The Symbolplus Office designed by Japanese studio Symbolplus has been crowned the winner of the Dezeen Awards 2025 interiors project of the year, following the announcement of all 13 interior category winners at a celebration party held in London. The prestigious award, sponsored by Gaggenau, recognized the Tokyo-based office space for its exceptional design that seamlessly blends traditional Japanese materials with contemporary functionality.
This year's Dezeen Awards attracted winners from seven different countries, including Japan, France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, showcasing the global reach of outstanding interior design. The Symbolplus Office not only claimed the top honor but also secured the workplace interior (small) project of the year award, sponsored by Framery, demonstrating its excellence across multiple categories.
The interiors master jury praised the office space for being "so on point in terms of how we want to live and what we should create – both in our use of materials and our understanding of context." They highlighted the project as "a fantastic example of how a contemporary interior can be sustainable and respect the past, but also transport you to another world." The judges particularly appreciated how the design was "authentic yet futuristic, a perfect merging of two worlds."
The winning project faced stiff competition from other remarkable category winners, including a knife gallery also located in Tokyo, a workplace celebrating British crafts in London, and an innovative skatepark housed within a glass box in central Shanghai. Other notable contenders included a Parisian residence inspired by the vibrant nightlife of London's "swinging sixties" and a traditional wooden house in Kyoto that was transformed into a Japanese-Mexican fusion cafe and eatery.
The Symbolplus Office renovation utilized natural materials including warm earthen plaster and delicate Japanese paper to create an inspiring workspace. The judges noted that "this project is both grounded and futuristic," explaining how "traditional Japanese materials provide warmth, but are applied in a contemporary way, giving hints of Space Odyssey." The design features sliding partitions and tilting panels that create a highly flexible workplace environment, with judges commenting that "you could also forget that you're in an office, which must be wonderful for the well-being of anyone working there."
Among the other category winners, L Architects claimed the residential interior (small) award for "In a Park," a Singapore flat redesigned to accommodate the owners' expanding plant collection. The judges praised it as offering "a real living experience" with a cinematic and nostalgic quality. French design firm Studio Asaï won the large residential interior category for a 320-square-meter apartment overlooking the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, featuring experimental color use and innovative materials like Foresso, a wood terrazzo made from recycled trees.
In the hospitality sector, Canadian studio Ste Marie's trio of interconnected venues – Olia, Mimi and Va Caffè at Citizen on Jasper – won restaurant interior of the year for their "timeless elegance" and integrity. UNC Studio took the bar and cafe interior award for Challe, their transformation of a traditional wooden house in Kyoto into a Japanese-Mexican fusion establishment, which the jury called "a masterclass in how to create an atmosphere with very little intervention."
The hotel and short-stay category was won by Tokyo-based Studio Aluc for Nazuna Kyoto Higashihonganji, where they transformed a historic machiya residence into a short-stay hotel. Universal Design Studio claimed the large workplace interior award for Norton Folgate offices in Spitalfields, which celebrates British makers and the area's craft heritage through carefully curated materials and bespoke furniture.
Retail excellence was recognized in both small and large categories, with L/O and Katata Yoshihito Design winning for the Tojiro Knife Gallery Osaka, where "everything seems to be cut or bladed," creating a strong narrative around the products. Onoaa Studio's Sigma Space, a minimalist photography showroom, won the large retail category for its precision-engineered aesthetic that lets "the product do the talking."
The leisure and wellness category was awarded to AAN Architects for Moreprk Skyline, an indoor skatepark suspended in a glass box overlooking central Shanghai. The judges appreciated seeing "a space with high commercial value used in a way that creates culture and community." Other specialized categories included kitchen interior of the year won by Studio Hagen Hall for Pine Heath Kitchen in London, and bathroom interior of the year claimed by Jillian Dinkel for Kilmory House in Sydney.
The eighth edition of Dezeen Awards continues to serve as the ultimate recognition for architects and designers worldwide, operating in partnership with Bentley as part of their broader collaboration to champion design excellence and showcase innovation that creates a more sustainable world. This partnership aligns with Bentley's architecture and design business initiatives, including their Bentley Home furnishing range and global real estate projects, reinforcing the commitment to exceptional design standards across industries.
