You’ll approach your island villa by speedboat. Mostly because you can. Welcome to Not A Hotel Setouchi, your getaway on Sagi Island, part of the picture postcard Sakishima archipelago in the Setouchi region of southern Japan. Quietly form-follows-function design becomes part of landscape, the result of a melding of Danish design and your island villa’s Japanese setting. These images show just how this highly contemporary island villa welcomes in the sea, sky and surrounding wooded areas, with floor to ceiling windows to each room and uncluttered surfacing featuring concrete with contrasting natural wood ceilings.
Infinity pool invites you for that essential morning dip before a lazy day. It’s all the work of BIG, the Danish-founded Bjarke Ingels Group, best known for their Copenhagen waste-to-energy plant that doubles as a ski slope. With that pioneering project under their belt, it’s no wonder BIG's island villa for Not A Hotel is so special. You won’t have the fuss and bother of owning your island villa outright because Tokyo-based Not A Hotel’s concept is a spin on timeshare. You’ll share this island villa with 12 others once finished, ready for your next luxurious getaway in this scenic and cultural part of Japan, for up to 30 days annually.
Oval structure offers views to every side and a private courtyard to the centre of this masterpiece. That’s the ideal place for your night time fires and deep conversation, surrounded by undulating concrete walls that, as they age, will become more and more part of all that’s around this inspirational place. Open terraces overlooking the Seto Inland Sea speak of long lunches and meditative evenings, while naturally there’s a sauna too. Architects BIG speak of “sculptural precision and simplicity” and we can’t wait to see the finished island villa. That and an invite, please.
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