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ARCHITECTURE JOSEPH DIRAND

JOSEPH DIRAND, THE PARISIAN ARCHITECT WITH A RELENTLESS APPETITE FOR LIFE, IS QUICKLY BECOMING ONE OF PARIS’ MOST SOUGHT AFTER NAMES. THE FRENCH ARCHITECT’S DIVERSE PORTFOLIO OF DESIGNS ARE REDEFINING MINIMALISM ON A GLOBAL SCALE. DIRAND IS RENOWNED FOR HIS ABILITY TO MODERNISE CLASSIC FRENCH STYLE TO CREATE BOLD SPACES. THE USE OF MONOCHROME PALETTES AND RICH MATERIALS ARE HALLMARKS OF HIS DESIGNS THAT SPAN FROM NEW YORK TO TOYKO.

JOSEPH DIRANDTHE MODERN-DAY MINIMALIST

words YASMIN ZEINABphotography ADRIEN DIRAND

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ARCHITECTURE JOSEPH DIRAND

Dirand’s office speaks true to his signature style. The

space is luminous and airy with enviable views of

Paris’ never-ending stretch of rooftops. It provides the

perfect backdrop for the creative mastermind behind

the studio’s stupendous designs. While we talk, the

office is filled with the energising buzz of his team

working away on their latest projects. “I consider this

office and my team to be family,” says Dirand. “There

is something about the involvement and pleasure

of this space. People are proud, we are all proud of

each other. It’s a generous and happy environment.”

Dirand’s face lights up when he talks about his work

and his life. He has an infectious energy and an end-

less enthusiasm that fuels the passion he puts into his

work. “I love to live,” he says. “My ambition is to be

proud and enjoy every day of my life.” He certainly has

a lot to be proud of with an impressive list of clients

and an ever-growing demand for his work. It is no sur-

prise that Dirand has found himself immersed in the

world of architecture and fashion. Born to a renowned

photographer father who specialised in interiors and a

fashion designer mother, Dirand’s curiosity in design

was ignited at a young age having grown up in an old

dance studio surrounded by creativity. “My decision

to be an architect was made at seven,” he tells us.

Since the tender age of seven Dirand has made his

dream a reality. Even before he completed his stud-

ies at Paris-Belleville School of Architecture, he was

designing projects. Dirand founded his studio in 1999,

just months after graduating and what started out as

a one-man show has turned into a flourishing office

and a global profile. Dirand and his team have become

well know for their unique vision of interior architec-

ture and process in design, “I’m inventing scenarios,”

says Dirand about each of his projects. It is the strik-

ing contrast and tension present in all of his work that

takes Dirand far outside the confining boundaries of

traditional minimalism. His designs are as modern as

they are classic and it is the juxtaposition of rich and

poor materials and the contrast of colour that make his

signature style. While his process differs with each

project, Dirand largely draws inspiration from imag-

ery, starting each project by curating a collection of

pictures.

“I PICK THE MOST IMPORTANT IM-AGES AND THEN, LITTLE BY LITTLE, THE FLAVOUR OF THE PROJECT APPEARS. For years I refused to draw inspiration from the past,

but now I no longer rely on any one formula. It seems

so obvious to me now that the spaces, countries, cul-

tures and clients are all unique. But ultimately they are

all interconnected, like the chapters of a novel drawn

from past experience… from life.” For the Parisian ar-

chitect, it is about creating a vocabulary through his

work with which he speaks to the world. Dirand con-

siders himself a storyteller rather then a creator, each

piece of work tells a different tale, creating a unique

dialogue that speaks as much to the personality of his

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ARCHITECTURE JOSEPH DIRAND

clients as it does his signature style. Dirand’s designs have earned him international

acclaim but it was his work with Balmain and Dries Van Noten that catapulted him

into the world of fashion. “I create something that was out of the tendance at the

time, both stores were designed more like a home than a retail space.” This concept

was welcomed with open arms and “after Balmain, that’s when the phones started

ringing.” He has since been commission by numerous fashion houses and design-

ers including Chloe, Alexander Wang, Emilio Pucci and Rick Owens. While Dirand

and his team have created a name for themselves by redefining the fashion retail

experience, it is his work within the restaurant industry that switches on a light.

Monsieur Bleu, the new eatery at Palais de Toyko in Paris, is Dirand’s latest creation

and the one he is most proud of to date. For this project, Dirand took inspiration

from the art deco era and minimalist style of Adolf Loos to create a space that is

airy and open yet intimate in its delivery. The restaurant’s clean and minimal lines

are met with a clash of marble, oak and glass played out on a warm monochrome

palate of green. “Since it opened it has been one of the most powerful places in

Paris. Everyday seven hundred people enjoy my work… I’m proud of this project

because people love this project. At Monsieur Bleu it’s not about the look, its about

how the design makes you feel that you are in Paris, how it makes you feel beauti-

ful.” It is this philosophy that Dirand embraces in all of his work. His aim is to inspire

younger generations through his designs to engage with the world as enthusiasti-

cally as he does.

“I HOPE I CAN BE AN EXAMPLE FOR THE YOUNGER GENERA-TION SO THAT, LITTLE BY LITTLE, THEY WILL CREATE THEIR OWN VOCABULARY AND MAKE THE WORLD EVOLVE. EXPOSE YOURSELF TO PLEASURE AND BE CURIOUS BUT CONTROL EGO BECAUSE IT’S YOUR BIGGEST ENEMY.”

For someone as successful Dirand he remains refreshingly humble about his work

and it is this humility that makes him want to stay small. “We don’t want to grow,

I like the scale of the projects and this office.” A desire that would appear difficult

with thirty to forty applications to join his studio a day from all around the world.

“This shows a lot… that we count with the young people. It’s nice to feel that you

participate, it’s not a huge scale but it’s an important one…the people who will be-

come tomorrow, the actors of change.” Dirand’s greatest challenge to date has been

that of confinement. “ We don’t want to be known for one type of work. The fact

that I grew discretely for so many years, it was nice because I had the opportunity

to access different categories of projects without being placed in a box. We try to

have a little bit of fashion, some hotels and residential work in our portfolio. We try

to select projects by the place, the brand and the people, it’s very important to be

attracted to the people.” With an accomplished career already under his belt at the

age of forty, Dirand looks to the future with a new approach.

“I AM A WORK ADDICT, I WORKED LIKE CRAZY FOR TWENTY YEARS, TODAY I AM TAKING A LITTLE MORE SPACE FOR MYSELF BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE INSPIRED AND HAPPY, MY TEAM IS MORE TRAINED THAN EVER, TODAY I’M MORE LIKE A CREATIVE DIRECTOR.”