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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Taniroku Saka Cookie Shop by Akitoshi Imafuku Is Granted the Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design

Akitoshi Imafuku acknowledged for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 21, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Taniroku Saka Cookie Shop by Akitoshi Imafuku has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached 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.

About Taniroku Saka Cookie Shop

Taniroku Saka offers an assortment of desserts to accompany tea time. The design concept of sea of clouds at the mountaintop, was developed by imagining the luxurious experience and brisk feel of having tea with sweets while overlooking a sea of clouds. The site of the shop is situated on a hill called Mt. Sanada because a samurai lord Sanada built a castle there. The hill is unfortunately too low to be called a mountain. Yet it is a hilltop, so the designers evolved the image and came up with the concept.

About Akitoshi Imafuku

Born in Osaka Prefecture, founded supermaniac inc. in 2000. He specializes in branding, marketing, creative direction, and spatial design for various environments. His work has won several awards including the top prize at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, Gold at the Sky Design Awards and IDA Design Awards, and recognition from the iF Design Award and more. He has also received Japanese design awards.

Award Record

With this recognition, Akitoshi Imafuku is a winner of 8 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2016 - 2017 and the 2024 - 2025 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

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
Taniroku Saka Cookie Shop
Function
Cookie Shop
Category
Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture and Packaging & Retail
Colors
Silver, Dark Gray, Light Gray, Gainsboro and Gray
Images
5

The Recognition

Laureate
Akitoshi Imafuku
Country
Japan
Recognition
Bronze A' Design Award
Edition
2024 - 2025
Design ID
#168386

Credits

Image Credits
Photographer: Masahiro Ishibashi

Design Details

Unique Properties
Taniroku Saka offers an assortment of desserts to accompany tea time. The design concept “a sea of clouds at the mountaintop” was developed by imagining the luxurious experience and brisk feel of having tea with sweets while overlooking a sea of clouds. The site of the shop is situated on a hill called Mt. Sanada because a samurai lord Sanada built a castle there. The hill is unfortunately too low to be called a mountain. Yet it is a hilltop, so the designers evolved the image and came up with the concept.
Inspiration
The most distinctive feature is the sales stands that occupy the entire sales floor. Aisles for staff are minimized, prompting the staff to serve customers outside. This sales style was inspired by the greengrocer and the fish shop nearby. The designers noticed they always stay in their storefronts to serve customers, adding a lively vibe to the neighborhood. They thought such assertive marketing instead of waiting for them to come in could be more appropriate for this neighborhood.

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

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