YINJISPACE use media professional’s unique perspective,try to explore the essence of life behind the design works.

© logo 粤ICP备19077098号

YINJISPACE use media professional’s unique perspective,try to explore the essence of life behind the design works.

© logo 粤ICP备19077098号
Japan

Curiosity

Curiosity is a multidisciplinary studio in Tokyo founded by the famous French designer Gwenael Nicolas. The studio constantly redefines the boundaries of design, from interior design to architecture and product design. Not an abstract way, but by working with a large number of companies and customers to create new products, develop new materials and define new design logos, Gwenael Nicolas was born in France in 1966, with a BA in Interior Design in Paris in 1988 and a London in 1991. The Royal College of Art received a master's degree in industrial design. In 2004, he received a master's degree in interior design from E.S.A.G in Paris.    

While studying at the Royal College of Art in London, Gwenael Nicolas met several Japanese designers and architects and was obsessed with the oriental art he designed. Immigrated to Japan in 1991. And in 1998, CURIOSITY INC was established. Through his unique and avant-garde interior design, he created a fresh shopping experience for Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent and Shu Uemura.   

When Gwenael Nicolas started designing, he was obsessed with making and building a space, but he thought that it missed the theme and meaning of the design. Influenced by Japanese design, Gwenael Nicolas began to think about the moment when people enter the space or use the product, as well as the emotions and experiences they want to express.    

Gwenael Nicolas likens his project to perfume because it has multiple levels of intrinsic meaning. The beauty of perfume is that it is related to your memory. When creating a perfume, you can define sequences and incorporate different emotional expressions. The design of the project has two basic principles: space and time. So Gwenael Nicolas incorporates different design emotions at different stages of design. The first layer of emotion is dynamic, full of surprises, the second layer is about sympathy and discovery, and finally focuses on the inner feelings of intimacy and attachment.          

Gwenael Nicolas is obsessed with floating, transparent, visually interesting and rotating things. Like light and lighting, the power of light can change and create emotions. See visual objects, pictures, and capture this feeling through the window of the mind, reinterpreting it in the project.

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    Design Works

    • Rolex Tower in Ginza

      The new Rolex flagship store occupies four floors of the iconic new Rolex Tower, which has become a prominent presence on Ginza’s Chuo-Dori Avenue in Tokyo.
    • The Parkhouse Gran Kamiyamacho

      Curiosity, as the design partner of Mitsubishi Estate Residence and Tokyu Corporation, designed the facade and public area of the flagship brand's 7th exclusive residence with the concept of "Villa in Shibuya".
    • Sensai Flagship Shanghai

      The dynamic feeling created by delicate fibres with the unique texture is reminiscent of soft silk, yet, looks like one-stroke brush paint, raising guests’expectations .
    • Maison M-I-D 1985

      The "light house", a new concept, was created to give the brand a contemporary and vibrant feel. The unique identity is created using shades of yellow in a variety of finishes and surfaces to unify the overall feel of the space.
    • WA House

      WA House is a minimal residence located in Shirahama, Japan, designed by Curiosity in collaboration with Atelier Haretoke. Despite its captivating visage, the house manages to retain a sense of humility, aligning its profile with the sea horizon, as if taking a silent oath to respect, rather than overshadow, the beauty of nature.
    • Versace Paris

      Versace store opened in Paris in December 2020 as an expression of VERSACE visionary creating fashion, a space that becomes the canvas for the collections. 
    • Tods Milan

      TOD’S Studio, opened on Via Montenapoleone, Milan, as its third-generation boutique with a new concept. A laboratory of ideas and content that showcases, within its nearly 1,000 squares metres, various themed rooms, pop-up areas and animations. 
    • Opus Arisugawa

      The new and exclusive residence with CURIOSITY's aesthetics, has been designed in Opus Arisugawa, a unique luxurious mansion, situated beside lush green park in the center of Tokyo.
    • MID Daimaru Shinsaibashi

      MID's first concept shop combines a curated collection of five lines. It opened on the 4th floor of the Daimaru Shinsaibashi-Mise in Osaka in 2019 with the large-scale renewal.
    • Tods London

      Tod's first flagship store is located on London's Old Bond Street in a three-storey building designed by Curiosity.
    • Versace Florence

      As a designer for the Italian fashion house Versace, Gwenael Nicolas has always captured the complexity and diversity of every flagship store in every region.
    • Sorano Hotel

      Curiosity has completed a Hotel project called Sorano Hotel in Tachikawa, Tokyo.
    • Sen Hakone Resort

      Tokyo-based firm Curiosity has conceived a ‘virtual hotel’ in Hakone that reflects the designers’ approach to space and design as they extend their practice .
    • Moncler Dubai Mall

      Moncler collaborated with Gwenael Nicolas / CURIOSITY to open their first mono-brand boutique in Dubai, which strengthens the brand presence in the Middle East.
    • Dolce&Gabbana Miami

      Dolce & Gabbana “BEHIND THE CURTAIN”, a dynamic facade, two layers of undulating glass capture Miami's sunlight reminiscent of a theatre curtain.
    • Brillia The Tower

      A luxury tower residence situated close to Tokyo station, completed in 2017.
    • Dolce&Gabbana Aoyama

      Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana commissioned Tokyo-based studio Curiosity to create a one-off design for its new store in the wealthy Aoyama district.
    • Fendi Palazzo

      Inspired by Vignola's Italian Renaissance architecture and modernized by utilizing unexpected materials like the silver leaves on the ceiling mirrors.
    • Fendi London

      Fendi flagship store opened in Bond Street, London, with impressive huge chandelier and historical 19 century building.
    • Maison Moynat London

      The first Moynat store outside France opened in March 2014 on Mount Street in London.
    • Berluti Ginza

      Berluti's store on Namiki Dori, Ginza.The contemporary interior reflects the expansion of the long-established brand, renowned for its range of high-quality men's shoes, often described as works of art, into a more diverse men's apparel brand.
    • Fendi Montenapoleone

      Fendi’s second new flagship following Paris. The boutique is housed in the 16th century historical maison, with a neoclassical-style façade onto the prestigious Via Montenapoleone.