As one of Japan’s premier shopping and entertainment districts, Ginza is home to myriad high-class clubs. Prompted by an invitation from Taki Tanaka, the owner of fashion-forward boutique IZA, a project to create a luxury club in Ginza was launched with a group of like-minded creatives.

The club is named Arabesque. The owner has played the piano from a young age, and named the club after ornamental, dreamlike arabesque musical compositions. The etymology of arabesque goes back to decorative patterns in the Arabic tradition. The musical style is derived from this meaning, with arabesque compositions featuring melodies unfolding with regular rhythms that repeat and notes that get woven together. We decided to include elements representing both arabesque melodies and decoration in the space.

Arches are one of the most recognizable Arabic decorative motifs, but when repeated their symmetry creates uniformity that lacks variation. We therefore decided to also cut the arch shape in half and use half-arches to create asymmetrical connections liberated from unvarying uniformity. This gave us greater flexibility in arranging design elements and visually creates variation

The arch and half-arch motif begins at the entrance door and extends to the reception, bar and main lounge in a connected design that flows like the unfolding of a melodic rhythm. Accessed last after passing through the other areas, the main lounge is given an atmosphere of opulence created by employing greater design freedom and heightened variation. The half-arches build the impression of leading to something and enhance cohesion with the entire space. All table tops in the club feature illustrations by Hiroshi Tanabe that elegantly embellish the seated space and stimulate guests’ artistic sensibilities.

The project takes the associations with the club’s name—both the original meaning and the owner’s inspiration for the name—and interprets them throughout the space. The nightlife of Ginza has faced unprecedented adversity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we hope that our design in Ginza creates a stir that sparks renewed energy and new beginnings.