Specializing in retail, restaurant and hotel interiors as well as high-productivity workplaces, Wanzer Munizza Design Studio has done work for the likes of REI, Starbucks and Microsoft. While with Mithun, the two worked on projects such as REI's flagship Seattle store; The World of Eddie Bauer in Oakbrook, Ill.; Broadmoor Golf and Country Clubhouse Renovation in Seattle; and Indian Summer Golf and Country Club, Yelm, Wash.

Mithun, the region's fifth largest design firm, employs 130 people providing architecture, landscape and interior design services in the United States and Asia. The acquisition will give Mithun instant access to the corporate, hospitality and retail interiors market. For Wanzer and Munizza, the acquisition means they put some money in the bank and shed day-to-day business duties in favor of designing.

Last month, Mithun added Lee Copeland as a consulting principal. Copeland left Seattle-based Weinstein Copeland Architects in order to take the position. A former dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Washington, Copeland was brought on to bring in more urban planning and educational project business. His recent work includes master plans for the University of Washington and Duke University.