A sweeping dragon mural, interior metal scaffolding and skateboards transformed into tables may not sound like typical hotel décor – unless you happen to have crossed the threshold of BnA Studio Akihabara, a new artist-designed hotel located on a quiet lane in eastern Tokyo.
Housed in a neat grey corner building, the property has a ground floor co-working space, along with five ‘concept art' guestrooms that have each been created by a Japanese artist. There is sunlight-flooded Athletic Park by Studiobowl’s interior artist Ryohei Murakami – with its rainbow pops of colour, metal scaffolding and a yellow staircase leading to a hovering bed platform.
Upstairs is Responder by 81 Bastards (whose members include six painters, a tattoo artist, a photographer, a videographer and a DJ), with a hyper-detailed mural fluidly spanning walls and ceiling. While just next door, the black-walled Hailer, by the same collective, showcases a subtly subversive modern take on traditional Japanese décor.
The Zen Garden suite – by 51.3 G-Wave – is on the top floor, complete with a violet fluoro light depicting the Japanese kanji symbol for ‘zen’, a metal fence cutting the space in two and a small Japanese rock garden. The rooms may be experimental showcases of contemporary art but they are rooted in comfort: each has its own spacious bathroom, a small kitchen and a washer-dryer machine.
This property is the latest – and the biggest – in a string of projects masterminded by BnA (short for bed and art) since it launched in 2015 with the opening of a popular Air BnB ‘art room’ in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district.
Since then, the group has unveiled a machiya art house in Kyoto and the two-room BnA Hotel Koenji in Tokyo. Meanwhile, plans are underway for larger-scale hotels in both cities.
Among the five 'concept art' guestrooms, there is the sunlight-flooded Athletic Park by studioBOWL
The room is defined by rainbow pops of colour, metal scaffolding and a yellow staircase leading to a hovering bed platform
The black-walled Hailer, by a collective called 81 BASTARDS (whose members include six painters, a tattoo artist, a photographer, a videographer and a DJ) showcases a subtly subversive modern take on traditional Japanese décor
The Zen Garden suite - by 51.3 G-WAVE – is on the top floor, complete with a violet fluoro light depicting the Japanese kanji symbol for 'zen', a metal fence cutting the space in two and a small Japanese rock garden
The rooms may be experimental showcases of contemporary art but they are rooted in comfort: each has its own spacious bathroom, a small kitchen and a washer-dryer machine
ADDRESS
6-3-3 Sotokanda
Chiyoda-ku
-
First look – Bottega Veneta and Flos release a special edition of the Model 600Gino Sarfatti’s fan favourite from 1966 is born again with Bottega Veneta’s signature treatments gracing its leather base
-
We stepped inside the Stedelijk Museum's newest addition in AmsterdamAmsterdam's Stedelijk Museum has unveiled its latest addition, the brand-new Don Quixote Sculpture Hall by Paul Cournet of Rotterdam creative agency Cloud
-
On a sloped Los Angeles site, a cascade of green 'boxes' offers inside outside livingUnStack, a house by FreelandBuck, is a cascading series of bright green volumes, with mountain views
-
First look: Noma Kyoto returns and aims to ‘double-wow’ dinersNoma Kyoto opens on 8 October for a ten-week pop-up inside Ace Kyoto. Thomas Lykke, co-founder of OEO Studio, tells us of the interiors’ autumn-forest inspiration
-
Kengo Kuma’s new Kyoto hotel is ‘a sanctuary of ethereal beauty’A former ryokan inn, Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto offers onsen rooms equipped with natural hot spring water, and a contemporary take on a Noh theatre
-
A minimalist teahouse makes a serene addition to a Tadao Ando-designed Kyoto hotelOgata at The Shinmonzen is a contemporary reinterpretation of a Japanese teahouse that sells traditional blends, confectionery, crafts and fragrances
-
Tour the new Four Seasons Osaka, where time stands stillSet within a 49-storey tower, Four Seasons Osaka takes the traditional ryokan experience to new heights
-
Aman Residences Tokyo float high above the Japanese capitalAman Residences Tokyo, Aman Group’s first standalone branded residences, feature dramatic yet serene interiors by Yabu Pushelberg
-
Step inside this rare Shiro Kuramata-designed cocktail bar in JapanShiro Kuramata designed hundreds of bars in his lifetime, but few remain intact. Now fans are making a pilgrimage to Comblé Bar in Shizuoka
-
Take off with Wallpaper* June 2024: The Travel IssueThe Wallpaper* June 2024 Travel Issue is on sale now, ready to whisk you to the best of Ho Chi Minh City, Caracas’ modernist marvels, classy Canadian cabins, a Swiss sleep retreat, and more
-
Find yourself at Six Senses Kyoto, the brand's breathtaking Japan debutSix Senses Kyoto opens its doors boasting tranquil, luxurious interiors by Blink Design Group
