Sleep with Design Memories: BUNSHODO HOTEL to Open Special Exhibition and Stay Plans Featuring the Keiji Nagai Collection
BUNSHODO HOTEL in Fukuoka will host a special exhibition from May 2026, featuring the archive of the late world-renowned chair collector Keiji Nagai. The project aims to pass on design heritage through stay plans where guests can sit on masterpieces and private library viewings.
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Local Design Co., Ltd. (Fukuoka, CEO: Kenichi Kawabe) is pleased to announce that BUNSHODO HOTEL will host a special exhibition starting May 12, 2026 (Tue), allowing guests to experience the archive of the late Keiji Nagai, an interior designer and world-famous chair collector.
This project brings iconic products, including permanent collection pieces from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and rare design books into the private space of hotel rooms for a limited time. Moving away from museum-style viewing through glass, we offer an intellectual experience through two types of spaces: 'Hotel Stay × Exhibition,' where guests can spend a night using the masterpieces and browsing the collection, and 'Library × Exhibition,' where guests can confront the collection one-on-one in a 30-minute private session.
■ The Inevitability of Two 'Memories' Intersecting Here
BUNSHODO HOTEL stands on the former site of 'Bunshodo,' a bookstore that supported the city's intellect before the war. Our mission goes beyond operating a lodging facility; we strive to intersect the history and culture of the land within the hotel space and pass it on to the next generation.
This project began when Local Design Co., Ltd. was moved by Mr. Nagai's sincere collecting activities and passion. His collection, built over half a century, consists of tens of thousands of items. Since his sudden passing in 2022, the question of how to maintain and manage this valuable 'historical asset of design' and hand it over to the next generation has become a significant social issue.
Set against the backdrop of BUNSHODO HOTEL, which has delivered stories through 'books,' we aim to hand over the 'thoughts of makers and users' preserved in the Nagai Collection to people living today. This project is the first step in exploring the memory of design and the new sustainability of the collection through the experience of actual use.
■ Details of Exhibition Contents
Major Products on Display:
- Side Chair / Ray Komai
- Aluminum Group Management Chair / Charles & Ray Eames
- MR Chair / Mies van der Rohe
Some of the iconic products representing this exhibition are introduced here. Which masterpiece you will encounter in which space is a surprise until the day of your visit.
1. 【Limited to 1 Group per Day】 Stay: Living with Masterpieces 'Hotel Stay × Exhibition'
- Living with Masterpieces and Books, Tracing Design Memories -
A Deluxe 4-Bed guest room will be opened as a 'Design Study.' This is the ultimate immersive stay plan where guests can experience MoMA collection products and Mr. Nagai's books as an extension of daily life. At night, with lights dimmed, you can monopolize the sculptural beauty emerging in the silence.
2. 【By Reservation Only】 Exhibition: Knowing Design 'Library × Exhibition'
- A Private Museum for Monopolizing Masterpieces -
A hotel guest room will be transformed into a library for a limited time. Through a 30-minute complete reservation and rotation system, we offer a luxurious time to confront the collection one-on-one. To protect the precious heritage, products will be viewed through acrylic barriers, but you can deeply concentrate on the details and stories of the designs in the silence. Some books can be handled to retrace the history of design.
■ Archive Shop (Lobby Sales)
Original goods that allow you to bring the spirit of the Nagai Collection into your daily life are available for purchase in the lobby.
■ Event Overview
Period: May 12 (Tue) to July 31 (Fri), 2026
Venue: BUNSHODO HOTEL (2-12-13 Hakata Ekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City)
Admission: 1,200 JPY (Includes one drink) *Free for stay plan guests
Produced by: K&DESIGN COLLECTION
Planning & Operation: Local Design Co., Ltd.
■ Related Event
'Expedition': A city-wide design exhibition staged across Fukuoka will be held concurrently from May 15 to May 31, 2026, organized by the Institute of Product Design Research.
This project brings iconic products, including permanent collection pieces from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and rare design books into the private space of hotel rooms for a limited time. Moving away from museum-style viewing through glass, we offer an intellectual experience through two types of spaces: 'Hotel Stay × Exhibition,' where guests can spend a night using the masterpieces and browsing the collection, and 'Library × Exhibition,' where guests can confront the collection one-on-one in a 30-minute private session.
■ The Inevitability of Two 'Memories' Intersecting Here
BUNSHODO HOTEL stands on the former site of 'Bunshodo,' a bookstore that supported the city's intellect before the war. Our mission goes beyond operating a lodging facility; we strive to intersect the history and culture of the land within the hotel space and pass it on to the next generation.
This project began when Local Design Co., Ltd. was moved by Mr. Nagai's sincere collecting activities and passion. His collection, built over half a century, consists of tens of thousands of items. Since his sudden passing in 2022, the question of how to maintain and manage this valuable 'historical asset of design' and hand it over to the next generation has become a significant social issue.
Set against the backdrop of BUNSHODO HOTEL, which has delivered stories through 'books,' we aim to hand over the 'thoughts of makers and users' preserved in the Nagai Collection to people living today. This project is the first step in exploring the memory of design and the new sustainability of the collection through the experience of actual use.
■ Details of Exhibition Contents
Major Products on Display:
- Side Chair / Ray Komai
- Aluminum Group Management Chair / Charles & Ray Eames
- MR Chair / Mies van der Rohe
Some of the iconic products representing this exhibition are introduced here. Which masterpiece you will encounter in which space is a surprise until the day of your visit.
1. 【Limited to 1 Group per Day】 Stay: Living with Masterpieces 'Hotel Stay × Exhibition'
- Living with Masterpieces and Books, Tracing Design Memories -
A Deluxe 4-Bed guest room will be opened as a 'Design Study.' This is the ultimate immersive stay plan where guests can experience MoMA collection products and Mr. Nagai's books as an extension of daily life. At night, with lights dimmed, you can monopolize the sculptural beauty emerging in the silence.
2. 【By Reservation Only】 Exhibition: Knowing Design 'Library × Exhibition'
- A Private Museum for Monopolizing Masterpieces -
A hotel guest room will be transformed into a library for a limited time. Through a 30-minute complete reservation and rotation system, we offer a luxurious time to confront the collection one-on-one. To protect the precious heritage, products will be viewed through acrylic barriers, but you can deeply concentrate on the details and stories of the designs in the silence. Some books can be handled to retrace the history of design.
■ Archive Shop (Lobby Sales)
Original goods that allow you to bring the spirit of the Nagai Collection into your daily life are available for purchase in the lobby.
■ Event Overview
Period: May 12 (Tue) to July 31 (Fri), 2026
Venue: BUNSHODO HOTEL (2-12-13 Hakata Ekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City)
Admission: 1,200 JPY (Includes one drink) *Free for stay plan guests
Produced by: K&DESIGN COLLECTION
Planning & Operation: Local Design Co., Ltd.
■ Related Event
'Expedition': A city-wide design exhibition staged across Fukuoka will be held concurrently from May 15 to May 31, 2026, organized by the Institute of Product Design Research.