In a historic neighborhood in Kyoto’s Nakagyō Ward, structures elbow up against one another, including carpentry shops, centuries-old family pickle stores, and traditional machiya townhouses, for which the city is renowned. One such home stands out with its freshly restored wood exterior and an artwork at the entrance that hints at what’s now inside: a one-bed accommodation with a rotating photography library and gallery.

The house, known as 834 Mibu—a combination of the land lot number and an abbreviation of the area’s name, Mibugoshonouchicho—was renovated by photographer Dominick Sheldon and set designer Whitney Hellesen. The couple, whose primary residence is in California, had wanted to create a space to exhibit photographic works and books and support other creatives. They initially imagined their concept taking shape on property they owned near Palm Desert but, after realizing it would be too costly, shifted to Kyoto, a city that they had become enamored of while honeymooning there in 2017. “We liked the idea of doing it in Japan because of the country’s dedication to photography and craft,” says Dominick.

The pre-1950s townhome they bought “on a whim off the internet,” says Dominick, “was pretty junky,” having seen an update in the ’60s or ’70s. The 350-square-foot, two-level plan “did not conform to the original design and layout,” he adds. The couple wanted to return it to the traditional machiya design.

The couple consulted with Dominick’s uncle, a former architect and now furniture maker who lives in Paris, on the design process as they worked with Kyoto firm Imamura Architects to find the right mix of traditional and modern elements. They placed a large stone, like the kind used as a kutsunugi-ishi, or “shoes-off stone,” at the base of the original wood stair, then added a metal handrail for contrast. They moved the kitchen back underneath the staircase, where it was originally. The bathroom was enlarged to include a shower and finished in okoumé wood, which has a richer color than oft-used Japanese cypress. Upstairs, the bedroom has a tokonoma, an alcove used to display seasonal art, with a new aluminum-leafed fusuma, or sliding door.

The couple also installed a Japanese maple tree in a small courtyard between the tatami room and the glass-block wall of the bathroom. The space serves as a miniature garden—an important component of a machiya, Dominick notes. Nearby, a strategically positioned mirror appears to double the glass wall and garden, creating a trompe-l’oeil sense of spaciousness. “Nighttime is amazing,” Dominick says. “When you turn the bathroom light on, it’s like a shoji screen letting the light glow through.”

“The whole purpose is for people who come here to try to disconnect.”
—Dominick Sheldon, resident

Outside, the original lattice screens and window grates on the ground level were preserved and the newly designed door stained to mimic the sunburned tone of the old wood. Upstairs, the facade was clad with new lattice screens, also stained to match the old ones below, and yakisugi, or charred wood, which is treasured throughout Kyoto. In fact, Dominick and Whitney’s restoration has obtained the blessing of the local neighborhood association, called a chōnaikai—an important factor in community-conscious Japan. “You made the house look like how the neighborhood used to look,” Dominick says its members have commented.

Already, 834 Mibu has featured works from the likes of revered Kyoto collotype atelier Benrido and Tokyo publisher Super Labo, and the couple expect a photography-themed artist-in-residence program to start this fall, hoping it can be funded by income from listing the house as a short-term rental. “An artist community is growing,” says Dominick, explaining that a local craftsman next-door is planning a similar traditional renovation and that plans are in the works with a nearby cafe to create a custom coffee roast for artists and guests. “We want people who come and stay to just engage with what they find here, which I think is how it used to be when you traveled.”

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Toshiki Imamura

Interior Designer: Amulet Studios

Architectural Surveying & Creative Consulting: Christopher Stead

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They Turned a Traditional Kyoto Townhouse Into a Hub for Creatives