CURIOSITY

What CURIOSITY does

CURIOSITY is a privately-held, multidisciplinary design studio headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, founded in 1998 by French designer Gwenael Nicolas (グエナエル・ニコラ). Operating as a Japanese corporation (株式会社キュリオシティ) with a staff of 11–50, the studio delivers interior design, architecture, exhibitions, furniture, product design, cosmetics packaging, and graphic design services for global luxury brands and luxury hospitality operators. Its client roster spans flagship retail (Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Versace, Graff, Tiffany & Co., Coach, Tory Burch, Moynat, Dolce & Gabbana, Berluti, Dunhill, Longchamp, Maison M-I-D, ReFa), luxury hotels and restaurants (Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, SORANO HOTEL, Robuchon au Dome in Macau), cosmetics and lifestyle (KANEBO/SENSAI, LUNASOL, CHOYA UTAGE), and luxury residential developers (Mitsubishi Estate Residence, Tokyu Corporation). Notable recent commissions include Four Seasons Hotel Osaka (opening 2024) and Mandarin Oriental Mayfair London (2024); its Rolex Ginza Flagship was named World's Most Beautiful Emporium at Prix Versailles 2025 and was featured at La Biennale di Venezia 2025.

The studio's competitive core is its signature design philosophy — characterized by transparency, emotional coloring, and captivating forms — expressed through a human-centered storyboard methodology that layers discovery and unpredictable elements into spatial design. This approach is applied across both commissioned client projects and original/collaborative product IP, including furniture collections such as SEIDO (with Luxury Living Group, 2022), MARMOR NATVM (with Budri), the SEN series (with Agape), and FRAGMENT, plus cosmetics packaging lines for KANEBO/SENSAI and lifestyle products such as KAMINOSHIO and CHOYA UTAGE.

Commercially, CURIOSITY operates as a project-based professional services firm: revenue is generated through direct enterprise engagement with luxury brands, hotel operators, and real estate developers, with pricing structured around individual projects and not publicly disclosed. Sales are sales-led through direct client relationships and referrals within the luxury ecosystem, supplemented by top-of-funnel visibility via features in FRAME, Elle Decor, Vogue, G&G Magazine, Shotenkenchiku, and participation in Milan Design Week, Venice Biennale, Tokyo Design Week, and DESIGNART TOKYO. The studio is privately held by its founder with no known institutional investors, subsidiaries, or parent company, and has no public listing.

Name

CURIOSITY

Legal name

株式会社 キュリオシティ

Website

https://curiosity.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CURIOSITY is a Tokyo-based, privately-held design studio founded in 1998 by Gwenael Nicolas, delivering interior, architectural, furniture, product, cosmetics, and graphic design services to global luxury brands and luxury hospitality operators worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Interior Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410), Industrial Design Services (54142), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Luxury interior design
• Architectural design services
• Furniture design
• Hospitality interior design
• Luxury retail design

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Project-based fees for interior design, architecture, product design, and exhibition design services for luxury brands and hospitality clients globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CURIOSITY is a Tokyo-based multidisciplinary design studio providing interior design, architecture, furniture, product, cosmetics packaging, exhibition, and graphic design services for global luxury brands and hospitality clients. The studio delivers end-to-end spatial and product design for flagship retail stores, luxury hotels, fine-dining restaurants, high-end residences, and brand product collections, with a signature aesthetic defined by transparency, emotional coloring, and captivating forms.

