Press Release
Japanese Taste Retail Outlet by Shunsuke Ohe Is Granted the Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Shunsuke Ohe acknowledged for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Japanese Taste Retail Outlet by Shunsuke Ohe has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Japanese Taste Retail Outlet
Japanese Taste is a retail outlet located in Kyoto Station in Japan. The store presents crafts, food, sake, cosmetics and daily goods made by artisans, farmers and producers from across Japan. The interior follows Japanese minimalism, using space, light, shadow and restraint instead of decorative motifs. A black toned exterior frames a warm interior of wood, stone and soft light. A large central table works as both display and stage, while vertical lattice elements add depth. The design turns a place of transit into a place of cultural encounter.
About Shunsuke Ohe
CEO and founder of LUSTYdesign Inc. From a young age, he developed an interest in architecture and interior design, formally commencing his studies in both fields at the age of fifteen. He undertakes architectural design, interior design, and interior coordination for hotels, residences, retail spaces, offices, and showrooms. His designs are guided by the theme of ‘inspiring the human heart’.
Award Record
This recognition makes Shunsuke Ohe a winner of 19 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2020 - 2021 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/183559
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/183559
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!183559
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/296080
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://lusty-design.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Japanese Taste Retail Outlet
- Function
- Retail Outlet
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Black, Gray, Rosy Brown, Gainsboro and Sienna
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Shunsuke Ohe
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #183559
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photograph : NANA TAJIMA by ToLoLo studio
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Japanese products featured here range widely, from crafts and food to sake, cosmetics and everyday essentials. However, these are not merely commodities. They embody the local climate, materials and techniques, the philosophy of their makers, and the aesthetic sensibilities cultivated by the Japanese people. Consequently, this space aims to serve as a vessel that quietly draws out the value inherent in these diverse items and conveys it to our visitors.
- Inspiration
- Kyoto remains an international city open to the world, whilst embracing a thousand years of history and culture. In this city, which welcomes countless visitors from both home and abroad, Kyoto Station is not merely a transport hub, but a gateway that shapes the city’s first impression. This project involves a retail initiative in this highly public space, showcasing and selling goods crafted by artisans, farmers and producers from across Japan.
- Research
- A key aim of this project was to transform Kyoto Station from a place of transit into a place of cultural encounter. Through calm fixture planning, restrained lighting, layered sightlines, and a curatorial approach that unifies diverse products, the space invites visitors to pause, explore, and reflect. More than a shop, Japanese Taste presents a contemporary way to communicate the essence of Japanese craftsmanship and sensibility to the world.
- Challenge
- At the centre of the space, a large table functions as both display and stage, connecting visitors with products and their stories. Soft fabric like lighting above and vertical lattice elements create warmth, depth, and quiet symbolism. A restrained palette of wood, stone, black, and red brings unity to the diverse product range, forming a subtle spatial framework that allows the products to stand out.
- Realization and Technology
- Ceiling : wall paper / Wall : wood , wall paper , stone , wooden lattice / Floor : pvc tile
- Operation and Interaction
- At the heart of the design is minimalism, a principle deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Rather than relying on superficial motifs, the space reinterprets ma, light and shadow, materiality, order, and restraint within a contemporary retail setting. Framed by a black toned exterior, the interior offers warmth, soft light, and calm, creating a quiet contrast to the bustle of the station and inviting visitors to pause and engage.
- Project Duration and Location
- Project Duration : From April 2025 to July 2025 Project location : Kyoto(Japan)
- Specifications
- Project area : 114.5 sqm / Category : Retail Outlet
- Keywords
- stone , wood , tile , Japanese-style , Kyoto , noren , LUSTYdesign , Shunsuke Ohe
