Luxury living: Kenzo House, Paris
This serene slice of Japan in the City of Light — tucked away in its 11th arrondissement — was created by fashion designer Kenzo Takada in 1993 and updated some 25 years later by the award-winning architect Kengo Kuma
Hidden from view inside the courtyard of a traditional 18th-century apartment building in Paris’s fashionable 11th arrondissement is Kenzo House, the luxurious, Zen-inspired home of the late Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada (1939-2020).
Built by Kenzo in 1993 and redesigned in 2018 by architect Kengo Kuma — designer of the National Stadium for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the V&A Dundee in Scotland — Kenzo House is now available through Christie’s International Real Estate.
‘Kenzo House is without rival in Paris,’ says Marie-Hélène Lundgreen of Belles demeures de France, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. ‘Built 40 years ago, and then masterfully updated by Kengo Kuma for the 21st century, it is a world apart.’
In the sleek and soothing interiors created by Kengo Kuma, French oak louvres, beams and floors complement the wood finishes of the original design
Constructed around its own interior courtyard garden with a Japanese-style koi pond, the 13,778-square-foot, four-storey residence, much like the work of Kenzo Takada himself, fuses Eastern and Western influences, colours, textures, light and form.
The property, which was primarily used by Kenzo for entertaining, was acquired by the current owners, a French businessman and his family, in 2016. They had just returned to France after spending 15 years living in Asia, where they had had the chance to meet Kuma and visit some of his most celebrated architectural projects, including the Great (Bamboo) Wall in Beijing (2002). They admired the strong connection between architecture and nature in Kuma’s work, and so called on him to renovate Kenzo House.
‘Transparency is a characteristic of Japanese architecture; I try to use light and natural materials to get a new kind of transparency,’ Kuma has said of his design philosophy
‘Although I’d never been inside the house, I had always known about it and been curious how such a beautiful Japanese garden had been created in the heart of Paris,’ Kuma told Interior Design in 2019. ‘The condition of the garden was just perfect, so carefully maintained. And I could feel Kenzo’s spirit in every part of the building.’
Kuma partnered with the architect Loïk Corre — who had worked on Kenzo’s original plans — for the renovation. Staying faithful to Kenzo’s vision for an authentic Japanese house and garden, he reconfigured the layout to accentuate its harmony and fluidity, bringing the house closer to its natural surroundings.
The engawa, a traditional Japanese exterior corridor crafted from wooden latticing, at Kenzo House
He added cedar shingles, teak and clay to the exterior to give texture and warmth, and used natural Japanese building materials such as ceramic, stone, bamboo and wood. To open up the perspective and allow for more light, he removed partition walls, replacing them with timber slats, and converted an indoor lap pool into an engawa — a traditional Japanese exterior corridor crafted from wooden latticing. He also installed large interior windows, a floating staircase and sliding doors, and orientated all of the bedrooms towards the courtyard garden, thus framing the interiors with nature.
A ‘Conoid’ bench by the furniture-maker George Nakashima (1905-1990) before a window covered with Japanese shoji shutters
Kuma observes that one aim of his design philosophy is to ‘experience nature more deeply and more intimately’. He also says, ‘Transparency is a characteristic of Japanese architecture; I try to use light and natural materials to get a new kind of transparency.’
‘It’s all much more Japanese than before, and much more modern,’ Kenzo said when he returned as a dinner guest to his former home. Here, Hans Wegner ‘Wishbone’ chairs line the dining room table
The interiors are sleek and soothing, with French oak louvres, beams and floors that complement the wood finishes of the original design. Kuma chose some key pieces of furniture — including the set of Hans Wegner ‘Wishbone’ chairs in the dining room, and the Walter Knoll sofa and rug in the living room — to ensure that a calming atmosphere was maintained throughout.
Perhaps most impressive of all, however, is the landscaped Japanese garden, which Kuma perfected rather than overhauled. It features a stone-studded pond with nishiki carp, a traditional Japanese pavilion with tea ceremony room, a waterfall and several outdoor terraces. The bamboo, junipers, lichens, mosses and cherry trees are all intended to evoke the calm and serenity of the Japanese landscape.
Kenzo House is surrounded by historic residences in Paris’s Bastille district, yet within its grounds the pavilion sits serenely over a Japanese-style pond, complete with koi carp, framed by trees
The property now has four bedrooms, six bathrooms and a Japanese suite opening onto the garden, as well as two large reception rooms, two dining rooms, two kitchens and three self-contained studio apartments for staff. Additional amenities include a music room, fitness room, wine cellar, lift and private parking.
‘It’s all much more Japanese than before and much more modern,’ Kenzo said when he returned as a dinner guest to his former home.
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A hymn to Japanese culture and a Zen lifestyle, Kenzo House is not your usual Paris home. Rather it’s a living work of art that inspires the art of good living.