Hiroko Machida graduated from the Department of Industrial Design at Musashino Art University before continuing her studies in furniture design for five years in Switzerland. In 1975, she relocated to Boston to pursue a degree in Environmental Design at the New England School of Art & Design. Upon returning to Japan in 1977, she pioneered the role of an “interior coordinator,” a profession that was virtually unknown at the time. In 1978, she founded the Machida Hiroko Interior Coordinator Academy, which has since expanded to five branches across Japan and continues to undertake numerous interior and architectural design commissions.

Machida’s multidisciplinary practice spans interior, product, and environmental design, and she remains an influential figure in both design and education. In 2004, the Academy partnered with the UK’s KLC School of Design, fostering internationally minded talent in interior design. In 2012, the Tokyo branch of her Academy became the first in Japan’s interior and environmental design education sector to receive the ISO29990 certification, recognizing excellence in non-formal education and training.

She is an active member of several professional bodies, including the Japan Interior Industry Association, the International Interior Design Association (Honorary Permanent Member), and the ISO/TC232 Council in Japan, among others. Her notable projects include work for Four Seasons Hotel Chinzanso (Tokyo), Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel, and Saikaibashi Corazon Hotel (Nagasaki), along with a wide portfolio of healthcare facilities and residential developments across Japan. Her contributions have played a pivotal role in shaping Japan’s contemporary interior design landscape.