Interior architecture design firm Wilson Associates has completed Skye Niseko, a luxury condominium-hotel ski resort in Hirafu, Japan.
Located within Hokkaido National Park, Skye Niseko draws influences from Japanese culture and luxury alpine lifestyle. The design team was tasked with conceiving the lobby, corridors, spa, cafe deli, ski valet and a total of five penthouse suites.
The lobby of Skye Niseko has a raw split-cut stone that resembles a cut-out slab of the mountain. Located behind the reception desk, the raw, split-cut stone contrasts with a dark metal finish. Providing a sharp contrast to this focal point, Wilson Associates added a textured slate floor, bamboo wood surfacing and vertical beams along the ceilings.
Skye Niseko has 100 residential apartments, designed by Australian-based Pike Withers, and five penthouses, designed by Wilson Associates. The five penthouse suites, which offer three or four bedrooms, have full living and dining spaces.
The resort is made of two interlocking ‘L’ shaped buildings—connected underground to ensure that all living rooms and bedrooms have external views of the mountains and ski slopes. Each penthouse has kitchens, heated outdoor balconies with lounge seating, open fireplaces and Rotenburos (exterior onsens), which are fed with mineral water from deep within the mountain. The monochrome and minimalist theme is carried throughout the interior of the suites, with the rooms painted in varying shades of eggshell while Zenith hand-tufted rugs in charcoal and gray anchor the aesthetic. Clean lines and simple forms were mandated for the furniture selection throughout the suites.
With access to the slopes, the ski valet incorporates a full ski and board rental facility on site, exclusively to residents only.
The property also has Ryoko Spa. The communal space has a sculptural chandelier inspired by the mountains of Hokkaido. Tatami-mat-inspired materials add texture to the walls of the private treatment rooms, and the spa has Hokkaido’s first-ever float tank.
Dining options include Kumo Restaurant, and a cafe deli with grab-and-go items.