I-IN is a spatial studio that exemplifies Japanese design at its finest, its growing portfolio spanning from sleek sci-fi offices to the luxe minimalism of a Cartier lounge – and the firm has now distilled its creativity into a newly published tome on its work for all to soak up. The book, fittingly, simply titled I-IN and with a thoughtful essay by Wallpaper’s own Singapore editor Daven Wu, has just been released, offering a heady mix of minimalist architecture and Japanese heritage.
Turning the pages in I-IN's new book
The Tokyo-based architecture studio, headed by founding partners Yohei Terui and Hiromu Yuyama since its inception in 2018, has been involved in a slew of projects – large and small, but all tackled with the same attention to detail and refreshing, pared-down approach. Its portfolio includes the headquarters for Japanese haircare brand Kinujo, a lushly restrained Cartier Guest Lounge, and the futuristic office of Warp Studio – all in the Japanese capital.
The I-IN-designed Kinujo office
The book from Frame Publishers presents all these and more, in a series of case studies that showcases the practice's elegant balance of innovation and simplicity, tapping into Japan's traditions and design heritage, while infusing it with 21st-century sensibility.
Still, I-IN's minimalism is not that of cold reduction – far from it, the firm's spaces feel warm and welcoming, soft and malleable, tactile and approachable. Its expert use of curves, textures and materials speaks to that, making up an architectural environment that feels meaningful and fit for purpose.
Wu writes in his eloquent introduction of one of the practice's biggest strengths: 'Many architects and designers settle for a signature look very early in the game. Or, at the very least, they strive for one – a visual DNA that semaphores the world precisely, which is the creative mind behind a particular design. It's a useful calling card, especially as it helps the studio stand out from the pack for its distinctive house style.
Warp Studio interior
'For I-IN and its founders Hiromu Yuyama and Yohei Terui, no obviously distinctive markers in their work might lead the observer to instantly say of a built space, “Ah yes, that's work by I-IN. It's unmistakable.”’ It is the studio's “quiet thoughtfulness”, design clarity and flexible approach that shine through in every commission, making this emerging architecture duo a calm force to be reckoned with.’
Warm tones at Warp Studio
-
Is this Tokyo’s most alluring new hotel?In the world’s busiest capital, a new benchmark for serenity emerges 35 floors above ground. We checked into the Fairmont Tokyo
-
What to see at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 – nine brilliant boothsThe buzzy Miami art fair (5-7 December) will bring together more than 280 leading international galleries and a packed week of pop-ups and parties – start with these must-see booths
-
An elegant Argentine restomod keeps the spirit of the sporting 1930s aliveThe SP40 Restomod by Iconic Auto Sports is an update of a classic 1930s custom job, enhanced for the modern era
-
Modernist Scotland explores the country’s impressive legacy of contemporary architectureA new book, Modernist Scotland, delves into the art and ambitions of the International Style in post-war Scotland, presenting 150 projects that typify an age of optimism and innovation.
-
Matsuya Ginza lounge is a glossy haven at Tokyo’s century-old department storeA new VIP lounge inside Tokyo’s Matsuya Ginza department store, designed by I-IN, balances modernity and elegance
-
Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into bouldersThe American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
-
‘Brutalist Berlin’ is an essential new guide for architectural tourists heading to the cityBlue Crow Media’s ‘Brutalist Berlin’ unveils fifty of the German capital’s most significant concrete structures and places them in their historical context
-
Celebrate the angular joys of 'Brutal Scotland', a new book from Simon Phipps'Brutal Scotland' chronicles one country’s relationship with concrete; is brutalism an architectural bogeyman or a monument to a lost era of aspirational community design?
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthThis September, Wallpaper highlighted a striking mix of architecture – from iconic modernist homes newly up for sale to the dramatic transformation of a crumbling Scottish cottage. These are the projects that caught our eye
-
Utopian, modular, futuristic: was Japanese Metabolism architecture's raddest movement?We take a deep dive into Japanese Metabolism, the pioneering and relatively short-lived 20th-century architecture movement with a worldwide impact; explore our ultimate guide
-
A new Tadao Ando monograph unveils the creative process guiding the architect's practiceNew monograph ‘Tadao Ando. Sketches, Drawings, and Architecture’ by Taschen charts decades of creative work by the Japanese modernist master
