Chronova Design

What Chronova Design does

Chronova Design (クロノバデザイン株式会社) is a privately held Japanese space and store interior design firm founded in 2014, headquartered in Shibuya/Jingumae, Tokyo, with a regional office in Osaka. The company specializes in '個店' (koboten, or unique individual store) design for independent restaurant, café, salon, pet-facility, retail, and small office operators, and has accumulated a portfolio of more than 1,000 projects with 112+ works published online, including multiple Michelin-starred and Bib Gourmand restaurants.

Its core service is an integrated design-build offering covering consulting, concept planning, design, permitting, construction, and post-opening maintenance, delivered in-house or through established subcontractor and craftsman networks. Proprietary methodologies include the '個店設計思想' (unique-store design philosophy) that treats each project as a one-of-a-kind cultural artifact, and the DIY部 (DIY Workshop Program) that enables client and community participation in finishing work. A separate design-only and remote construction-supervision service extends the firm's reach to non-Kanto/Kansai and overseas projects.

Revenue is generated through per-project professional-services fees, quoted at ¥300,000-¥700,000+ per tsubo depending on vertical (café, restaurant, salon, shop, pet, office), with design and proposal phases provided free of charge before contract. The go-to-market is sales-led, driven by the firm's website portfolio, Instagram (@chronobadesign), magazine content, DIY workshops, and industry seminars, targeting SMB owners and first-time entrepreneurs primarily in the Kanto and Kansai regions.

Name

Chronova Design

Legal name

クロノバデザイン株式会社

Website

https://chronoba.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chronova Design is a Japanese spatial design-build firm (founded 2014, Tokyo/Osaka) that creates unique '個店' interiors for independent restaurants, salons, retail, and pet facilities, delivering consulting, design, construction, and post-opening maintenance as a one-stop service with 1,000+ completed projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Interior Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Commercial interior design
• Store design services
• Design-build construction
• Retail space planning
• Restaurant interior design

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. 店舗デザイン・内装設計施工: Core revenue stream: full-service interior design and construction for retail, restaurant, salon, and other commercial spaces. Services cover consulting, concept planning, design, and construction. Fees are quoted per project based on space size (cost per tsubo/坪). Design and proposal phases are provided free of charge before contract signing; revenue is recognized upon construction contract execution.
2. 設計のみ: For distant clients or overseas projects, design-only services are available as a separate revenue stream. Construction supervision and remote design services are offered for locations beyond the standard service area.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chronova Design provides a one-stop design-build service for commercial spaces, covering consulting, concept planning, design, construction, and post-opening maintenance. The company specializes in '個店' (unique individual store) design for restaurants, cafes, retail shops, salons, pet facilities, and offices across Japan. Each project is custom-designed with no templates or chain-replicated layouts, supported by a portfolio of 1,000+ completed projects and 112 publicly listed case studies including Michelin-recognized restaurants.

Product overview

Chronova Design is a space and store design company offering comprehensive services from consulting through construction and after-maintenance. Their core offering is '個店 (kotobame/individual store) design' — creating unique, one-of-a-kind spatial designs for restaurants, retail shops, salons, and various commercial establishments. The company operates as a unified service offering rather than separate modular products, providing consulting, concept/planning, design, construction, and produce services as an integrated design-build offering. They specialize in creating distinctive '個店' (unique individual stores) that contribute to vibrant street culture, with particular expertise in restaurant interiors, cafes, bars, sushi shops, hair salons, pet facilities, and specialty retail spaces across Tokyo and Osaka.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DIY部: Internal DIY workshop division that organizes community DIY events and workshops for customers and the public.

Products and services

• 個店 design-build service (full-service commercial interior design and construction) One-stop design-build service for restaurants, cafes, retail shops, salons, pet facilities, and offices. Covers the full project lifecycle from initial consultation and free proposal, through design, permitting, and construction, to post-opening maintenance. Each project is custom-designed as a unique individual store (個店) with no template replication. Category-specific unit pricing applies: cafes from 500,000 JPY/tsubo, restaurants from 700,000 JPY/tsubo, beauty salons from 400,000 JPY/tsubo, retail shops from 300,000 JPY/tsubo, pet facilities from 400,000 JPY/tsubo, and offices from 300,000 JPY/tsubo. Kitchen equipment costs are excluded. Targeted at independent SMB business owners and restaurateurs across Japan.
• Design-only service (設計のみ) Design-only service for clients located outside the standard Kanto and Kansai service areas, including overseas projects. Includes remote design consultation and construction supervision, with construction managed locally by others. Targeted at mid-market and overseas clients who need design expertise but can coordinate construction independently.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000件以上の店舗出店プロジェクト完了 (1,000+ store opening projects completed)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered unclear and core.

• そら植物園 (Sora Plant)unclearStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaboration with plant hunter 西畠清順 and Sora Plant nursery on an undisclosed design project involving plant integration into spatial design. Designers visited the nursery for material consultation and plant selection. The project aims to incorporate living plants as design elements in a commercial space.
• Genki Global Dining Concepts (元气寿司・千両運営)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for 京都千両 project — a chain restaurant operator seeking to create a unique individual store (個店) for their Kyoto location. The partnership involved breaking away from chain-style design to create a one-of-a-kind Japanese restaurant with traditional craft elements.
• 森ビル (Mori Building)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwner/developer of Azabudai Hills complex where Dyplus 麻布台 is located. Dyplus project is situated within Mori Building's Kamiyacho Place facility. Successful integration of pet salon within high-end commercial real estate environment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tanseisha Co., Ltd. Tanseisha is a major TSE-listed Japanese commercial space design and production company serving retail, dining, hospitality, offices, and public spaces. Overlaps with Chronova in retail/restaurant design-build but operates at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• KOKUYO Co., Ltd. KOKUYO is a TSE-listed Japanese office supplies and furniture company with significant office space design and consulting services. Overlaps with Chronova's office and coworking design capabilities but operates as a broad incumbent across the workspace value chain.
• Okamura Corporation: Okamura is a TSE-listed Japanese office furniture manufacturer that has expanded into office space design and build services. Comparable to Chronova for office interior design projects but anchored in furniture manufacturing rather than pure design services.
• Itoki Corporation: Itoki is a TSE-listed Japanese office furniture and workspace design company, providing integrated office interior solutions. Comparable to Chronova's office design offering but serving enterprise office clients with a furniture-led value proposition.
• Nomura Co., Ltd. Nomura is one of Japan's largest commercial space design and construction firms, TSE-listed, specializing in retail, restaurant, and entertainment venue design-build. Highly comparable in service model and vertical to Chronova, but with substantially greater scale and enterprise client roster.

Direct peers

• Wonderwall Inc. Wonderwall is a renowned Japanese interior design firm specializing in retail, restaurant, and hospitality spaces, founded by Masamichi Katayama. Directly comparable to Chronova in design philosophy, target clientele, and focus on craft-driven, culturally distinctive commercial interiors.
• SPACE Co., Ltd. SPACE is a TSE-listed Japanese company specializing in display and commercial space design and construction, serving retail, museum, and event spaces. Comparable to Chronova in integrated design-build delivery model and concentration on Japanese retail/commercial interiors.
• GARDE Co., Ltd. GARDE is a Japanese interior design firm specializing in retail, restaurant, and commercial space design, with offices in Tokyo, Osaka, and internationally. Highly comparable to Chronova in target market (Japanese F&B and retail SMBs and brands) and integrated design-to-construction service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/chronobadesign
• Xx.com/chronobadesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/chronobadesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chronova Design