An abandoned furniture factory in the center of Paris, near Bastille Square, was bought by a Japanese couturier back in the 80s. Kenzo, with the help of the French architect Loic Corret, transforms a building built during the Second Republic into a well-furnished light and transparent house with sliding fusuma partitions, and open spaces on three levels into a typical Japanese garden typical of the Kyoto region.
Kenzo Takada's guest house in the early 2000s.
Japanese garden in the courtyard. Photo source: Interior Design
For many years, Kenzo House was a popular meeting place for the creative elite of Paris. Until the couturier decided that the space of 1300 square meters was too spacious for him and moved to the left bank of the Seine. The new owners invited Kengo Kuma to update the interiors and make them more in line with new ideas about comfort in the XNUMXst century.
"I tried to adhere to the aesthetics established by Takada at the time: the house should serve as a kind of bridge between Japan and the West," says Kengo Kuma.
The most radical intervention was the elimination of the indoor pool and the installation of a terrace in its place, with a glass roof and floors made of cedar boards, similar to those used to finish the facade. The original cedar paneling was carefully restored and treated with protective compounds.
New terrace on the place where the indoor pool used to be. Photo: Jimmy Cohrssen
Kuma removed the wall between the living room and the dining room, replacing it with a wooden partition made of polished boards - such a solution opens up a view of the garden for those sitting at the dining table. The dining room itself has now been raised to a podium, and it is possible to enter it from the living room via a new "floating" staircase without railings.
Living room with a panoramic view of the garden. Photo: Jimmy Cohrssen
Living room with a panoramic view of the garden. Photo: Jimmy Cohrssen
A floating staircase from the living room to the dining room. Photo source: Interior Design
Loic Corret, whom Kengo Kuma brought in as a consultant, recalled that initially Kenzo wanted to use white plaster for the walls of the common rooms, but then settled on a light green "jade" shade that perfectly harmonized with the collection of old Japanese celadon ceramics. Kengo Kuma decided that white would be the best partner for wooden floors, wall panels and modern furniture that have darkened over time, which is preferred by today's homeowners.
House of Kenzo with a collection of porcelain. Photo source: Interior Design
Exit to one of the terraces of the house. Photo source: Interior Design
Kenzo Takada's bedroom was decorated in black and red colors, combined with natural wood. After restyling, the master's bedroom began to look less dramatic, but it seems more spacious. And the bathroom with a Jacuzzi sunken into the floor has retained its original design.
Kengo Kum's bedroom after modernization. Photo: Jimmy Cohrssen. Photo source: Interior Design
Bathroom with sunken pool. Photo: Jimmy Cohrssen. Photo source: Interior Design
Lounge area on the first floor. Photo: Jimmy Cohrssen. Photo source: Interior Design
The garden and tea room have not undergone any changes - only restoration work has been carried out here. The architect managed to preserve the atmosphere of an oasis of Buddhist tranquility in the center of Paris, and, as written in Parisian newspapers, Kenzo Takada himself approved the result of modernization.
