The desert heat surrounding the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi may be a world away from the powder-laden mountains of northern Japan, but designing luxury interior spaces in these equally exotic destinations involves a fundamentally similar process.
Wilson Associates – world-leading architectural interior design firm – is currently fitting out both the aforementioned Middle Eastern palace, as well as hot new Hirafu condo-hotel Skye Niseko.
Skye Niseko safely claims king-of-the-castle title when it comes to location. At the top of the main street, it will become the only Hirafu property that has ski-out access to the resort’s two main lifts – the Hirafu Gondola on the east, and the Ace Quad servicing the west.
”Skye Niseko will undoubtedly attain icon status thanks to its slopeside prominence at the apex of the village, and its striking interlocking twin-building profile.
With such a premise, developer Summit Properties had an unofficial obligation to produce something special – something that would befit its high-profile presence. Lead architect is award-winning Sydney firm Architectus, while Wilson Associates is the interior designer for the penthouse suites, lobby and public spaces, restaurants and cafe outlets, spa and wellness centre, and ski valet.
Construction for the project is well under way, with foundations complete and framing going up this coming spring. The site and its progress can be viewed at the top of Hirafu Zaka Street – above the Welcome Centre.
Wilson Associates lead designer on the project, Associate Design Director James Lee, says the company creates new definitions of luxury for an era that’s increasingly well-travelled, connected and culturally diverse.
“The underlying concept for the project is: Less is the new more,” Lee says.
”Guests will have experienced five and six-star luxury all over the world. So we asked ourselves what we could do to make this place really stand out from anything else on the market.
“Rather than putting lots of finishes and lots of bling into the interior space, we decided to minimise the number of architectural finishes in each space, and really play with proportion and scale to create a luxurious yet minimalistic, Japanese design – less is more.”
With any project, we begin by evaluating the culture, religion and social aspects of the project’s location. We look at landmarks, cultural attractions and the physical features of the land surrounding the project. We evaluate the climate and weather, because that will inform many of the materials and finishes that are specified for the project.
”The era of designing an interior based on a geographic or generic cultural “theme” is over. We create a story for a property that’s bespoke and unique, and that drives the design.
The common element in every project we do is that we always stay true to the concept (the story). Regardless of location, culture, or client, we’re creating a bespoke story and experience for each project, and our guiding principle is to be sure the finished product delivers that promise. We are storytellers.
Wilson Associates’ design footprint spans six continents, 50 countries and includes an array of prestigious clients and operators, including more than 20 of the world’s top 100 billionaires. Clients include Armani, Four Seasons, Shangri La, Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton and many more.
DEVELOPER
Summit Properties
ARCHITECTS
Architectus (Australia)
ISA (Japan)
MINUTES TO SKI LIFT
Ski-in Ski-out
COMPLETION DATE
August 2018
ENQUIRIES
Skye Niseko office: 3/F Hirafu 188 188 9 Hirafuzaka, Aza Yamada Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido, Japan
PHONE
+81 136 220 221
EMAIL
[email protected]
WEB
skyeniseko.com
This article appeared in Powderlife 2017
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