Muji is bringing its masterfully minimalist aesthetic to hotels
With Muji offering everything from erasers to three-storey homes, running cafés, bakeries and even a couple of campsites in Japan, a hotel was bound to happen sooner rather than later, with the first of three planned properties just about to open in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
While the actual operation of the hotels will be handled by third parties, Muji has developed the interior design and the concept behind the properties. The goal is to offer not just a bed for the night, but also a kind of test space for guests to experience the retail company’s innovative products and, at the same time, provide feedback that might give rise to new merchandise.
In following the brand’s general outlook, the hotels promise a simple, no-frills design and will of course be stocked with iconic Muji homeware such as simple wooden beds, comfy sofas, thick cotton towels and amenities in clear plastic bottles.
As for the 79-room Shenzhen hotel, it is housed in a multi-use facility called UpperHills at the heart of the city, not far from public transport links that can easily whisk you to luxury shopping malls like Coco Park or to attractions such as Window of the World, a collection of 150 replicas of world sights. Although for a more personal take, the property will post its favourite local hotspots to the brand's global Instagram account. Inside, there is also an all-day diner which serves up breakfasts and simple meals; and of course, a large two-storey store selling the best of what the brand has to offer.
Up next are properties in Beijing and in Tokyo, the latter said to open in 2019 in Ginza on the top floors of a brand new ten-storey Muji flagship, poised to be the largest Muji store in the world.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Muji Hotel website
ADDRESS
UpperHills
5001 Huanggang Road
Futian District
Shenzhen
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Originally from Denmark, Jens H. Jensen has been calling Japan his home for almost two decades. Since 2014 he has worked with Wallpaper* as the Japan Editor. His main interests are architecture, crafts and design. Besides writing and editing, he consults numerous business in Japan and beyond and designs and build retail, residential and moving (read: vans) interiors.
-
In Helsinki, Pauline Curnier Jardin has created the grotesque amusement park of her dreams
French artist Pauline Curnier Jardin celebrates otherness at Kiasma, Helsinki’s Museum of Contemporary Art
By Alison Hugill Published
-
A celestial New York exhibition showcases Roman and Williams’ mastery of lighting
Lauded design studio Roman and Williams is exhibiting 100 variations of its lighting ‘family tree’ inside a historic Tribeca space
By Dan Howarth Published
-
‘He immortalised the birth of the supermodel’: inside Dior’s career-spanning retrospective of photographer Peter Lindbergh
Olivier Flaviano, curator and head of Paris’ La Galerie Dior, talks us through a new Peter Lindbergh retrospective, which celebrates the seminal German photographer’s longtime relationship with the French house
By Jack Moss Published
-
First look: Noma Kyoto returns and aims to ‘double-wow’ diners
Noma Kyoto opens on 8 October for a ten-week pop-up inside Ace Kyoto. Thomas Lykke, co-founder of OEO Studio, tells us of the interiors’ autumn-forest inspiration
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Kengo Kuma’s new Kyoto hotel is ‘a sanctuary of ethereal beauty’
A former ryokan inn, Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto offers onsen rooms equipped with natural hot spring water, and a contemporary take on a Noh theatre
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
A minimalist teahouse makes a serene addition to a Tadao Ando-designed Kyoto hotel
Ogata at The Shinmonzen is a contemporary reinterpretation of a Japanese teahouse that sells traditional blends, confectionery, crafts and fragrances
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Tour the new Four Seasons Osaka, where time stands still
Set within a 49-storey tower, Four Seasons Osaka takes the traditional ryokan experience to new heights
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Aman Residences Tokyo float high above the Japanese capital
Aman Residences Tokyo, Aman Group’s first standalone branded residences, feature dramatic yet serene interiors by Yabu Pushelberg
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Step inside this rare Shiro Kuramata-designed cocktail bar in Japan
Shiro Kuramata designed hundreds of bars in his lifetime, but few remain intact. Now fans are making a pilgrimage to Comblé Bar in Shizuoka
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Find yourself at Six Senses Kyoto, the brand's breathtaking Japan debut
Six Senses Kyoto opens its doors boasting tranquil, luxurious interiors by Blink Design Group
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Dip into Janu Tokyo hotel, Aman’s sociable new sibling brand
Step inside the Jean-Michel Gathy-designed Janu Tokyo and discover its state-of-the-art wellness facilities
By Jens H Jensen Published