{"id":235531,"date":"2025-10-31T07:55:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T07:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/235531\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T07:55:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T07:55:12","slug":"architect-charles-zana-talks-taste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/235531\/","title":{"rendered":"Architect Charles Zana talks taste"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been dressing the same way for 30 years: a navy-blue crewneck T-shirt from James Perse<\/a> with Japanese denim from Superstitch<\/a>, Alden<\/a>\u2019s classic cordovan leather shoes\u00a0and a pair of Maison Bonnet<\/a>\u2019s bespoke Le Corbusier 1965 black glasses. I\u00a0like to be classic and not have to think about clothes too much.<\/p>\n

The last thing I bought and loved was a Leica D-Lux 8<\/a>. I love taking pictures when I travel, especially of architectural details \u2013 anything from a beautiful rope-shaped door handle on a cerulean-blue door in Greece to the interior of Carlo Scarpa<\/a>\u2019s final\u00a0work, the Brion tomb near Treviso in\u00a0northern Italy. Its poetic silhouettes inspired the partitions and design at my recent furniture exhibition at 242 rue de Rivoli. When I come back to the office, I\u00a0print the pictures out and stick them on the wall. But now I have the Leica I want to\u00a0go back to printing properly like I used to\u00a0as a student in the dark room.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA Small Cap table lamp by Andrea Branzi from Design Gallery Milano and glasses from Masunaga and Jacques Marie Mage \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

The place that means a lot to me is Hydra<\/a>. I\u2019ll never forget arriving on the Greek island, which sits between the Aegean and Myrtoan Seas, on a wooden sailing boat with friends 20 years ago. I try to go back two to three times a year. I often stay at the Hydrea<\/a>, a small hotel in an old ship owner\u2019s house; visit Deste<\/a> [June to October], a contemporary art foundation with a Jeff Koons outside; eat at Veranda<\/a>, a\u00a0taverna with an incredible rooftop terrace overlooking the harbour; then head to The\u00a0Pirate Bar<\/a>, an institution beloved by\u00a0Leonard Cohen, for cocktails. I\u2019m currently working on a large private house in nearby Porto Heli \u2013 the new structure is\u00a0built in a\u00a0Peloponnesian style by Greek\u00a0craftspeople in local stone, marble and wood. In my imagination it will be a classic Greek modern house.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m wary of souvenirs as they don\u2019t usually look as good at home. At design school we were taught the importance of\u00a0being contextual. But I often buy handblown glass when I\u2019m in Mexico \u2013 the\u00a0architect Luis Barrag\u00e1n<\/a> used it in every house and it changes everything in a room.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe living room, with a red \u00c9lys\u00e9e lamp by Pierre Paulin, vintage sofa and armchair by Carlo Scarpa and coffee table by Charles Zana \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

When you design it\u2019s important to lose yourself as that\u2019s when you find your direction<\/p>\n

My interiors style signature is finding an instinctive way to be in a room. I don\u2019t like to arrange the furniture at right angles or against the walls. Things can sit at an angle. It has to be free. To be modern, you must take cues from the culture of the site, its location and materials. Rather than rules, it\u2019s about questions and solutions. Our style is also defined by the way we listen to our clients\u2019 stories. For an art collector client in Hong Kong whose apartment faces a wooded park, we created two zones \u2013 one dedicated to nature, the other to music and entertainment. The concept came from the way he wanted to live. You can learn a lot just by looking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And I am inspired by the interiors of the\u00a0French designer Jean-Michel Frank, whose career was ignited by the 16th-arrondissement mansion \u2013 now the Mus\u00e9e Baccarat<\/a> \u2013 of Charles and Marie-Laure de\u00a0Noailles, the early patrons of surrealist art. He was the first to mix 18th-century French traditions with the modernity of\u00a0the\u00a0\u201930s, and his lines are so pure. In\u00a0the\u00a0salon he covered the walls in parchment, with off-white furniture and big\u00a0wooden doors \u2013 everything was in harmony. He simplified everything, using very beautiful materials to create the most luxurious salon of the period.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The best book I\u2019ve read in the past year is Leo and His Circle: The Life of Leo\u00a0Castelli<\/a> by Annie Cohen-Solal. I love art\u00a0biographies and this made a big impression on me. It tells the story of the Trieste-born art dealer whose New York gallery, opened in 1957, showcased pop art\u00a0and minimalism. He paved the way for\u00a0the modern gallery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My style icon is the American artist Cy\u00a0Twombly. He had such a strong sense of\u00a0style \u2013 slightly old-fashioned and overdressed with this inner elegance and\u00a0consistency. I always think of the Horst\u00a0P Horst portrait of him standing in his apartment in Rome in a white suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The last music I downloaded was Tracks II: The Lost Albums<\/a> by Bruce Springsteen. It is 83 songs \u2013 five hours and\u00a020 minutes of classic Springsteen, going back to his folky, American roots. I\u00a0haven\u2019t listened to it all yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"NervalNerval armchair and scudo wall lamps by Charles Zana, ceramic La Fleur qui Marche by Fernand L\u00e9ger and vases by Andrea Branzi\u00a0 \u00a9 James Nelson\"ChandigarhChandigarh armchair by Pierre Jeanneret and (on right) Franck easy chair by Charles Zana \u00a9 James Nelson\"\u00a0Zana\u00a0Zana with ceramics by Ettore Sottsass \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

