Mélanie Murata
PrincipalKARUMélanie Murata is an award-winning Design Director, Collectible Design Artist, and
professor whose work spans design direction for Bespoke Hotels and luxury branded
residences, based between Los Angeles, Tokyo and Milan.
As founder of KARU with an education in Italy, she brings a cultural storytelling and
neuroaesthetics-driven approach to spatial design, shaping environments meant to be
felt as much as seen. Her recent projects include work in Doha for Her Royal Highness,
Rockefeller Center, and Exhibitions in Tokyo.
Mélanie sits on the Global Board of Boston Architectural College's School of Interior
Architecture, bridging practice and design education for the next generation of
hospitality designers and is the Founder of NEWH APAC.
At BDNY 2026, she leads the panel's discussion on designing for community and
cultural intelligence, exploring how spatial psychology and sensory engagement shape
the way people remember and connect with place.
The New Art of Belonging: How Design, Hospitality & Culture Shape Modern Luxury
Every great place keeps a secret. It knows your name, sounds like a neighborhood, and holds you a little longer than planned. Leaders in luxury brand
…Every great place keeps a secret. It knows your name, sounds like a neighborhood, and holds you a little longer than planned. Leaders in luxury brand design, master planning, neuroaesthetics, and design education reveal how culture, craft, and care c
…Every great place keeps a secret. It knows your name, sounds like a neighborhood, and holds you a little longer than planned. Leaders in luxury brand design, master planning, neuroaesthetics, and design education reveal how culture, craft, and care create belonging, and how that feeling drives rate, loyalty, and lasting value.
Every great place keeps a secret. It knows your name, sounds like a neighborhood, and holds you a little longer than planned. Leaders in luxury brand design, master planning, neuroaesthetics, and design education reveal how culture, craft, and care create belonging, and how that feeling drives rate, loyalty, and lasting value.
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