NEW CLASSIC

Respectful of the past but with a unique take on the present, Kyoto’s Tadao Ando-designed Shinmonzen hotel should be a hit for years to come

- DANIELLE DEMETRIOU

Its façade ticks all the boxes of a traditional Kyoto machiya townhouse, from the low-rise symmetry of its dark timber to its curved roof tiles. Step inside The Shinmonzen, however, and the atmosphere veers into the future: a long corridor, sharply lined with a sweep of raw concrete on one side, and vertical wood slats on the other, flows deep into the unexpectedly modern building.

Heritage and contemporary creativity stand in playful contrast throughout this new hotel in Kyoto’s historic Gion district. Despite its external appearance, it was built from scratch, designed by none other than Tadao Ando, and dreamt up by hotelier Paddy McKillen as the far-flung little sister of Villa La Coste (W*214), the sleek temple to modern art and architecture in southern France.

Overlooking the serene Shirakawa River, The Shinmonzen blends hints of Kyoto aesthetics with its European DNA, courtesy of Ando’s architecture and interiors by Rémi Tessier, alongside, as in the French outpost, an epic collection of contemporary art.