[Conquering Aica Kogyo's Popular Vanities] My Smart Sanitary, Aman Tokyo Transformation Plan.

Introduction

...Are you familiar with Aman Tokyo?

It is one of Japan's premier luxury hotels, located in Otemachi, Tokyo. The price for one night in a suite is... around 400,000 to 900,000 yen.

I have never been there yet.
And I might never stay there in my entire life...

It is truly an uncharted territory.

Floors and walls unified in black.
Elegant wood-grain interiors that appear from time to time.
Ceilings that seem to go on forever.

Guest rooms—

Not Japanese-style rooms. What you call "Japanese Modern".
A space that serves as a model for what authentic Japanese modern design should look like.

And the vanity—

"This is it."

That was the start of my journey to select a custom vanity.

This is a record of how a client, inspired by Aman Tokyo, fought against the reality of a budget to create a "separate space" for the washroom.

The story of falling in love with Aman Tokyo

One day, while gathering information for building my house.
I watched a video of a travel creator staying at Aman Tokyo on YouTube.

The first thing that blew me away was the entrance.
Large windows reaching up to the ceiling. A space based on black, with the warmth of wood shining through. An overwhelming worldview that elevates Japanese elements into something modern.

And then, to the guest room.

I wondered if there was any other space that suited the term "Japanese Modern" so well. While stripping away the unnecessary, the aesthetic sense of Japan dwells in every corner.

Real wood.
The black that the entire space exudes.

And during the scene introducing the vanity, I found myself leaning forward in front of the screen.

A black washbasin. Wooden drawers.
Simple, yet with an overwhelming presence.

"I want this vanity in my home."

Since then, my days of studying the vanities at Aman Tokyo began.

Of course, I don't have the money to stay there.
So, I watched many hotel tour videos. I also looked at countless photos on Pinterest and Instagram.

I collected photos and videos taken by various creators from different angles and studied every detail of the vanity.
This might be the first time in my life I've studied a place I've never been to this thoroughly.

However, there was one thing I decided from the start.
I will not aim for a perfect reproduction.

I can't set aside that much of a budget.

I believed that what's important isn't "making it exactly the same," but "getting inspired to create a space of my own."

The combination of black and wood.
A hotel-like atmosphere.
Treating the vanity area as a "separate space."

Incorporating this essence into my home. That became the theme for selecting the vanity.

The Complete Record of Manufacturer Consideration

Having obtained clear inspiration from Aman Tokyo, I began considering vanity manufacturers.

However, I might not have had the same level of passion as I did for the kitchen.

If anything, I wanted to complete a stylish vanity for my wife so she could enjoy her daily makeup routine.

And, as someone who calls themselves a discerning homeowner, I couldn't cut corners.

TOTO EXUA

While researching vanities, I came across TOTO's EXUA.
This is incredibly cool.
A stylish design, high-quality material feel, and a hotel-like atmosphere.

It is the pinnacle of ready-made vanities, shattering the fixed idea that you must choose a custom-built one to create a hotel-like vanity.

Since the toilet I planned to use was also TOTO, I had them check the price of the EXUA as well.

Starting at 1.5 million yen, and nearly 2 million yen depending on the options.
Right after spending an extra 2.2 million yen on the kitchen, another 1.5 to 2 million yen for a vanity. This was impossible.

Takara Standard Elicio

When I was visiting the showroom to see Takara Standard's Ophelia for the kitchen section, I also had them show me the vanities.
The idea was, "If I'm going to do it, I might as well get the kitchen, unit bath, and vanity all from Takara."

The functional aspects of Elicio were excellent. As expected of Takara Standard.
I felt the same high level of maintainability as I did with the kitchen.

But the design...
Nothing special.

Well, it's a vanity you see often.
I like the functionality.
But the design doesn't strike a chord.

Aica Kogyo Smart Sanitary

And this is where I settled.
Aica Kogyo's Smart Sanitary.

The gold standard of custom-built vanities.
Or rather, can you even call that custom-built?
Semi-custom?

Aica Kogyo also has a series called Stylish Counter.
The price for the Stylish Counter is kept lower.

