TORAFU ARCHITECTS

We designed a lounge and the soft furnishings of a vacation cottage, “Kyo no Ondokoro Marutamachi”, which provides an accommodation experience in a Kyomachiya house (traditional Kyoto style house). The renovation needed to be adapted to a modern living style, as well as respect the original architectural elements inherited from the Meiji era (approx.130 years ago) when the cottage was built. In the context of Kyoto culture, our proposal focused on the lounge space adjacent to the bedroom, as the place for a short rest before sleeping.

Various sizes of round paper-lantern lights float in the Kyomachiya-specific high ceiling space, inviting visitors up to the second floor. Corresponding to differing requirements of furniture use throughout a day, we designed new sofa furniture which is part-way between a chair and a bed to install in the lounge area on the second floor. An irregularly rounded sofa "PEBBLE" is designed with inspiration gained from the fist-sized stones paved in Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace located in Kyoto Gyoen National Garden. These sofas are arranged in the image of a rock garden, providing relaxation time before bedtime, allowing visitors to adjust their postures and positions to maximum comfort. Gradational upholstery in similar tones for the sofa was chosen as the textile, with the pattern of the motif resembling ripple marks of the rock garden.

The space that generates a natural flow from daytime activities to bedtime, enables visitors to spend comforting, peaceful, and meaningful time during a stay.