The New Ace Hotel Kyoto: Japanese Design Meets Bohemian Style
We have yet to meet a Commune-designed Ace Hotel that we didn’t like. Their latest collaboration has yielded one of our favorite projects yet: Ace Hotel Kyoto, the hipster hospitality chain’s first ever outpost in Asia.
The architect behind the 213-room hotel is Kengo Kuma, who designed the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium. Part new build, part historic structure, it features multiple courtyards and gardens and a distinctly Japanese facade that references the traditional wooden houses (machiya) of Kyoto.
Inside, LA-based Commune Design has interpreted Japanese traditions, by way of West Coast bohemia. Beautiful Japanese textiles are used to cover casual daybeds; a record player in each room is at the ready for sampling retro tunes (we spy a Grace Jones album in one of the rooms); wood built-ins and white walls make for a naturalistic palette.
The hotel officially opens April 16 but is currently taking reservations (high-season rates start at $400). Ready to admire the East-meets-West results? The folks behind Atelier Ace and Commune Design walk us through the finer points.
Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson, courtesy of Ace Hotel Kyoto.
For more Japanese inspiration, see: