Kasuga Mochi earns Bronze at A' Interior Design Awards

Kasuga Mochi, a Japanese sweets cafe designed by Shunsuke Ohe, won Bronze in the A' Design Award's Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The recognition highlights how contemporary spatial design can make heritage culture feel more open, accessible and appealing to younger and broader audiences.

Why it matters: - The Bronze recognition puts Kasuga Mochi in an international field of judged interior projects. - The award highlights a design approach aimed at making heritage culture more approachable in retail and hospitality. - The project offers a template for compact urban spaces that want a calm, welcoming customer experience. - The recognition matters to businesses trying to attract younger visitors, male customers and people who prefer to visit alone.

What happened: - The A' Design Award named Kasuga Mochi, a Japanese sweets cafe by Shunsuke Ohe, a Bronze recipient in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. - The announcement was made in Como, Italy, on June 22, 2026. - The project was recognized for balancing tradition with a contemporary spatial language. - More information is available on the award page.

The details: - Kasuga Mochi reinterprets a narrow urban building with limited frontage as a vertical landmark. - The exterior uses a predominantly white facade, vertical wooden latticework and warm materials. - The interior combines white surfaces, wood tones, soft green and coral orange. - The palette is meant to evoke the lightness and familiarity of Japanese confectionery. - The design presents heritage through abstraction rather than literal traditional motifs. - The layout controls circulation, sightlines, waiting areas and spacing. - The planning reduces overlapping movement and helps maintain a calm atmosphere in a compact site. - The client company has more than 80 years of history.

Between the lines: - The award suggests that juried design platforms are rewarding spaces that translate cultural identity into modern customer experiences. - Kasuga Mochi shows how interior design can do more than decorate a shop; it can lower social barriers and shape who feels welcome. - The project also reflects a broader retail trend toward smaller footprints that still feel premium, organized and emotionally reassuring.

What's next: - The Bronze win may encourage future projects that connect long-established brands with contemporary audiences. - Shunsuke Ohe and LUSTYdesign Inc. are positioned to extend a design approach focused on openness, familiarity and accessibility. - The recognition may help the client company continue renewing its tradition while broadening its appeal.