Yamadera

Client: Yamagata Kaku Hotel

Location: Jiaoxi, Taiwan

Floor Area: 33 m2

Asia Pacific Property Award ,

Best Hotel Interior Award 2020-2021

鏡花水月

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遠離台北塵囂

礁溪  山形閣

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​山形中的山寺

正如百年不滅的明燈

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令人褪去綑雜的思緒

回歸心中最真實的一隅

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The Yamadera Suite: A Pilgrimage of the Senses

 

Heritage 
The Yamadera Suite is the heart of Yamagata Kaku Hotel, Taiwan. It honors the symbolic Mountain Temple of Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture, celebrating the sister-city bond with Taiwan’s premier hot spring retreat, Jiaoxi.

 

Philosophy 
Designed as a place of pure essentials, the compact layout—comprising foyer, resting area, and bath—strips away distractions. It leaves only the quiet rhythms of reading, bathing, and rest, allowing the soul to settle.

 

The Tactile Journey 
To reach the real Mountain Temple in Yamagata, one must ascend 1,015 stone steps—a path of spiritual pilgrimage. We distill this journey into a bespoke headboard; through meticulous fabric folds, we create a dynamic staircase mimicking the sacred mountain slope. Pristine white represents winter snow, while deep grey evokes the earth as the snow melts. As guests trace their fingers across these folds, it mirrors a meditative climb. At the path's end, a shimmering embroidery of the temple emerges—a subtle hint that the sacred light never fades.

 

The Materiality 
The monotone mineral finish mutes urban noise, fostering an earthy, soulful connection within the space. Nearby, mountain-shaped tiles honor the name Yamagata (Shape of Mountain), transforming into a symbolic boat that glides through the tranquil bath area.

 

The Atmosphere 
As the ritual concludes, the mirrored ceiling catches the moon-like glow of the lights amidst the rising steam, evoking a poetic sense of longing for home.

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