Product overview

CURIOSITY is a Tokyo-based design studio established by French designer Gwenael Nicolas, offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services spanning interior design, architecture, exhibitions, furniture, product design, cosmetics, and graphic design. The studio is known for its signature design philosophy characterized by transparency, emotional coloring, and captivating forms. Their service offerings include luxury retail and hospitality interior design, building architecture and facades, exhibition installations, and specialized design for cosmetics packaging. Their product portfolio includes original furniture collections (FRAGMENT, SEIDO, AIMA, BUDRI MARMOR NATVM), product designs (KAMINOSHIO, CHOYA UTAGE, TEN TEN TEN GLASS), and cosmetic packaging (KANEBO SENSAI). The studio collaborates with luxury brands worldwide including Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Rolex, Coach, Versace, and Louis Vuitton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interior Design Services
• Architectural Design Services
• Exhibition Design Services
• Furniture Design Services
• Product Design Services
• Cosmetics Design Services
• Graphic Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Rolex Ginza selected as World's Most Beautiful Emporium at Prix Versailles 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DESIGNART TOKYOminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 October 2023CURIOSITY participated in DESIGNART TOKYO 2023 with two furniture collections presented at the official exhibition.
• AgapecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2022New items for SEN Collection designed by Gwenael Nicolas unveiled at Agape's exhibition during Milan Design Week 2022. Agape is an Italian bathroom fixtures manufacturer.
• Luxury Living GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2022CURIOSITY collaborated with Luxury Living Group to create new furniture collections unveiled at Salone del Mobile Milano 2022. Partnership for product design and collection development.
• BudricoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2022Collaboration with Italian stone brand Budri for MARMOR NATVM furniture collection at Milan Design Week 2019 and subsequent collections. Budri specializes in marble inlay techniques.
• Art Court GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtworks for Four Seasons Hotel Osaka curated with collaboration from Art Court Gallery. Gallery provided renowned artists' works for the hotel's diverse art collection.
• Four Seasons Hotels & ResortscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected by Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Tokyo Tatemono Company Limited to design public spaces, guest rooms, and main dining of Four Seasons Osaka opening 2024.
• Mitsubishi Estate ResidenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner for The Parkhouse Gran Kamiyamacho - facade and public area design for this exclusive residence project developed jointly with Tokyu Corporation.
• Tokyu CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development with Mitsubishi Estate Residence for The Parkhouse Gran Kamiyamacho residential project in Shibuya.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with a large retail and hospitality practice; competes with CURIOSITY for luxury flagship commissions but operates at vastly greater scale across many sectors.

Direct peers

• Studio Sofield: New York-based luxury interior design studio led by William Sofield with flagship commissions for Tom Ford, Bottega Veneta, and Aston Martin — a comparable luxury craft-positioned boutique.
• Yabu Pushelberg: Toronto/Hong Kong design studio specializing in luxury hospitality (Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Edition) and high-end retail interiors, overlapping directly with CURIOSITY's hospitality and luxury brand practice.
• Rockwell Group: New York-based architecture and design firm with deep luxury hospitality, retail, and entertainment portfolios (Nobu, MGM, Disney) — overlapping the experiential/hospitality design lane CURIOSITY occupies.
• HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates): Global hospitality interior design specialist behind many Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Waldorf Astoria properties; competes with CURIOSITY for the same ultra-luxury hotel design commissions.
• Peter Marino Architect: New York-based architecture and design firm widely regarded as the leading luxury retail interior designer, with flagship commissions for Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Rolex — the same luxury brand category that anchors CURIOSITY's portfolio.
• David Collins Studio: London-based luxury interior design practice known for flagship retail (Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo) and hospitality projects, mirroring CURIOSITY's luxury boutique and hotel client work.
• Wonderwall Inc. Tokyo-based interior design firm led by Masamichi Katayama, working across luxury retail, hospitality, and residential interiors in Japan and globally — closely comparable in geography, scale, and luxury-brand focus.
• Champalimaud Design: New York/ London-based luxury hospitality and residential design studio with hotel commissions for Waldorf Astoria, The Lanesborough, and Peninsula — competing directly for the same ultra-luxury hotel interiors brief.
• Simplicity Inc. (Shinichiro Ogata): Tokyo-based design studio and retailer covering interior, furniture, and product design for luxury and lifestyle clients in Japan — comparable in scale, geographic base, and multidisciplinary offer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/CURIOSITY-124818984260439
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curiosity-tokyo
• Instagraminstagram.com/curiositytokyo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CURIOSITY