Behind the design of Soho House Tokyo

Soho House Tokyo officially opens its doors on Monday 6 April and, if you’re anything like us, you’ll be curious to know what’s been going on behind its doors as the team prepares to welcome members. Located in the Aoyama district, close to the tree-lined Omotesando (the so-called ‘Champs Élysées of Tokyo’), our first Japanese outpost – and 50th House – is set across four floors and comes complete with a rooftop, infinity-style pool, wellness studio, and 42 bedrooms. 
 
As ever, the design of the House is rooted in the culture and traditions of its home city. In Tokyo, that means drawing on Japan’s rich culture of artisanal arts and craft, alongside the high-tech futurism that’s synonymous with the city itself – all translated and presented in Soho House’s signature style. The result is a thoughtful yet playful fusion of east and west, traditional and modern, minimal and maximalist that we can’t wait for our members to see.

Setting the scene
First impressions are everything, and the lobby at Soho House Tokyo welcomes members with washi paper-clad walls, soft ambient lighting, and a curated retail offering – including a vinyl record store and bespoke vending machine. Anchoring all of this is the reception desk, which features a combination of raw copper and hand-crafted Japanese lacquer panels, setting the tone for the rest of the House.
 
‘I fell in love with a finish called Kara-nuri that I’d seen on a jewellery box,’ says Domhnall Nolan, Soho House’s Senior Interior Designer. ‘It has a beautiful depth that you just don’t get with other types of lacquer.’ 
 
Keen to find out more, Nolan worked with a Kyoto-based company whose lacquer expertise spans four generations and has highly skilled craftspeople that still use traditional techniques. After experimenting with the finish, it became an integral part of the design across the House. 

The club 
Head upstairs and you’ll find the main club space, which occupies two storeys across the 13th and 14th floors. Level 13 is the main daytime lounge, with dedicated areas for eating, drinking and coworking. It also features another nod to Japanese lacquerware with glossy, deep maroon walls and lots of clever details throughout, including a spin on classic British-style wall panelling reimagined with Japanese handmade washi inserts and repurposed Japanese roof tiles on the bar front. 
 
Here, you’ll find the same careful balance between east and west, minimalist and maximalist that drives the design across the House – from the combination of European and British vintage furniture with bespoke pieces custom-made in Japan to traditional tatami-trim details on the ceiling.
 
That same attention to detail applies on the 14th floor, where the large, leather-clad central bar and Italian lighting are complemented by locally made Japanese mosaics and accents of urushi joinery. Up here, you’ll also find the live Music Room, with its green moiré wallpaper-wrapped walls and ceiling, and a bespoke carpet designed in collaboration with Soho Home. 
 
The carpet has a deconstructed, geometric-style pattern that was inspired by the Japanese symbol for house/ home (内), which is used on textiles and cushions elsewhere, too. Also on this floor is the main restaurant space with velvet booth seating and white tablecloths counterpointed by decorative burr wood wall panelling and locally sourced mosaic floor tiles. 

The pool and wellness studio
Outside on the terrace, you’ll find a mix of lounge and dining seating, including daybeds and sunloungers arranged around a custom-tiled pool (created in collaboration with Tajimi Custom Tiles) that offers uninterrupted views across Tokyo’s iconic cityscape. On clear days, that view extends all the way out to Mount Fuji for what’s sure to become a go-to spot for sunset.
 
The wellness studio is designed for mat-based classes, including Pilates and yoga, and has an open gym space with Paragon Studio equipment. It offers similar views, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out across Aoyama-dori. Other features include bespoke washi-patterned wallpaper, reclaimed timber flooring, and carved timber-detailed wall mirrors.

The bedrooms
There are 42 bedrooms at the House, available in a range of sizes: Cosy, Cosy Twin, Medium, Large and Extra Large – and each one comes with its own furnished balcony. 
 
Inside, there are sakiori-woven bed throws and tapestries, cushion covers made from upcycled kimono fabric, washi paper-clad lighting designs and parquet wooden floors that echo the traditional ‘plank’ design of Japanese tatami mats, as well as marble bathroom details. 
 
Find out more about Soho House Tokyo and book a bedroom