Cartier Reopens Its Ginza Flagship After Two Years of Renovation

On 4 October 2016 Cartier announced the reopening of its Ginza flagship in Tokyo, closed for two years of renovation. The boutique covers about 1,000 square metres, and the rebuilt façade is the part most easily read from the street.

The interior was designed by Bruno Moinard and the exterior by Sylvain Dubuisson. The façade is in two sections. The lower part is dark brown granite with orange tones, inspired by the boutique Cartier has kept at Rue de la Paix in Paris. Above it, Japanese shoji-style screens are made to resemble sugi, the Japanese cedar, so that a Parisian base carries a Japanese crown.

Inside, the lower level is given to fashion accessories and leather goods, the first floor to men’s and women’s watches in brown, beige, gold and champagne tones, and the second floor, in ivory and champagne, to diamonds, engagement rings, contemporary designs and special orders.

Ginza is where most of the great houses keep a Tokyo address, and the reopening is a reminder of how much of the district’s architecture now comes from the shops themselves.