Laura Gonzalez Designs An Intimate Cartier Boutique In Tokyo
Another of Laura Gonzalez’s recent projects for Cartier, a 10,200-square-foot boutique in Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills development, shows a quieter, more intimate side of her hallmark elevated exuberance. The building, by local architecture studio Yuko Nagayama Associates, is clad in panels of glass embellished with wavy gossamer striations. Behind that dreamy, translucent curtain, Gonzalez conceived the interiors “as a true haven of peace,” she says, “a refined and contemporary refuge in the heart of urban bustle.”
The emphasis, Gonzalez explains, was on classical Japanese materials—wood, ceramics, washi paper, stone. Running throughout is an irregularly shaped “poetic pathway,” she says of the flooring, which is exquisite painterly stone that meanders between carpeted areas, “recalling the furrows and meandering routes found in traditional Japanese gardens.”
Explore Laura Gonzalez’s work on the interiors for Cartier’s reimagined Miami flagship in this feature from our April 2026 issue.
Seductive, sophisticated decorative flourishes abound, from custom-gouged wooden columns and walls to bespoke textured tiles crafted with Japanese glazing and firing techniques to panels of washi paper hand-gilded with intricate foliage patterns. Perhaps the most arresting elements are the floor-to-ceiling enameled earthenware mosaics, featuring a riot of floral motifs in boisterous jewel tones. “Wisteria is a symbol of youth and renewal in Japan,” Gonzalez explains. “It echoes the world of Cartier as well as the refined patterns found in kimonos.”
Sculptural lighting also plays a prominent role, not least Gonzalez’s Sakura chandelier, now part of her furnishings collection, featuring delicate glass blooms sprouting from a branchlike brass armature. “It’s like a tree suspended in space,” she says, noting that the flowers, which are blown in Murano, Italy, draw inspiration from cherry blossoms. The light fixture, as with everything else in the atmospheric boutique, the designer adds, “is a beautiful illustration of the dialogue between French and Japanese craftsmanship.”
Walk Through The Cartier Boutique In Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills Development
The facade of Cartier Azabudai Tokyo, a new two-story building with architecture by Yuko Nagayama Associates and interiors by Laura Gonzalez, features panels of glass embellished with jewellike striations. 
Inside, the textured wall and counter tile was created via traditional Japanese glazing and firing methods. 
A floral-pattern mosaic in enameled earthenware backdrops display cases, above which Gonzalez’s Sakura chandelier, inspired by Japanese cherry blossoms, hangs. 
Gonzalez’s Kyoto chairs furnish a sitting area. 
Gonzalez’s Kyoto chairs furnish a sitting area. 
The gilded decoration on custom washi-paper panels was hand applied using beaten metal leaf.
THROUGHOUT PIERRE FREY: UPHOLSTERY FABRIC. TAJIMI CUSTOM TILES: TILE. MANUFACTURE DES EMAUX DE LONGWY 1798: MOSAICS. ULGADOR: GILDED PANELING.
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