AD ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST (GERMANY) — SEPTEMBER 2014 — EIN SCHAMANE AN DER SEINE — BY ANDREAS KÜHNLEIN

SEPTEMBER 2014

WHAT DOES PARIS MEAN TO YOU? HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS CITY AFTER HAVING LIVED THERE FOR TEN YEARS NOW?</b>

WE LIVE RIGHT OFF OF PLACE CONCORDE SO IT FEELS LIKE WE ARE AT THE VERY CENTER OF PARIS— EVERY DAY IS DEFINED BY THE SIGHT OF THE JARDIN DES TUILERIES TO THE RIGHT, THE PONT ALEXANDRE III AND THE TOUR EIFFEL TO THE LEFT, AND THE TROCADERO OFF IN THE DISTANCE LIKE AN ART DECO VALHALLA. I LOVE THE ALOOF ARTIFICE OF PARIS AND HAVE NEVER LEARNED FRENCH TO ENSURE IT NEVER BECOMES TOO FAMILIAR…

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS HOUSE AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN YOU FIRST SAW IT? IT HAS QUITE AN INTERESTING HISTORY AFTER ALL, DOESN'T IT?

ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE 18TH CENTURY, A FIVE-STORY ADDITION WAS ADDED TO THE BACK IN THE 1950S. IT WAS MOST RECENTLY THE SOCIALIST PARTY HEADQUARTERS AND A WARREN OF OFFICE CUBICLES THAT WE RIPPED OUT LEAVING THE BARE CONCRETE SHELL. SO THE FRONT IS ALL BOISERIE AND THE BACK IS BRUTALIST.

WHAT DID YOU ESPECIALLY LIKE ABOUT IT, WHEN YOU DECIDED TO BUY IT?

IT'S A VERY CONSERVATIVE HEAVILY GUARDED AREA FULL OF EMBASSIES. AT NIGHT IT'S A FORTESS OF QUIET WITH JUST THE SOUNDS OF THE FOUNTAINS IN THE GARDENS OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE, WHICH OUR TERRACE OVERLOOKS.

HOW BIG IS THE APARTMENT AND HOW MANY ROOMS DOES IT HAVE?

9000 SQUARE FEET, 15 ROOMS

HOW MANY FLOORS DO THE LIVING QUARTERS OCCUPY? YOU'VE ALSO INCLUDED AN ATELIER AND THE FUR DEPARTMENT ON A SEPARATE FLOOR, RIGHT?

WE USED TO HAVE OUR SELLING CAMPAIGNS 4 TIMES A YEAR ON THE FIRST 2 FLOORS BUT OUTGREW THE HOUSE AND MOVED THE SHOWROOM TO ANOTHER BUILDING. WE NOW HAVE LIVING AND WORKING SPACES ON THE FIRST 3 FLOORS AND BEDROOMS AND LIBRARY ON THE TOP 2 FLOORS. THE FUR ATELIER OUTGREW THE HOUSE AND HAS MOVED NEXT DOOR.

HOW LONG DID THE RESTORATION/CONVERSION TAKE? DID YOU COLLABORATE WITH AN ARCHITECT OR DID YOU DO ALL THE DESIGN WORK YOURSELF? AND WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU DO FIRST?

WORKING ON THIS HOUSE IS A PERSONAL PROJECT THAT NEVER NEEDS TO END— RIGHT NOW, I'M LIVING IN VENICE FOR THE SUMMER WHILE THE ELEVATOR IS BEING TAKEN OUT TO MAKE ROOM FOR A BIGGER STAIRCASE. MICHELE GOES BACK AND FORTH SUPERVISING THE WORKMEN. CONSTRUCTION IS ONE OF THE JOYS OF HER LIFE.

DID YOU SHARE ALL THE WORK WITH MICHÈLE? WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF WHAT?

WE ENJOY VIGOROUS DEBATES ON WHAT TO DO AND THEN SHE EXECUTES OUR PLANS WITH A FRENCH CREW. I ESCAPE TO MY FACTORY IN ITALY DURING THE MOST DISRUPTIVE OR NOISY PERIODS OF CONSTRUCTION....

YOU'VE KEPT QUITE A FEW ROUGH EDGES, UNCOVERED WALLS, RAW CONCRETE CEILINGS ETC. WHAT DO THESE SIGNS OF PURPOSEFUL IMPERFECTION MEAN TO YOU? AND HOW DO THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL DESIGN?

WE'VE NEVER LIKED ANYTHING TOO PRISTINE-— OUR AESTHETIC IS A BIT MORE RAW.

WHAT'S THE ROLE OF FABRICS AND MATERIALS? WHICH TEXTURES DO YOU PREFER, WHICH MATERIALS DO YOU ESPECIALLY LIKE?