The price changes significantly depending on whether there are drawers or not. That aspect is the same for kitchen cupboards.

However, the reason I chose the Smart Sanitary is for the "drawers."
What I fell in love with in the Aman Tokyo vanity was the combination of the black washbasin and the wooden drawers.

The Smart Sanitary is what has those "drawers" firmly attached. This was a point that couldn't be replicated with the Stylish Counter.

If there are drawers, you can also prevent dust. It is a convincing choice in terms of functionality as well.
By the way, I had decided on the wall-mounted faucet for the vanity from the moment I started building the house.

Hotel-like = wall-mounted faucet.
That is surely a golden rule.

Aica vanity, wall-mounted faucet, and one more thing...
When all the pieces are in place,
this is the completion of an unshakable winning formula.

Hanshin Tigers
It reminds me of the JFK (Fujikawa, Williams, Kubota) era.
Yes, a guaranteed win.

Full Disclosure of Specifications

I will disclose all the specifications of my home's Aman Tokyo-style vanity.

Vanity unit: Aica Kogyo Smart Sanitary

As mentioned above, the presence of drawers was the deciding factor.
The drawer fronts have a wood-grain melamine finish.

Regarding the counter, if you use real wood, there are disadvantages such as resistance to water and ease of cleaning, so I adopted Aica's melamine here, considering daily use.

It is hard for dust to accumulate, and it is excellent as storage.
It is a choice that can achieve both appearance and functionality.


Tile: Hirata Tile Quartz (Black, 600mm x 300mm)

I will finish the wall around the vanity with black tiles.
The area to be tiled is the wall to the left and right of the vanity, and the front wall (above and below the mirror).

Hirata Tile's Quartz, color is black. The size is a large 600mm x 300mm tile.

There is a reason why I chose large tiles. The fewer the grout lines, the cleaner the space looks. I judged that large tiles would be closer to a hotel-like atmosphere than lining up small tiles.

This tile plays the role of tightening the entire vanity in "black."

Wall-mounted faucet: Miratap Stick Wall-Mounted Mixing Faucet L

This is the only part I had decided on from the moment I started building the house.

Hotel-like = wall-mounted faucet. This was an unshakable formula for me.
Most common vanity faucets grow out of the counter.

However, just by making it a wall-mounted faucet, the top of the vanity counter becomes clean.
It is also easy to clean.
And above all, the appearance becomes hotel-like all at once.

Miratap's Stick Wall-Mounted Mixing Faucet L has a form that stretches out like a stick, just as the name suggests. It has a minimalism with a different direction than SUTTO.

Mirror: Custom-made single-panel mirror + top and bottom indirect lighting

This is the biggest "gamble" in selecting the vanity.

The vanity width is over 1600mm. Usually, one would adopt a three-panel mirror or a mirror with storage, but I dared to use a single-panel mirror.

The reason is simple. Hotel vanities often have single-panel mirrors. A mirror with storage is convenient, but it inevitably has "lines."
Since I am creating a hotel-like atmosphere with lighting and tiles, I eliminated the noise of "lines."

The height of the niche is about 900mm, so I will have a glass shop make it custom-made to match that. It is completely made-to-order.

And I will install indirect lighting above and below the mirror.
By having light spread softly from above and below the mirror, the entire vanity will have an atmosphere like a hotel bathroom. With just one indirect light, the grade of the space will rise at once.

Niche storage: Nankai Plywood Adcube


This is an item that solves the trade-off where storage disappears instead of adopting a single-panel mirror.

I will install an Adcube with a height of about 900mm on the wall next to the vanity.
Since it has a door, toothbrushes and daily necessities can be stored neatly.
I will use the vanity's "visible storage" and "hidden storage" separately.

If you close the door, there is zero sense of daily life. If you open it, you can take out what you need immediately.
This design is the key to balancing a hotel-like space and practicality.

Since there is movable shelf storage on the opposite side of the vanity in my home's washroom, I judged that there was no problem with the storage capacity.



These are all the specifications of my home's vanity.
250,000 yen difference from the builder's standard vanity, 300,000 yen for tiles, mirror, faucet, and others.
Total of +500,000 yen for the washroom.
I wanted to keep the cost down a little more... lol

Comparison with Aman Tokyo—Was it reproduced?

