Reflective materials define Ginza Lounge

Local studio I IN has completed a colour saturated VIP lounge in Tokyo, using shiny aluminium, washi paper details and a reflective ceiling to create a contemporary expression of Japanese luxury.

Designed for department store Matsuya Ginza, the 348 square metre Ginza Lounge is reserved for VIP customers and JCB cardholders, offering a calm retreat within one of the city’s most animated retail districts.

GALLERY  

The interior adopts a predominantly white palette, punctuated by accents of Edo purple, a deep hue historically associated with nobility in Japan. This restrained use of colour allows light and materiality to take precedence, while grounding the project in cultural reference. According to I IN co founder Hiromu Yuyama, the aim was to articulate a new form of luxury that feels light, refined and relevant to a younger generation.

Located adjacent to the Matsuya Ginza store, the lounge draws on the character of its urban context. Ginza is known for tsuya, or gloss, a quality reflected in the studio’s extensive use of polished and lacquered surfaces. Aluminium tables, lacquered walls and a mirrored ceiling capture and diffuse light throughout the interior, giving the space a sense of depth and movement without relying on overt ornamentation.

These glossy elements are balanced by more tactile natural materials. Hinoki cypress introduces warmth and subtle texture, while softly illuminated washi paper surfaces filter light and soften the overall atmosphere. Together, these materials translate Ginza’s radiance into an architectural language that treats light as a central design element.

Visitors enter the lounge through a modernist reception area defined by a marble desk and shoji screens. From here, the space opens into a relaxed seating zone furnished with Edo purple sofas and steel tables. Sliding shoji screens fitted with washi paper panels are used throughout to delineate zones while maintaining visual continuity and flexibility.

At the rear of the lounge, a room fully enveloped in Edo purple provides a more enclosed setting for meetings. This space includes a larger communal table, a lacquered red display case and additional lounge seating, offering contrast to the lighter tones elsewhere in the interior.

Geometric paper lamps and abstract artworks add a contemporary layer to the design, reinforcing I IN’s approach to blending tradition with modernity. The Ginza Lounge ultimately presents a refined hospitality environment where reflective surfaces, cultural nuance and spatial calm converge within a high end retail context.

Images by Tomooki Kengaku via Dezeen

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