Designer Akira Minagawa, of the faux-Finnish brand minä perhonen, has collaborated with seasoned architect Yoshifumi Nakamura to renovate and transform a Kyoto machiya into a rentable guesthouse.
The roughly 95-year old home has been renovated with elements of Japanese and Finnish design to create a space that is in sync with modern lifestyles. Titled Nishijin Bettei (西陣別邸; Nishijin is the name of the vicinity and bettei means villa), the 2-story structure consists of an elegant kitchen and dining room on the first floor with sleeping quarters on the second.
Nishijin Bettei will be available starting October 1, 2019 and will accommodate up to 8 people. The base rate is 150,000 yen ($1,400 USD) per night but if you divide that by up to 8 people it comes out to a pretty reasonable rate.
Nishijin Bettei is part of a suite of rentable townhouses in Kyoto called Kyo no Ondokoro. The rentable townhouses are owned and operated by Japanese lingerie company Wacoal. This will be the 5th branch and the 2nd to be designed by Minagawa, who also did the Kamaza Nijo townhouse.
Check out this archives page for more rentable Kyoto townhouses.
