A native of Tokyo, famous fashion designer and designer Kenzo Takada has lived and worked in Paris for almost half a century. And it feels at home here. I mean, like in my native Japan.
Stylist: Yes (Yee) Photo: Ivan Tereshchenko
Private house interior design
Kenzo Takada always went his own way. At the age of 19, in defiance of his parents, he entered the famous Tokyo school of fashion designers Bunkafukuso Gakuin. Kenzo was not at all embarrassed that only girls study in his course, always giggling at the future “tailor”. Time has put everything in its place. Two years later, the former mockers gave Kenzo respectful bows, congratulating him on winning the prestigious Soen competition. In 1965 he moved to France, and in 1970 he became the first Japanese in Paris to produce clothes (and, since 1988, perfume) under his own name. In 1993, the House of Kenzo became part of the LVMH group of companies, which unites such brands as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, COline, Givenchy. In 1999, Takada turned off the beaten track again – retired and embarked on a three-year journey around the world. After a pause, the designer returned to a new role. He founded his own brand GOKAN KOBO (translated from Japanese “Workshop of the five senses”), where he produces furniture and accessories for the home.
- Photo 1. The boundary between the inner and outer world in the Kenzo house is practically blurred. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows make it completely transparent.
- Photo 2. Living room. On a low table is a wooden horse from the XNUMXth century. The carpet is decorated with a pattern in the shape of an elephant (Kenzo considers him his talisman). At the colonnade that separates the living room from the pool, there is a wooden elephant chair so beloved by the owner.
- Photo 3. Art objects collected by Kenzo during his travels around the world are scattered throughout the house.
The fact that this is happening in France, you forget, barely crossing the threshold of the house of Kenzo Takada, located in the Paris Bastille district. Behind the massive doors of the XNUMXth century building lies a serene Japanese courtyard: a rock garden, a teahouse, a pond with golden carps … And an equally serene Japanese-style interior: sliding rice paper partitions, low tables, muted diffused light … take off your shoes. This eastern tradition is unconditionally followed by the “western” guests of the famous fashion designer (the entire Parisian elite regularly gathers in the Kenzo house).
“The most European of all Japanese designers,” as fashion reviewers call Kenzo Takada, genetically dislikes tight-fitting clothing. “The Japanese are suffocating in such things,” he says. Once upon a time, Takada was one of the first to introduce the fashion for sweater dresses, wide knee-length trousers, huge berets and, of course, kimono sleeves. “The body needs space. Physically and spiritually, ”- this is how the designer commented on his clothing collections. This statement can be safely attributed to his home – there is more than enough “physical and spiritual” space in him.
- Photo 1. Kenzo has diluted the oriental flavor of the living room with furniture of French brands.
- Photo 2. “Crystal and grace are synonymous,” says Kenzo Takada. “The transparent crystal is reflected in the clear lake water, which gives the garden a touch of grace and elegance.” The Buddha figurines are made according to Kenzo’s sketches by Baccarat.
- Photo 3. Canteen. In the company of numerous statues of Buddha, Kenzo never feels lonely. Porcelain dishes and cutlery are made according to the owner’s design.
In the late 1980s, Kenzo bought an abandoned furniture factory near the Place de la Bastille and turned it into an island of serenity, harmony and peace. Terraced on three levels, this complex with three inner gardens covers about a thousand square meters. There is even a tea pavilion exported from Japan, hanging over a pond where carp are found.
As a true Japanese, Kenzo does not think of himself outside of nature. This is probably why clothes and perfumes produced under his name are invariably adorned with floral motifs (even Kenzo perfume bottles are made in the shape of a graceful stem). Nature is a full-fledged mistress in his house, whose architecture is inextricably linked with the garden, created in the best traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun. And they are like that.
- A real Japanese garden is not intended for walking, but for passive contemplation of nature from a certain point. Kenzo has such points not only on the site, but also in almost every room. “For me, the nature outside the window is the main source of inspiration,” says the owner. – Sitting at the table in the office, swimming in the pool or basking in the jacuzzi, it is pleasant to watch the bamboo stalks dancing in the wind and … to come up with images of new collections. ”
- There are no bright plants in a real Japanese garden, its colors are green, gray and brown. In Kenzo, this gamut prevails not only in the landscape outside the window, but also in the interior decoration. The only room painted in rich, scorching colors is the bathroom. Its red walls contrast with the podium, in which there is a black Jacuzzi, which looks more like a bowl for ritual ablutions. The atmosphere of mystery is intensified by a black fish flickering in the fire of candles on the windowsill (it symbolizes Pisces, the astrological sign of Kenzo). By the way, Kenzo takes symbols seriously.
- Photo 1. This covered gallery connects the courtyard and interior spaces. African wooden sculptures from the Kenzo collection stand in front of a semi-circular sliding door.
- Photo 2. The color scheme in the bedroom, as well as in the bathroom, is based on three colors: black, red and natural wood. By the fireplace, the headdresses of the North American Indians are on stands.
- Photo 3. Contemplating the garden from the office window helps Kenzo to come up with images of new collections.
The house is filled with art objects from his personal collection: Japanese ceremonial curtains depicting all the same fish, mysterious African statues and hundreds of elephants – made of wood, bronze, and porcelain. The owner’s favorite chair (in the shape of an elephant) stands next to the window in the living room. Elephants are woven on a carpet lying on the floor, their silhouettes can be seen on numerous old engravings. What does Japan have to do with it, you ask? It has nothing to do with it. Kenzo revered the elephants as his lucky talisman. But Japan is directly related to the other numerous inhabitants of this house – the Buddhas. There are seven of them in the garden alone (all made of crystal by Baccarat by Kenzo’s design). With them, the peace of the owner of the house is under reliable protection.
At 68, Takada is full of strength and energy. He is the limitless ruler of little Japan in the center of Paris, lives by his own laws and worships the deities sculpted by his design. Is this not the power of high art?
- Photo 1. The bathroom interior is built on the contrast of scorching red and black. The huge fish on the windowsill symbolizes the Kenzo zodiac sign.
- Photo 2. An indoor pool is located on the border between the living room and the garden.
- Photo 3. Kenzo’s spacious bedroom had space for both a desk and a library. The bed is facing the window. Thus, lying on it, the owner can observe the bamboo stalks swaying in the wind.