About

Good design is Good People.
Good People is Good Design.

Our slogan “Good Design is Good People,” meaning that the best design makes the best people, is inspired by IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson’s comment that “good design is good business,” in turn a favorite saying of Florence Knoll, designer and founder of furniture makers Knoll, leaders in modern design.
Watson’s belief that better design makes for better business expresses in simple terms the philosophy of IBM as a company that achieved success by taking design seriously, and Knoll, a company whose modernist design approach made it a true trendsetter.

Taking our cue from this we have chosen “Good Design is Good People” for our new corporate slogan, out of the conviction that good design does indeed produce good people, and good people, good design.

For a Good Society

Good design is a means, and a philosophy, for improving people’s lives. A better way of life means living in an environment that is comfortable, creative, and conducive to personal caring and connection. By putting that philosophy into action ourselves, and communicating it to others, we aim to help grow more “Good People.”

We are currently expanding our operation from offices to services encompassing all the spaces people inhabit. Interior design and project management have always been important for us, in the belief that we should also offer proposals for the spaces that form the physical backdrop to furniture and other products, based on an understanding of the thinking behind design. A further initiative has been the recent launch of a subscription service as a new way of supplying furniture, creating opportunities for clients to use exquisitely-designed pieces in their own practical settings.

By providing people with products and furniture of better design, allowing them to experience the difference for themselves, and creating well-designed spaces and having people use those spaces, our mission at Interoffice has always been to demonstrate better ways of living, and help build a better society. A Good Society.

Information

Clients

AboutCompany

1

Company Profile

Good Design IS Good People

Company Information

Company name

inter office ltd.

Foundation

November 1975

Establishment

April 1983

Capital

88.18 million yen

Directors

President, CEO Masanori Iwashita
Senior Managing Director Kazuharu Yanagihara
External Director Koji Ebato
Audit&Supervisory Board Member Hideyuki Ume
External Audit&Supervisory Board Member Komatsugu Haneji
External Audit&Supervisory Board Member Atsuko Ara

Employees

146

Business Description

Importation of Interior and Exterior Products, Furniture
Sales and Subscription Services of Interior and Exterior Products, Furniture
Architecture and Interior Design
Project Management
Interior Construction
Design and Production of Custom-made Furniture
Furniture Maintenance and Repair

Major suppliers

Vitra
USM
Knoll
Muuto
Lapalma
Framery
ClassiCon

Licenses

Licensed Architect (1st grade)
Registration Number: Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Registration No. 47112

Special Construction Business License
License Number: Tokyo Metropolitan Governor License (Special-5) No. 109992
Type of Construction Industry: Carpentry, Tile, Interior Construction

Secondhand Dealer License
Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission License
License Number: Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission No. 301121606603

Banks of Account

The Bank of Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.,
Mizuho Bank, Ltd.,
The Yokohama Bank,Ltd.
The Shoko Chukin Bank,Ltd.

Access

Head Office/Live Office/Showroom

Lattice Aoyama Square 6F, 1-2-6 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062
Business Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays
Tel: +81-3-5771-7631 / Fax: +81-3-5771-7636

Google Maps *Visits to the showroom are by appointment only.

Osaka Branch/Showroom

2F Hakko Shinsaibashi AIR Bldg., 1-19-1 Kita-Horie, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0014
Business Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays
Tel: +81-6-6532-7001 / Fax: +81-6-6532-7002

Google Maps *Visits to the showroom are by appointment only.

Fukuoka Branch/Showroom

STAGE1 kego 1-4-24 Kego,
Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0023
Business Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays
Tel. +81-92-406-6027 Fax. +81-92-406-6029

Google Maps *Visits to the showroom are by appointment only.

Fukuoka Branch / Live Office (Hybrid Small Office Mol.t)

Hakatai-sutoterasu1F
18-33 Hakataeki Higashi Hakata-ku,
Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 812-0013

Google Maps

MAARKET Tokyo (Retail Store)

2-7-15 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0061
Tel. +81-3-6432-9446

Google Maps

Logistics Center/Kuki Warehouse

DPL Kuki-Miyashiro 2F-F, 1537-1 Miyashiromachi-Wado, Minami-Saitama-gun, Saitama 345-0836
Tel. +81-480-48-7064 Fax.+81-480-48-7065

Google Maps

AboutMembers

2

Board Members

Good Design IS Good People

CEO

Masanori Iwashita

2002-2015
Sales Department of Interoffice

2015-2018
Director and Head of Sales Division of Interoffice

2018-2024
Senior Director and Head of Sales Division of of Interoffice

2024-
Representative Director and President of Interoffice (current position)

Senior Managing Director

Kazuharu Yanagihara

2003-2015
Accounting Department of Interoffice

2015-2022
Director and Head of Administration Division of Interoffice

2022-2024
Director and Senior Vice President of Knoll Japan K.K.