I have a collection of ceramics by the Italian architect Ettore Sottsass<\/a>. I studied Memphis Milano, the design collective he\u00a0founded in the \u201980s, whilst at \u00c9cole des\u00a0Beaux-Arts, but it was only later that I\u00a0discovered his ceramics. They were produced in collaboration with Bitossi for\u00a0Il\u00a0Sestante, a Milanese gallery, from the\u00a0late \u201950s. I bought my first piece in Paris in 2000 \u2013 a black vase with a yellow and\u00a0blue stripe from the 1957-59 Lava collection. It\u2019s\u00a0like an addiction \u2013 I have more than 60 pieces. For me, he was the\u00a0first architect to\u00a0think more like an\u00a0artist. He made his ceramics in the Etruscan way \u2013 simple and rudimental yet\u00a0unique in colour and form.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In my fridge you\u2019ll always find almond milk made by my wife, Daphn\u00e9; lots of blueberries and raspberries; a block of\u00a0Italian parmesan from Barth\u00e9l\u00e9my<\/a>; and\u00a0stewed apple made from a mix of apples \u2013\u00a0usually Pink Lady and Golden Delicious \u2013 for the perfect combination of\u00a0tartness and sweetness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"HomemadeHomemade almond milk and cheese from Barth\u00e9l\u00e9my \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve recently rediscovered lacquer. I\u00a0spotted a beautiful lacquer chair by the Swiss-French artist Jean Dunand at Galerie Vallois<\/a>, which specialises in art deco, on display at TEFAF Maastricht. It inspired me to create my own collection of lacquer objects and furniture. I particularly love lacquer of the \u201930s \u2013 it has this very matte finish, which I reproduced in my designs, including glossy tables in sage, saffron and\u00a0brown. They\u2019re very pure, almost minimalist, and made by hand at a specialist studio in Paris.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An indulgence I would never forgo is\u00a0almonds. Natural and unsalted. I eat them morning and night. They\u2019re my daily pleasure \u2013 simple and moreish. If I\u2019m in a\u00a0bad mood they give me joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The thing I couldn\u2019t do without is my\u00a0collection of big mechanical pencils. Whether in wood, brass or plastic, I find them reassuring, practical and I always have them to hand when designing. I\u2019ve been buying them from Sennelier<\/a>, a 19th-century art shop on the Left Bank, ever since I was an architecture student. It\u2019s\u00a0my constant accessory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"KawecoKaweco brass mechanical pencils from Esquisse and a vintage Montegrappa silver fountain pen \u00a9 James Nelson\"TheThe Charvet Egyptian cotton shirt and\u00a0silk tie that Zana wore at\u00a0his recent wedding \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

My favourite website is The Row<\/a>. It is sober, elegant and beautifully conceived as\u00a0a design object. The last thing I bought from there was a very simple white shirt that feels vintage \u2013 I wish they made more\u00a0clothes for men.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My favourite building is the Kimbell Art\u00a0Museum<\/a> designed by Louis Kahn in\u00a0Fort Worth, Texas. It\u2019s a very unusual and cinematic space \u2013 and a masterclass in\u00a0calm, light and composition. My favourite piece there is The Cardsharps by\u00a0Caravaggio \u2013 a youthful masterpiece that\u2019s more than a painting.<\/p>\n

The best way to transform a room is to\u00a0rearrange it. Sometimes when I bring a new ceramic or object into my apartment and rearrange the pieces around it, it changes everything. It\u2019s a question of energy and space. In this way design can transform the way we live. Sometimes it\u2019s about taking something away rather than adding to create the right balance.<\/p>\n