WE LOVE CONCRETE, STONE, WAXED PLASTER AND SIMPLE, STRONG LINES. WE HAVE USED SWISS FELT ARMY SURPLUS BLANKETS SPARINGLY AS CARPETS AND CURTAINS. WE'RE BIG FANS OF JOSEPH BEUYS, LE CORBUSIER, JEAN MICHEL-FRANK AND ROBERT MALLET-STEVENS.

MUCH LIKE YOUR FASHION COLLECTIONS, YOUR APARTMENT IS ALMOST FREE OF (BRIGHT) COLORS— WHY? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ATMOSPHERE THAT YOU WANTED TO CREATE HERE?

COLORS ARE A BIT OF A COMMITMENT FOR ME— I WANT THE MOST SERENELY NEUTRAL AND SPACIOUS ENVIRONMENT POSSIBLE TO HAVE SPACE TO THINK…

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT IN THE APARTMENT? AND WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A LIVING SPACE?

I HAVE AN EMPTY WHITE DRESSING ROOM WITH A DAYBED IN FRONT OF FLOOR-TO-CEILING WINDOWS THAT OPEN TO HUGE TREES THAT SHADE OUR TERRACE— IT CONTAINS A SMALLER ROOM COMPLETELY LINED WITH BLACK OXYDIZED MARBLE INCLUDING A TOILET IN THE SAME MARBLE THAT TOOK A YEAR TO PRODUCE... I LOVE STARTING MY DAY THERE…

WHAT'S THE ROLE OF ART IN AN INTERIOR AND LIVING SPACE? YOU'VE INCLUDED QUITE A FEW OUTSTANDING PIECES IN YOUR QUARTERS, LIKE THE WALL FRESCO OR THE KALINOWSKI SCULPTURE IN THE MEETING ROOM… AND YOUR OWN PIECES ARE CLOSE TO THE LINE BETWEEN ART AND DESIGN AS WELL, IT SEEMS.

I'M NOT BIG ON COLLECTING THINGS, BUT THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT JUST FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG. THERE IS A HUGE ART NOUVEAU GEORGES HOENTSCHEL URN IN THE SKYLIGHT ROOM THAT WAS MADE FOR THE FACADE OF THE MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS FOR THE 1900 PARIS WORLD'S FAIR— ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN ART HISTORY. HOENTSCHEL DECORATED ROOMS FOR ROBERT DE MONTESQUIOU WHO SUPPOSEDLY WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR PROUST'S BARON DE CHARLUS... I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING MORE GLAMOROUS THAN THAT. WE ALSO RECENTLY INSTALLED SOME JEAN PROUVE DOORS AS OUR FRONT DOORS— THEY HAD TO BE SPLIT OPEN TO SANDWICH A THICK GLASS FIRE SAFETY DOOR, AND CUT DOWN TO FIT. OUR PURIST FRIENDS WERE AGHAST BUT THE END RESULT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL. THERE ARE GLASS PORTHOLES IN PROUVE'S DESIGN AND YOU WOULDNT GUESS THAT THERE IS A THICK GLASS DOOR INSIDE… WE HAD PROUVE'S ORIGINAL MANUFACTURERS DO THE WORK SO IT FEELS SLIGHTLY RESPECTFUL…

WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOUR WORK HERE ALREADY FINISHED? OR IS IT MORE LIKE AN ONGOING PROJECT, CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND EVOLVING OVER TIME?

I'M PRETTY SURE ITS AN EVOLUTION— BUT IT WILL ALWAYS HAVE RAWNESS.

HOW DID YOU FIRST COME TO FURNITURE DESIGN? AND WHAT MAKES GOOD DESIGN? WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS YOU'RE LOOKING WITH YOUR WORK?

IF ANYONE COULD CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING AROUND THEMSELVES I THINK THEY WOULD. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE HOUSE ENTIRELY FURNISHED WITH PIERRE CHAREAU AND MALLET-STEVENS BUT BESIDES THE HUGE INVESTMENT, MOST OF THOSE THINGS FEEL A BIT TOO SMALL FOR ME. SO I JUST SET ABOUT MAKING MY OWN DO-IT-YOURSELF SCOTCH-TAPED VERSIONS, MUCH THE SAME WAY AS I STARTED MY CLOTHING COLLECTION 20 YEARS AGO. NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.

WHAT'S THE BRIDGE— OR THE GAP— BETWEEN FASHION AND FURNITURE DESIGN? IS IT JUST TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN OR SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT FOR YOU?

IT'S ABOUT IMMERSING YOURSELF COMPLETELY INTO AN AESTHETIC COMMITMENT. I FEEL THAT THE PURSUIT OF BEAUTY IS ALMOST A MORAL OBLIGATION. AT THE VERY LEAST, BEAUTY IS ONE OF LIFE'S GREATEST REWARDS.

WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES TAXIDERMY AND WORKING WITH BONES, ANTLERS AND THE LIKE SO FASCINATING TO YOU? IS IT THE QUEST FOR SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS, ARCHAIC? OR MORE AN AFFINITY TO THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SHAPES FORMED BY NATURE?