When Trunk(Hotel) opened two years ago, its contemporary design, buzzy ambiance and creative collaborations filled a much-needed gap in Tokyo’s hotel scene. Now, its entrepreneurial founder Yoshitaka Nojiri has opened Trunk(House), an entirely different kind of venture that is once again shaking things up in a city on a mission to open big hotels ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games.
Occupying a 70-year-old former training house for geisha, and comprising just one bedroom, the property is inspired by the concept of an exclusive ‘salon’ for modern creatives and unlike Trunk(Hotel)’s hipster setting in Shibuya, its new little sister is set in a maze of stone lanes lined with traditional wooden houses in Kagurazaka, an atmospheric neighbourhood dubbed ‘Little Kyoto in Tokyo’.
Outside, a pine tree – rather than signage – marks the entrance, while inside a modern riff on traditional Japanese house design – masterminded by in-house team Trunk Atelier and Tokyo-based studio Tripster – opens with an original stone genkan entrance, which leads to smooth grey mortar walls, terrazzo floors, wood panelled ceilings, and a decorative stained glass window.
Brass lights by Nara-based New Light Pottery are suspended above marble kitchen counters and a long, solid oak dining table, while the living room is similarly clean-lined, with metal-framed leather sofas by Stephen Kenn and an angular Jean Prouvé Potence wall lamp.
Like traditional dwellings, the minimal bedroom is unadorned with a simple low white bed, but the bathroom is a scene-stealer: inspired by a sentō, a communal bathhouse, a hinoki cypress wood tub sits against a tiled background featuring whimsical paintings by ukiyo-e woodblock print artist Masumi Ishikawa.
Elsewhere, other highlights include a tatami mat tearoom with leather cushions, paper artwork by Chiaki Hirano, a George Nelson Cigar Lotus floor lamp and contemporary tea utensils by artist Tom Sachs.
But perhaps best of all? In a fun Trunk twist, it’s also home to ‘the world’s smallest disco’ – complete with glitter ball, karaoke, neon signage, an illuminated floor and a private bar. §
As originally featured in the September 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*246) – on newsstands now
Masterminded by in-house team Trunk Atelier and Tokyo-based studio Tripster, the interiors are a modern riff on traditional Japanese house design
Brass lights by Nara-based New Light Pottery are suspended above marble kitchen counters and a long, solid oak dining table
Like traditional dwellings, the minimal bedroom is unadorned with a simple low white bed
The bathroom is a scene-stealer: inspired by a sentō, a communal bathhouse, a hinoki cypress wood tub sits against a tiled background featuring whimsical paintings by ukiyo-e woodblock print artist Masumi Ishikawa
In a fun Trunk twist, it’s also home to ‘the world’s smallest disco’ – complete with glitter ball, karaoke, neon signage, an illuminated floor and a private bar
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
3-1-34 Kagurazaka
Shinjuku-ku
-
For its US debut, Formafantasma goes back to basicsOn view at Friedman Benda this summer, the show is the result of the Milan-based studio's ongoing fascination with history, technology and domesticity
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Ned Nomad in New YorkThis hotel and social club is a vibrant hub of hospitality that evokes 1920s glamour for members and visitors alike
-
The Nomos Worldtimer watch keeps the design-conscious traveller in the zoneNomos Glashütte enters the world of worldtimers in style – discover the watch
-
Tune into the rhythm of Tokyo’s most ambitious record shopVinyl Delivery Service in east Tokyo’s Skwat Kameari Art Centre is spinning a new narrative for the traditional record store model
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Waldorf Astoria Osaka‘It’s rare to work on a brand new hotel of this scale in Japan in today’s landscape,’ says designer Andre Fu about Osaka’s newest luxury hotel. Wallpaper* paid it an early visit
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
A new book captures the kitschy allure of Japanese ‘love hotels’For his latest project, French photographer François Prost documents the whimsical façades that characterise these erotic roadside venues.
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeysStay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu: a soothing onsen hotelIn Japan’s bucolic northeast, Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu breathes new life into a sleepy hot spring village without betraying its ancient roots
-
Shake off the winter chill at these design-led onsen hotels in JapanWhether you’re heading to the mountains of Hokkaido or the alleys of Kyoto’s Gion district, these immaculately designed onsen hotels will keep the shivers at bay
-
The new hotels you’ll want to stay at in 2025Where to stay in 2025? Let six of the most-read-about hotel openings of the past 12 months inspire your escape – from a tiny Tokyo bolthole to a Tanzanian safari retreat
