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The Ace Hotel Kyoto: Japanese Design Meets Bohemian Style

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Ace HotelsIssue 4 — Travelogue

The Ace Hotel Kyoto: Japanese Design Meets Bohemian Style

January 27, 2021

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 opened last spring (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.

ace hotel kyoto offers eight different types of guest rooms, from a standard ki 17
Above: Ace Hotel Kyoto offers eight different types of guest rooms, from a Standard King to an Ace Suite. One type of room offered that’s unique to the Japanese experience is the Tatami Suite, featuring four futons on the floor instead of mattresses.
commune designed the built ins and worked with local craftsmen to bring them to 18
Above: Commune designed the built-ins and worked with local craftsmen to bring them to life. “We used a combination of woods, mostly Tamo (Japanese ash) and white oak,” says Roman Alonso, co-founder of Commune. The lamp is custom-made by Flame in Japan with a shade by Mina Perhonen.
art by local artists is displayed throughout the hotel. a classic akari noguchi 19
Above: Art by local artists is displayed throughout the hotel. A classic Akari Noguchi floor lamp presides over the sitting area of a guest room. (See 11 Times Noguchi Lamps Stole the Spotlight, Plus 5 to Buy.)
the commune designed daybeds are locally crafted. &#8\2\20;all the textiles 20
Above: The Commune-designed daybeds are locally crafted. “All the textiles in the guest rooms were custom-made by Mina Perhonen for the project,” says Alonso.
two japanese bamboo sudare shades divide the sleeping quarters from the living 21
Above: Two Japanese bamboo sudare shades divide the sleeping quarters from the living area.
minimalist platform beds simply covered with custom wool blankets made by pendl 22
Above: Minimalist platform beds simply covered with custom wool blankets made by Pendleton specifically for the hotel. After April 16, the blankets will be available for purchase in Ace’s online shop.
the wood clad bathroom. most bathrooms in the hotel also have a traditional jap 23
Above: The wood-clad bathroom. Most bathrooms in the hotel also have a traditional Japanese soaking tub. (See 10 Favorites: Japanese-Style Bathtubs Around the World.)
a rendering of the exterior of the hotel, which incorporates the former kyoto c 24
Above: A rendering of the exterior of the hotel, which incorporates the former Kyoto Central Telephone Company, built by architect Tetsuro Yoshida in the 1920s.

For more Japanese inspiration, see:

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on March 4, 2020.

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