Ace Hotel appoints design partners for Kyoto outpost
Ace Hotel Kyoto, set to open in Spring 2020, has appointed Commune Design and architect Kengo Kuma as its design partners.
The hotel will be set within the part historic and part newbuild Shin-Puh-Kan redevelopment project, overseen and designed by Kuma – formerly the Kyoto Central Telephone Company.
“The design concept for the hotel is rooted in an exchange between East and West through arts and crafts,” comments Roman Alfonso, Design Principal of Commune Design. “Although we looked all over Japan for artisans and craftsmen to collaborate with on the project, there is a high concentration of artists from Kyoto prefecture involved in the project.”
The hotel’s interior scheme seeks to reflect the longstanding mutual admiration between the East and West, taking inspiration from Charlotte Perriand and JB Blunk – two Westerners whose works are heavily influenced by Japanese design and ethos. Working with local artists and craftsmen, Ace Hotel Kyoto will combine handmade features with organic beauty to create a multi-layered aesthetic dialogue between American and Japanese design.
Kelly Sawdon, Partner and Chief Brand Officer of Ace Hotel Group, adds: “Commune has been part of the Ace Hotel family for over 10 years. Their holistic approach to design and thorough research, admiration and support of Japanese craft and meaningful narratives felt like the perfect fit for Ace Hotel’s first Japanese outpost.”
