The Silhouette Design Architecture team at the firm's Chicago office

Over the last 20 years, we’ve designed more than 800 spaces, and now it’s time to celebrate how far we’ve come — and set our sights on what comes next.

Our roots in Chicago are deep. Our team is made up of native Chicagoans, some going back generations, and proud transplants who’ve adopted this city as their own. Its architecture, grit, and creativity are in our DNA. It’s where we learned that great design isn’t just about how it looks — it’s about how it works, and how it makes people feel.

Today, Silhouette proudly collaborates with leading brands and concessionaires, remaining dedicated to pushing the design envelope, creating winning concepts for clients, and shaping exceptional, one-of-a-kind experiences for patrons and travelers alike.

As we celebrate this milestone, we take a moment to look back with gratitude — for the clients who trust us, the travelers who move through our spaces, and the team that makes it all possible. But mostly, we’re looking forward. Because while 20 years is worth celebrating, it’s what comes next that drives us: designing the restaurants, retail, and hospitality spaces that bring brands to life and make every journey unforgettable.

Silhouette Design Architecture was founded in Chicago in 2005 with a simple mission: create spaces that move people. Over the last 20 years, we’ve designed more than 800 spaces, and now it’s time to celebrate how far we’ve come — and set our sights on what comes next.

For two decades, Silhouette has been engaged by clients to create immersive concepts and brands that reflect a true sense of place — concepts that are visually striking, operationally efficient, scalable, and achievable. Leveraging technology, creativity, collaboration, and substantial industry expertise, we’ve transformed ideas into built environments that not only function seamlessly but also leave a lasting impression.

For a long time, Silhouette was the airport hospitality industry’s best-kept secret — the behind-the-scenes partner creating winning RFP designs, award-winning concepts, and coordinating smooth build-outs. Our work has spoken for itself: 800 projects in 75 airports worldwide. In just the last two years, our designs have been shortlisted 14 times for AXN Awards. Now, we’re going further. We’ve expanded our services to include full RFP preparation, graphics, branding, packaging, and web design — and we’re bringing that same creative firepower to restaurant clients in Chicago, designing streetside brick-and-mortar concepts and collaborating with commercial real estate developers in the city we call home.