Noriko Sawayama

Born in Japan, she graduated from Meiji University with degrees in geography and museum studies. Her career began with CA, where she explored 40 cities across 30 countries. She then transitioned to a hotel consultancy role in Tokyo for 10 years, where she was involved in the opening project of the prestigious Hotel Seiyo Ginza.

In 1995, she moved to the UK. After receiving specialized training in architecture and interior design at The Interior Design School and the UCL Bartlett, she founded her own business in London. From 2000 to 2017, her projects encompassed various sectors, including residential spaces (ranging from 100 m² to 1,400 m²), hotels, restaurants, show flats, and furniture design, both in Japan and the UK.

In 2012, she launched a professional e-learning college for Japanese professionals. For her contributions to BIID, her work in education, and her outstanding design achievements, she received the BIID Merit Award in 2016, becoming the 8th recipient out of 1,200 members.

In 2017, she returned to Japan, where her first major accomplishment was establishing the BIID Japan Chapter in 2018, marking the first branch located outside the UK. Following the success of the inaugural BIID overseas event at the British Embassy in Tokyo in 2009, she has organized numerous promotional events and recruited around 40 top Japanese designers as BIID members. The organisation is now recognized as one of the most prestigious professional associations for interior design in Japan.

As the representative director and design producer of BABID (Business Associates of British Interior Design), she aims to promote global design standards within the Japanese market. In November 2018, she received the Entrepreneur Award at the BCCJ Business Awards hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan for her efforts in fostering interior economic exchange between Japan and the UK.

She also founded the Hotel Association to popularize "Curated Hotels," which showcase traditional architecture, crafts, and art and serve as the foundation for local arts and crafts tourism. In June 2019, she published the book "The Future of Traditions Opened by Curated Hotels."

Her residential and hotel designs have garnered numerous design awards, and her work has been featured in various international magazines and newspapers, establishing her as one of the leading designers in the Japanese market.