NOT A HOTEL KITAKARUIZAWA IRORI

NOT A HOTEL, which develops villas that double as hotels, presents its flagship retreat IRORI, set deep in the forests of Kita-Karuizawa at the foot of Mt. Asama. The project reimagines the archetypal Japanese dwelling — a home gathered around the hearth — as a contemporary villa.

At the heart of a sweeping roof that follows the contours of the land lies an earthen-floored living room organised around an open hearth, with the dining area, bedrooms and bathroom flowing softly around it. Expansive openings dissolve the boundary between inside and out, drawing the ever-shifting forest into every room and leaving one immersed in nature while still indoors. A dog run to bound across with a beloved companion, an outdoor pool cradled among the trees, the deep hush of a winter sealed in snow — we built the visuals to capture, from every angle, the extraordinary life that unfolds in Kita-Karuizawa.