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What to do when you’re living among the grand Haussmannien buildings in Paris, but your heart longs for the tranquility of a Japanese garden? If you’re anything like the late fashion designer Kenzo Takada, it seems you can have the best of both worlds. Built for the late founder of Kenzo (who passed away in 2020), this truly striking and singular piece of architecture took seven years to complete and was finalised in 1993. More recently, it was redesigned by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma in 2017. And it could be yours, for the right price.
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Located in the 11th arrondissement near the trendy Marais district, and hidden behind the façade of an 18th century residential complex, the Japanese-style oasis known as Kenzo House is not your usual Paris home. Spread across four levels, the home is built around its own interior courtyard, in the style of a traditional Japanese home. The façade is clad in cedar wood shingles, teak and clay, and the home is brought closer to nature via the Japanese garden, cherry tree and nishiki carp-filled pond that takes up the interior courtyard.
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The incredible property is listed by Marie-Hélène Lundgreen of Belles demeures de France, and brokered internationally by Christie’s International Real Estate. “Kenzo House is without rival in Paris,” says Lundgreen in a press release. “Built 35 years ago by Kenzo Takada and masterfully updated for the 21st century by architect Kengo Kuma, it is a world apart.”
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The property boasts seven bedrooms, two full bathrooms, seven powder rooms and 13,778 square foot interior. Also on hand are two reception rooms, two dining rooms, two kitchens, a music room, study, fitness room, elevator, a wine cellar, and two private parking spaces, marking this as the ultimate luxury pad in the heart of Paris’s fashion district. Throughout the space, you’ll find French oak louvers, beams, and floors which work to complement the original design.
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And naturally, given its owners Japanese origins, there’s also a Japanese pavilion with a traditional tea-ceremony room with tatami mats and shoji sliding doors which open out to the koi pond. Within the garden, there’s also cherry and maple trees, bamboos, junipers, lichens, mosses, rocks, and waterfalls—all designed to mimic a calm Japanese landscape.
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Blending the best of East and West design, much like its former owner’s incredible sartorial creations, Kenzo House is daring in its originality and conception. The price is listed as available ‘on request’, suggesting only very serious (and high-end) clients should apply. But given the heritage and beautiful-from-every-angle architectural credentials, it’s probably worth every penny. As Lundgreen says, “you’re not just buying a property with Kenzo House, but, rather, a piece of art that inspires serenity and the art of living.”
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Keep scrolling to see the rest of the property.
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