\"ZanaZana with his Leica D-Lux camera on the dining room table; the art c\u00e9ramique panel on the wall is by Colucci \u00a9 James Nelson\"AA ceramic by Sottsass and a 1957 pot from Danese \u00a9 James Nelson\"AA Daum vase, Vase by Ettore Sottsass, photograph by Fran\u00e7ois Halard (back) and a Polaroid by Carlo Mollino (front) on display in the corridor \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a classic, navy-blue tailor-made suit from Charvet<\/a> in Place Vend\u00f4me \u2013 the ultimate in slow luxury. I\u00a0had it made for my recent wedding in the\u00a0south of France.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An object I would never part with is my father\u2019s Cartier Tank watch. It is a small,\u00a0mechanical model with a brown leather strap. My father, who worked in\u00a0publishing, wore it in the \u201970s and it always\u00a0reminds me of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My biggest pet peeve in a hotel is going into your room and finding your name flashing up on a big TV screen \u2013 I find it\u00a0really invasive. At Chiltern Firehouse they handwrite your\u00a0name in a book, which is\u00a0much more charming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My favourite room in my house is my bedroom. I live in\u00a0an 18th-century Louis XVI apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Pr\u00e9s. I stripped away the paint on the walls to reveal the original wood panelling, which has created a wonderful warm atmosphere for sleep. The bed sits at an angle, facing out towards the windows and the view into the courtyard below \u2013 it\u2019s my cocoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheThe bedroom with a Teddy headboard designed by Charles Zana, side table by Arne Jacobsen, Brasilia table lamp by Michel Boyer and artwork by David Salle \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

My grooming guru is hairstylist David Mallett<\/a>.\u00a0I go every few months to his Paris salon in a\u00a017th-century h\u00f4tel particulier filled with antiques. He knows exactly what\u00a0I need. I\u00a0designed a New York outpost\u00a0for him at The Webster in 2018 \u2013\u00a0we\u00a0sourced antique sconces together from\u00a0the\u00a0Paris flea market and I custom-designed\u00a0a table, brass mirrors and lighting,\u00a0arranged\u00a0alongside vintage Saarinen Tulip\u00a0chairs from Knoll.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The grooming staple I\u2019m never without is L\u2019Instant de Guerlain pour Homme perfume. I have used this scent for 20 years \u2013 I hope they don\u2019t discontinue it! Its woody, ambery aniseed scent works for me. L\u2019Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme<\/a>, \u00a3113 for 100ml EDP<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

L\u2019Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Eau de Parfum<\/p>\n

The best way to spend \u20ac20 is visiting Fondation Cartier<\/a> in Paris. The new building in the Place du Palais-Royal, which\u00a0just opened, is designed by\u00a0Jean\u00a0Nouvel. It\u2019s always an inspiring programme \u2013 I loved Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai\u2019s architectural installation last\u00a0year; it included a bamboo hut, furniture and animalistic sculptures. It\u00a0reconnects me with my love of art and\u00a0thoughtfully conceived spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The podcast I\u2019m listening to is TheBoldWay<\/a> with Adrien Garcia, the French designer and co-founder of R\u00c9UNI<\/a>. He interviews everyone from photographer Fran\u00e7ois Halard to editor Isis-Colombe Combr\u00e9as about their creative journeys. I especially liked the story of Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays, co-founder of design platform The Invisible Collection<\/a>, and her days at Dior Maison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I use Instagram to research design and architecture \u2013 I love creative director Thibaut Mathieu<\/a> for his taste; @collectorswall<\/a> for vintage art; and
@designmiami<\/a> to stay informed. I get lots of vintage design, interiors and furniture images, and content about Elsa Peretti, whom I love, as well as old-school art collectors \u2013 oh, and Springsteen!<\/p>\n

\"AA table by Ron Arad and artwork by Fausto Melotti in the bedroom \u00a9 James Nelson<\/p>\n

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Barbara Hepworth. Her work has such rigour and poetry. I recently saw an exhibition on her at Fondation Maeght<\/a> in Sant-Paul De Vence. I\u2019m really drawn to the simplicity of her geometric sculpture. I particularly love her Figure (Walnut) bronze from 1964 \u2013 it\u2019s raw and pure<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/p>\n

\"Rick<\/a><\/p>\n

The work of art that changed everything for me was Endless Column by Constantin Br\u00e2ncu\u0219i, a dream piece that I first saw in books as a student and some time ago at an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. It\u2019s a simple form that he repeated in many materials \u2013 to me, it represents coherence and strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In another life, I would have been a chef. As a profession it involves the same kind of alchemy as architecture \u2013 a blend of\u00a0tradition, precision and inventiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The best bit of advice I ever received was from one of my old professors at art school who told me never to ask for directions from someone who knows the way, or you risk not getting lost. When you design it\u2019s important to lose yourself as that\u2019s when you find your direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n