New Minimalist: Joseph Dirand
French architect Joseph Dirand acquired his first Prouvé chair at the tender age of 17 and has favored function over form ever since.
“My design is not only about a certain look. It is about life. People will sit next to each other, work at the table, have sex; it will be amazing”
Joseph Dirand’s stark design articulates the sumptuous essentials. His aesthetic is wielded through a serenely—and masterfully—scaled-down approach. Slender and garrulous, the Parisian born-and- raised architect delivers French opulence with great restraint, accentuating both the past and the ultramodern for projects within his country (the Rosenblum Collection in Paris, the Villa Pierquin in Saint Girons), as well as exporting his finesse to places like the Saifi Penthouse in Beirut and the Distrito Capital hotel in Mexico.
His professional headquarters in Paris’ 9th arrondissement—where he was interviewed—is a luminous sixth-floor perch on the Right Bank with an unobstructed view over the city’s rooftops. The open-plan workspace for his staff of 25 is trimmed with neatly...