2024-
Senior Managing Director of Interoffice (current position)

Outside Director

Koji Ebato

Auditor

Hideyuki Ume

Part-time Auditor

Komatsugu Haneji

Part-time Auditor

Atsuko Ara

AboutHistory

3

History

Good Design IS Good People

1975

Established design consulting firm Design T (name later changed to Alphax) in Tokyo.

1983

Started office furniture business with the founding of Haller Japan Inc.,which focused on importing Haller System from USM U. Schärer Söhne AG,a high-end office furniture maker in Switzerland.

1986

Concluded an exclusive trading agreement with Vitra International AG (Switzerland), a company renowned for its quality and creative furniture. Through this contract agreement, we were able to greatly expand our imported furniture and accessories selection, including office chairs.

1987

Received the Good Design Special Award for Foreign Product from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. (Won the award seven times for 10 years until 1996)

1990

Opened a showroom in Tokyo.

1992

Opened 500m2 showroom in the Tokyo Design Center.

1993

Changed company name from Haller Japan Inc. to inter office ltd., and moved main office to Tokyo Design Center. Hosted Student Competition for Future Office Design to support office designs of design students. (Four years beginning in 1993)

1994

Opened Osaka branch and a showroom in ATC Design Center.

1995

Concluded retail sales agreement with Wittmann AG (Austria). Opened 200m2 Wittmann showroom in the Tokyo Design Center.

1997

Concluded an exclusive trading agreement with ClassiCon Gnb H (Germany), a company recognized for its design and quality. Started carrying the Eileen Gray lines.

2000

Concluded retail sales agreement with Cappellini S.p.A., one of the top furniture companies in Italy. Began carrying all the products from its home furnishing line.

Opened “hhstyle.com” retail store in Harajuku (Tokyo) and started an online e-commerce shop, entering the retail business.

2002

Opened Nagoya branch and showroom.

2004

Opened hhstyle.com Aoyama retail store (Tokyo).

2005

Opened hhstyle.com/casa retail store in Harajuku (Tokyo).Opened hhstyle.com Minami-Horie retail store (Osaka).Opened Live Office in addition to the showroom in the Tokyo Design Center.Became the first retailer in Japan to carry the Armani Group’s home collection, ARMANI CASA. Concluded an exclusive trading agreement with Boffi S.p.A., one of the top kitchen and bath furniture makers in Italy.

2006

Moved Osaka branch and showroom to Kita-Horie. (Integrated Nagoya branch office into Osaka branch office.)

2010

Moved head office to Forum Building Minami-Aoyama (Tokyo).

2011

Opened hhstyle.com JR Osaka Mitsukoshi Isetan retail store.Expanded hhstyle.com Aoyama retail store from 319.08m2 to 504.43m2.

2016

Transferred Retail Division (hhstyle.com) to hhstyle ltd.

Started dealing with Framery, a well-known pioneer in soundproof private phone booths.

2017

Moved head office to Lattice Aoyama Square Minami-Aoyama (Tokyo).

Started dealing with Knoll Studio, a brand known as the synonym for modern furniture.

2018

Started dealing with Muuto, a Danish brand representing the New Nordic Design.

2020

Launched MAARKET, an e-commerce site dealing with a selection of furniture, lighting and interior goods from around the world.

2021

Launched “Fittingbox”, a furniture subscription service.

2022

Opened Fukuoka branch and showroom in Kego, Fukuoka City.

2024

Opened MAARKET Tokyo retail store (Tokyo).

AboutCSR

4

CSR

Good Design IS Good People

Strategy for genuine design

Throughout our long history of importing top-quality office furniture for the Japanese market,our constant desire has been to seek out and acquire the best available examples of what we consider “genuine design.” That’s why we import so many Good Design Special Award-winning office furniture pieces. Additionally,
we actively sponsor design exhibitions and hold numerous competitions for young designers.
It is through these types of activities that we discover top-quality designs,
help establish new and exciting designers, and nurture strong design sense throughout society.
*1993-1996 Student Competition for Future Office Design: Hosted by inter office ltd.
*2002 LUIS BARRAGAN THE QUIET REVOLUTION: Assisted by inter office ltd.
*2002 Jean Prouvé Charles & Ray Eames Constructive Furniture Exhibition: Hosted by inter office ltd.
*2008 ART IS FOR THE SPIRIT: Works from The UBS Art Collection: Assisted by inter office ltd.
*2016 Foster + Partners: Architecture, Urbanism, Innovation: Assisted by inter office ltd.
*2019-2020 Celebrating 100 Years of Foundation in Design Education: Bauhaus Exhibition – Sponsorship
*2022 Chairs for Everyone Exhibition – Project Collaboration

Environmental considerations

We believe that environmental friendliness is a part of design and quality.
Interoffice only selects furniture that passes stringent European and American environmental regulations. As opposed to the Japanese Act on Promoting Green Purchasing, which focuses on promoting use of recycled plastic, these regulations require sustainability and long-term reduction of environmental impact.

Information management and protecting your privacy

Interoffice sees the workplace as an embodiment of the management strategy itself. As such, we take utmost care when handling important information such as name lists and office floor plans.