Ace Hotel Kyoto by Kengo Kuma and Commune.

Mr Maurice’s Italian at Ace Hotel Kyoto.

Ace Hotel Kyoto stands as a homage to the city’s rich culture and creative spirit. Designed in partnership by Kengo Kuma and Commune, the hotel honours Kyoto’s arts and crafts tradition by sensitively blending together East and West aesthetics.

The design scheme is largely inspired by an extensive history of collaboration between Western designers and Japanese builders, artists, and manufacturers. Commune sought to achieve a fine balance between Japanese and American aesthetics by “integrating craft, natural and local materials, and custom artwork to form an east-meets-west philosophy”, explains the team. Resulting spaces are multi-layered and speak to the union of ideas, histories, and traditions.

The hotel aims to connect with the surrounding area and community, providing guests with an authentic Kyoto experience. The original structure from an existing telephone company building, designed by Japanese modernist architects Tetsuro Yoshida, has been retained and intertwined within the new construction. “Through its central courtyard and various gardens, this red brick building will now converse and create a new harmony with a wooden grid system reminiscent of traditional Kyoto,” says Kengo Kuma.

Fine louvres and delicate use of meshes allow the building to respectfully blend in with the surrounding environment while filtering light and air into internal spaces. A warm, welcoming internal palette is paired with concrete mixed with iron oxide, a combination that creates a quality that cannot be achieved with paint. Kengo Kuma explains that “every detail and material was thought through to connect the building, land, and history together”.

Design principle of Commune, Roman Alonso, explains that the hotel’s meeting spaces, original art, and custom furnishings incorporate a high concentration of artists from Kyoto, including the huge textile piece in the lobby by the Shobu Gakuen artist community in Kagoshima. Sculptural tiles from Shigaraki line the gallery space and bar. Traditional Japanese fabric dividers by Samiro Yunoki bring the bright energy of Kyoto’s culture deep into the interior. The result is a hotel that captures the creativity and vibrancy of Kyoto, offering a central gathering place for locals and travellers alike.

Ace Suite at Ace Hotel Kyoto.

[Photography by Yoshihiro Makino.]