In response to the growing demand for flexible lifestyles, the Mitsui Fudosan Group has introduced “n'estate,” a multi-location residential service designed to support the diverse lifestyles of individuals. Serving as the new base for this service, an old house built more than half a century ago in Kyoto -Japan’s ancient capital- has been thoughtfully renovated into a private lodge and café.

The house, which has undergone multiple renovations over the decades, reflects the changing times and the needs of its past residents. For this renovation, we stripped away layers of walls, floors, and ceilings that had built up over time, and reimagined the space with a fresh floor plan. Though the lodge and café are owned by different parties and are not connected by walkways, we designed the two areas as an integrated whole by creating openings in the interior. This allows visitors to sense the flow between the spaces while maintaining distinct boundaries, with materials carefully chosen to blend the two areas harmoniously.

Each of the lodge’s three bedrooms has been assigned a unique theme color, with the design of each room adjusted to complement its shape and the surrounding environment. This approach enhances the character of each space, while using a consistent set of materials throughout. To honor Kyoto’s cultural heritage, the sauna in the bathroom features a design inspired by traditional tea rooms: benches surround a stove, reminiscent of the central furnace typically found in such rooms.

We designed a passage that leads from the busy front street, through the seating area of the café and to the manicured gardens behind the building. Visitors can enjoy this beautiful garden from the seating area. In keeping with the traditional “engawa” (the wooden veranda of a Japanese house), we re-imagined this space using tiles to better suit modern needs. The tiles are durable, water-resistant, and easy to clean, making the engawa a flexible space that can be used for various purposes, such as an exhibition area, an event stage, or additional seating. An opening between the engawa and the lodge creates a sense of openness, subtly blending the two spaces while softening the division between the lodge and café.

We preserved and reused as much of the original parts of the house as possible, including the finishing materials, window frames, and door frames. This renovation respects the history of the old house while adapting it for contemporary use, creating a seamless blend of the past and present that fits harmoniously within Kyoto’s historic context.