“A secret hideaway for the art collectors of the future.” That concept has become the foundation for this room, an art lover’s getaway. As soon as you enter this room as a guest of this hotel, you have now stepped into the shoes of an art collector. We want you to keep this in mind during your stay here at this hotel.

In this room, you can interact with the paintings and change the arrangement of the paintings as you would like, observing them from a variety of angles, and reflecting on the pieces. On top of this, all of the paintings in the room are for sale. The paintings are all sold via auction and only those who have stayed in the room can bid on them. By staying in the room, you can observe the paintings and determine their value for yourself.

Unlike the other rooms, the curator, themes, and artists of this collection change every six months. By doing so, they hope to strengthen the connection with the ever-changing art scene in Kyoto. Let’s hear a bit more about the artists involved with this room.

This is a guide for rooms 703 and 803, which will be introduced as BnA "vault". Unlike the other rooms, which are set as spaces where certain artists display selected work, this room was created as "a room for art collectors living in the future." We’d like to present a conversation between myself, the director, Kenji Oguro, and Mr. Sumio Aizawa of "SUMAR WORKS" who designed and produced this space.

--First of all, please introduce yourself.

I run an interior design and architecture company called "SUMAR WORKS". We started off creating stores, but eventually, we branched off into projects to create things that have never been seen before, while keeping structure at the front of our minds. We even worked with jewelry, apparel brands, and now we’re doing things related to comprehensive manufacturing and design..

-- Do you have any commentary that can guide our visitors? It can be something related to the design planning or the experience as a whole.

I was very conscious when designing this room that it was part of a lodging facility. I'm usually working in commercial facilities, so this was a new experience for me. But in the end, I couldn’t help but bring my professional style into this project. I used very practical reasoning in considering how the room relates to the hotel as a whole, and where a guest would feel most comfortable. It's a small room, but the view is designed from the guests’ perspective. The view you have while lying in bed, the scene you have when you enter the room, etc.

In addition, all the articles in the room are original pieces of work. The hanger rack, the bed-- everything you see besides the chair is an original product. It's not the same as enjoying a piece of art, but I hope you can enjoy these details.

-- Do you have anything you’d like to say to our guests?

This room is special because the art on display is constantly changing. So while I can’t comment on any particular piece or how it’ll make you feel, I can tell you that the appeal to this room is getting a chance to be a part of that constant change. If you stay in this room for a second or third time, you’ll notice how the walls are the same and so are the beds and the furniture, but still, you’ll sense a difference. I hope you can stay here at least twice so you can experience that feeling.