Now, it's finally the main subject.

A vanity created with inspiration from Aman Tokyo. How well were we able to recreate it?

We couldn't recreate it perfectly.

In the first place, we weren't aiming for a perfect recreation from the start.
Aman is Aman. Our home is our home.

Comparing a luxury hotel that costs hundreds of thousands of yen per night with a regular house is nonsense in itself! ← I gave up!! Haha

But I believe we were definitely able to incorporate the essence.I think.

Parts we were able to recreate

The combination of black and wood. We were able to achieve this.

The black of the tiles and the wood-grain melamine drawers. We were able to incorporate that combination I fell in love with at the Aman Tokyo vanity in our own way.

The hotel-like appearance with wall-mounted faucets is also just as I imagined. This part, which I decided on from the moment I started building the house, should tighten up the entire space.

And the full-length mirror with indirect lighting above and below. This might be the part where we got closest to the Aman Tokyo vanity. It was a 'gamble' to sacrifice storage, but without this choice, it wouldn't be a hotel-like space.

Parts we compromised on

The texture of the materials.

The materials used by Aman Tokyo and the materials used in our home are naturally different. Real stone, real wood—the materials used by luxury hotels are in a different league.

And due to budget constraints, the range of tiles is also limited. We cannot wrap the entire space in materials like Aman Tokyo. By limiting the tiles to the wall around the vanity, we balanced cost and appearance.

But looking back, I also think these constraints were good.

If the budget were infinite, we could do anything.
But a space created by racking your brains within constraints holds your own personal commitment and attachment.

Precisely because we couldn't recreate it perfectly, 'kyu's vanity' became what it is, I think.

The reason I wanted to make the washroom a 'separate space'

There is one more theme I valued in selecting this vanity.

To carve out the washroom as a 'separate space'.

Our home's vanity is located in a place independent from both the LDK and the dressing/laundry room. Because it is an independent space, we can create a different worldview.

I'm going to go a bit bold with the vanity and create a hotel-like space where black takes center stage.

Having a room with a different taste inside the house creates a sense of contrast in the space. This is a vision I've been chasing ever since that moment I fell in love with the vanity at Aman Tokyo.

And one day—I think I'll go to Aman Tokyo.

Summary—3 things to avoid regrets when choosing a vanity

① Inspiration
Rather than aiming for a "vaguely stylish vanity," having a clear vision of "I want to get closer to that vanity" makes the selection process smoother.
Whether it's a hotel, an Instagram photo, or a YouTube video, anything is fine.
Finding that one image that makes you think "this is it" is the first step in selecting a vanity.

② Consider wall-mounted faucets
For those who want to instantly make their vanity atmosphere hotel-like, wall-mounted faucets are highly recommended.
The counter stays clean and it's easy to wipe down. The downside is that you need to decide on the installation position in advance. Since it's difficult to change later, please consult with your architect in the early stages of design.

③ Think about the trade-off between storage and appearance
If you choose a single-panel mirror, it looks hotel-like. But the storage disappears.
If you choose a three-panel mirror or a mirror with storage, storage increases. But it gives off a sense of everyday life.
Neither is the correct answer, so please make a choice that fits your lifestyle. I decided to supplement it with niche storage and adjustable shelf storage.

Conclusion

A vanity created by longing for a place I've never been, studying it repeatedly through a screen, and battling with the budget.

I couldn't perfectly recreate Aman Tokyo.
But"kyu's vanity" is complete.

I didn't spend an exorbitant amount of money, but
in the sense of delivering the reality of home building,
I think this kind of thing is also a good reality, isn't it?

The combination of black and wood.
The presence of the wall-mounted faucet.
A single-panel mirror and indirect lighting above and below.
A hotel-like separate space where large black tiles tighten the room.

A little bit of an Aman mood.

In the next article, I will write about the paintable wall "Porter's Paint".
Ordinary wallpaper? Should you choose it without thinking?
kyu's commitment will be on full display.

Please follow me and stay tuned!