput envisions a future where Black Label Designs is embedded earlier in the development process.
“We want to be strategic partners at the acquisition stage,” she says. “That means helping investors assess upside potential before the deal closes.”
To that end, the firm is investing in research, data partnerships, and a growing library of adaptive reuse case studies.
“We’re building tools that support better decision-making — combining gut and data, creativity and commercial logic,” she says.
Helping Brands Break Through Stagnation
Rajput is also increasingly approached by retailers stuck in dated environments or brand fatigue.
“It usually starts with a gap between what a brand promises online and what customers feel in-store,” she explains. “Those gaps bleed revenue.”
Black Label Designs begins by clarifying a brand’s story and translating it into the physical experience. That could mean reshaping sightlines, updating merchandising zones, or adding tactile brand moments.
“Too many brands start to blend in,” says Rajput. “Our job is to help them stand out again — with intention.”
Design as a Business Lever
At its core, Black Label Designs operates with the belief that design is a business lever, not a luxury.
“Design is profit strategy,” Rajput asserts. “It converts tired square footage into top-performing assets.”
Clients include developers, operators, and even healthcare providers. Across sectors, Rajput and her team focus on balancing aesthetics with performance, blending emotional resonance with measurable ROI.
“We’re not just about beauty — we’re about outcomes,” she says. “Whether it’s dwell time, sales per square foot, or tenant mix, our work is grounded in results.”
A Distinctive Blend of Art and Strategy
Founded more than a decade ago, Black Label Designs brings together branding, interiors, and architectural design with a refined aesthetic and entrepreneurial drive. The firm is known for fusing classic and contemporary styles, sourcing one-of-a-kind pieces from global and local artisans, and crafting immersive environments tailored to brand stories.
Rajput’s background in makeup artistry, sculpture, and branding continues to influence the firm’s human-centred design philosophy. And despite its boutique size, the firm handles projects with national and international reach — from hospitality to mixed-use developments, retail to wellness.
“Design is about more than style,” says Rajput. “It’s about solving problems, telling stories, and creating spaces people want to return to.”
Final Word
As retail, hospitality, and real estate markets shift rapidly, Black Label Designs offers a nimble, imaginative partner for brands and owners seeking to evolve.
With Rajput at the helm, the Vancouver-based studio delivers design with depth — emotionally compelling, brand-aligned, and bottom-line driven. Whether repositioning a forgotten plaza or redefining a flagship store, Black Label Designs proves that thoughtful design is no longer a luxury — it’s essential infrastructure for growth.
“The goal is to make spaces that people love, and investors prize,” says Rajput. “Because when design and strategy align, real estate doesn’t just work — it thrives.”
