Situated 200 metres above the ground, the Bellustar Tokyo takes in panoramic views of the Tokyo skyline and Mount Fuji in the distance. Pictured: the Archipelago Club Chair N-CC01’s, designed by Norm Architects for Karimoku Case.
The BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel housed within the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, sees Japanese architects Keiji Ashizawa Design and Danish firm Norm Architects embrace a sense of stillness above the city.
Japanese and Scandinavian design share an emphasis on simplicity and functionality, favouring clean lines, honest materials and uncluttered spaces. Both styles also prioritise a deep understanding of human needs and experiences, endeavouring to craft spaces that enhance the well-being and comfort of individuals. The recently-opened BELLUSTAR TOKYO celebrates this parallelism across its top three floors, blending the philosophies of Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects to create an atmosphere of tranquillity and refinement—a sanctuary in the sky amid Tokyo’s sleepless heart of Shinjuku.
The Sunset Lounge is designed as a communal space for the five penthouse suites where guests can socialise and enjoy the light play on the double-height rendered walls while overlooking the Tokyo skyline.
While Bellustar Tokyo is located in Shinjuku, an area known for its pulsing nightlife, the bar interiors are designed to contrast these surroundings.
Given the hotel’s elevation, there was also no need for privacy, allowing for the architects to fully embrace the seven-metre wide window panorama and its artwork of light and shadow.
Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design collaborated with Japanese Hotta Carpet on the custom-made carpets for the spa, bar and hallways.
Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects collaborated on floors 45 to 47 at the Bellustar Tokyo, situated 200 metres above the ground with panoramic views of the Tokyo skyline. These three levels feature five unique penthouse suites, a spa, a lounge space for guests to watch the sun set and three restaurants—a spacious dining restaurant and bar, a sushi restaurant and a teppanyaki restaurant. Through natural hues and soft textures, each space is designed as a backdrop to the expansive vistas which on a clear day, frame the silhouette of Mount Fuji in the distance.
The use of organic forms and natural materials such as timber and stone reflects the two architecture firm’s affinity with nature, with Norm Architects managing director Katrine Goldstein expressing, “We focused on bringing natural elements and their inevitable patina into our modernised lives, which serve to remind us of our place in nature and create a distinctive calming effect.”
The intimate sushi restaurant is bathed in the warm hues of Hinoki wood.
Each of the restaurants has their own unique character and material palette. The main restaurant features a three-storey atrium and window seats that allow guests to contemplate the unbroken skyline. Offering more intimate experiences, the sushi restaurant is bathed in the warmth of Hinoki wood, while the Teppanyaki restaurant feels moody with its dark textured brick walls. Both are a contemporary interpretation of Tokyo’s small and often hidden traditional restaurants.
The penthouses are designed as an antidote to streets below—a new form of urban retreat that Goldstein says avoids the cliches of luxury hotel design. “With the hotel being located in the heart of Shinjuku, known for its vibrant city life, we hope that the guests staying at the penthouses will experience a counterpart to just that—a space to recharge and enjoy a feeling of serenity,” she adds.
The penthouse interiors are designed to emulate the beauty of the four seasons in Japan.
The penthouses are characterised by an understated and earthy design language, offering a unique urban retreat.
Each penthouse suite features a kitchen and comes with a chef who can be brought in for private dining.
The spa emulates the quietude of nature with its organic forms and natural materials, including dark wood and light stone.
