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Design Approach
An existing 3-story building in Nishi-ku, Kujo, was fully reconfigured into a wa-modern boutique hotel inflected by Kyoto machiya tradition. The ground floor became dining-and-lobby; floors 2-3 became guest rooms. The brief was to give overseas visitors 'everyday Japan' as a stay experience. Traditional materials — tatami, shoji, copper vessels, hanging scrolls — were translated into contemporary form, putting fading craftsmanship into every corner. The narrow-lot constraint became the strength: dense, layered Japanese atmosphere in a small footprint.
Client's Voice
Instead of merely tidying up the old three-story building, the team rebuilt it as a machiya hotel with one continuous world view. Tatami, shoji, copper vessels and hanging scrolls all sit naturally in the contemporary rooms. Overseas guests now leave reviews saying "this is what coming to Japan feels like." Six months in, occupancy is already above plan and our overseas OTA reviews are holding at 5.0.