House of KI NO BI

This century-old traditional Japanese townhouse ‘Machiya’ is transformed into the brand home for ‘The Kyoto Distillery’. It features a gift shop, bar, exhibition space, seminar experience, and an exclusive ‘Gin Palace’.

Featuring warm copper and eight varieties of timber, the brief was to restore the orginal charm of the townhouse whilst embodying the identity of the brand; in particuylar their ethos towards collaborating with local artisans. Collobarators include a woodblock print comapny ‘Kira-Karacho’, dating back to 1624, ‘Hosoo’, a textile company creating kimono materials since 1688, and a lacquerware comapny dating back to 1661.

The original beams were revealed with carefully considered lighting, and the beautiful Japanese garden reinstated wtih ‘Aka-matsu’ pine trees.