Contemporary Culture

Ace Hotel acing hotel life, Kyoto style

Written by Adam Bryce

Photography Stephen Kent Johnson

Pre-pandemic, the Ace Hotel team were hard at work preparing their first Japanese spot for the 2020 Olympics. Behold the finished product below and add to the bucket list.

Inside a 1920s telephone exchange building, LA design house, Commune, have joined forces with Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, to mastermind a piece of design brilliance in the form of Ace Hotel Kyoto. Sadly, the Olympics have been postponed for the meantime but, in better news, this beauty will be opening its door very soon.

Kengo Kuma & Associates, the firm behind Toyko’s new Olympic stadium, worked with a modern take on an east-meets-west design philosophy utilising many talented folk from within Japan’s incredible craft industry. From tatami-topped tables, rolled-futon cushioning and textiles by folk artist, Samiro Yunoki, every single moment in the expansive space has been considered with a finely tuned eye.

Add this spot to your post-pandemic bucket list and, in the meantime, peruse their online shop and tempt yourself with their selection of home goods including A.P.C. quilts, Pendleton blankets and binchotan toothbrushes.