Hiromi Murayama

For this project, I designed a unique concept for an Aesop store in the King of Prussia Mall. During the design process, I created a 3D rendering to showcase my vision during an interview. While researching the local history, I discovered King of Prussia was once a camp location for George Washington, which further enriched the inspiration behind the store’s design.

The design challenge included integrating a key theme, a signature lighting feature, and a distinct sink design—hallmarks of Aesop's retail spaces. Inspired by the lush forests surrounding the area, I envisioned the interior with green stone shelving that mimics the form of trees. These nature-inspired elements are balanced by metallic green podiums scattered throughout the store, creating a serene yet dynamic environment that captures the essence of the brand.

Formerly the renowned Cornelia Street Café—where artists like Lady Gaga once graced the stage—Sip and Guzzle is now a dynamic bi-level bar and restaurant. This new venture brings together two world-renowned mixologists: Shingo Gokan of The SG Club (ranked 36th best bar globally) and NYC cocktail legend Steve Schneider of Employees Only.

Chef Mike Bagale, formerly of the three Michelin-starred Alinea, joins the team to elevate traditional izakaya fare and Japanese street food using cutting-edge fine-dining techniques and premium ingredients.

The design concept draws inspiration from The SG Club’s narrative of the old samurai encountering New York. The interior blends historic charm—like exposed brick walls and tin ceilings—with subtle nods to the Samurai era. Elements such as shou sugi ban wood, raw stones, and black wood accents are woven throughout the space, creating a rich, layered aesthetic.

I played a pivotal role in the development of this project, working closely with the owner and consultants. My responsibilities included design development, material selection, coordination, and FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment). Building on the original concept crafted by The SG Club’s interior designer, I refined and adapted the design to meet New York’s building codes and ensure a seamless fit with available resources.

This project was initially pitched to three-star Michelin chef Mike Bagale for his upcoming steakhouse in New York’s West Village, prior to his involvement with Sip and Guzzle. The design concept for 147 W 4 merges the precision of Japanese bespoke craftsmanship with the artistic expression of French culinary tradition.

The space is designed to create an intimate and inviting atmosphere, where cozy, dim lighting and rich architectural materials evoke warmth and sophistication. The bar stands as a central feature, with soft lighting highlighting the bottles and bartender, reminiscent of 1950s New York City. Seating at the bar accommodates 6 to 8 guests, offering a front-row view of drinks made with refined Japanese technique.

In the dining area, the tufted leather banquette seats cocoon guests in privacy, with each table illuminated by pendants that softly light the tabletop, creating a cozy yet intimate mood. The subtle tabletop design, inspired by Angelo Mangiarotti, pairs beautifully with the warmth of wood paneling and flooring. Artwork with personal touches gives the space a welcoming, home-like feel.

To enhance the dining experience, a glass case trolley—lit and inspired by Jorge Zalszupin’s 1950s designs—brings premium ingredients such as dry-aged meats, uni, and caviar directly to each table, adding an element of spectacle and exclusivity.

Completed in February 2019, this project is the office for Yabu Pushelberg in Tribeca, New York. The three-story space is thoughtfully divided into a studio floor, reception area, and a gallery kitchen/conference rooms.

I worked closely with founders George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, along with their team, to design the space. My responsibilities included design documentation and collaborating with a senior project manager during the construction administration phase. A standout feature of the office is the custom show kitchen by Molteni Dada, which I coordinated with them to bring to life. Details on the construction documentation can be sent via request.

The project's narrative was developed with the majority of designs created via hand sketches. For the Park Hyatt Bangkok, completed in May 2017, Hiromi designed the guestroom mock-up room, all guestroom types including suites, and the spa. The project included 10 room types and 57 layouts to follow the building's curve. A standout feature is the mini bar, which showcases Thai antique furniture aesthetics with a modern twist and an ombre lacquer finish. The overall design narrative was carefully crafted to align with these elements, blending traditional and contemporary styles seamlessly. Hiromi was the lead designer for the mock-up room and spa, overseeing the design from concept through to construction coordination.

Here is the link to the guestroom detail documentation and here is the ink to the spa documentation.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore's most iconic and historic landmark, is expanding with a new location on Sentosa Island. I was the principal designer behind this prestigious project, crafting a unique narrative and guest experience that honors both the Raffles legacy and the natural beauty of Sentosa.

From conceptualizing the design and shaping the design language to collaborating with the architect on typography and site planning, I played a central role in developing the entire guest journey. This included designing both the back-of-house (BOH) and front-of-house (FOH) spaces, as well as the pathways that connect different areas of the hotel. The buildings are intentionally submerged within the landscape, allowing the journey through the jungle to become a defining part of the guest experience.

In addition to my design responsibilities, I led the management of a dedicated project team, ensuring that every aspect—from architecture to execution—aligned with our vision for an immersive, luxurious escape.

Equinox hotel at Hudson Yards is the first Equinox hotel with the focus as a life style brand. We did various case studies on wellness and fitness and created where the Equinox hotel will stand in the hotel industry. We came up with the concept of elevated, masterful, provocative, alluring, and comfortable. I was involved from the concept, master planning, designing in 2015 until it was passed from Yabu Pushelberg to Rockwell Group.

Peninsula Chicago Z Bar is a rooftop bar which was added to the existing Peninsula hotel. Similar to the Peninsula New York restaurant, the concept layout plan follows the sequence of spaces; however, staggered here so you see beyond to the next space. The concept was inspired by the insidious forest of Chicago + residential feel of Peninsula hotel. Here is the link to the documentation.

This is a restaurant project for Peninsula New York- Clement. The concept was a downtown artist “she” brings her eclectic twist to each dining space. The entry stair starts with ceramic plate lighting fixtures, stacked ceramics at the entry vestibule by Pascale Girandi, book paper room, mirror room, then a yellow mural of Central Park. My role was designing from the concept to finishing the construction coordination.

72 street is a private residence project in the Upper East Side, New York for a client who requested a 3000 sqf private fitness space. The building previously was a pool and we proposed an architectural renovation of the window facade and ceiling to bring natural light and creating a three level fitness space. Basement level focuses on weights, second level as cardio and weights and top floor being a yoga/ ballet studio. Each floor has its own washroom. The highlight of this project is the seamless details in the architecture and interior space. Here is the link to the plans and here is the link to details.

As a consultant, I supported the Four Seasons Bangalore project while managing multiple other projects. In this capacity, I worked closely with the Design Director to oversee various aspects of the design process, including concept development and design detail refinement. My role was focused on ensuring that the project adhered to Four Seasons' high standards. The Four Seasons Bangalore opened in the summer of 2019.

A private residence project mainly focused on selecting furnitures, interior finishes and a few soft construction at 11 Beach Street, Tribeca. These are some photos prior to completion.

This is the Barneys Madison Avenue renovation for the co-op space. My involvement was from the concept design. There were series of studies on new ways to display visual merchandise, space planning and fixture designs. We collaborated with an industrial designer to design fixtures. Most of the details were inspired by Carlo Scarpa.

This is a large shop and shop cosmetics stands, perimeter cosmetic stores in the Yintai department store in China. The proposal is to create a unified design despite of each brands having their own brand showcase. The architectural concept derived from the fluidity of skincare liquid and the color comes from the vibrant colors of make up. The last four shows the make up salon which is where customers can bring their make up or skincare product he/she had purchased and try it out with a professional make up artist.

This is a conceptual project I worked on my own to propose to La Mer (Estee Lauder) a new approach to location specific La Mer pop up shops.