At Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams reveals a ‘future dwelling idea’ with Not a Lodge

Pharrell Williams, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, is a real multi-hyphenate. Designer, musician, producer – and, as of this night, architect, having revealed a ‘timeless future dwelling idea’ in the course of his A/W 2026 runway present for the Parisian home. It was introduced in a specifically constructed present house subsequent to Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris’ Bois de Boulogne, having additionally been teased on Instagram earlier than the present (a collection of clips confirmed architectural fashions and plans, captioned with ‘constructing the long run’)

The constructing is a collaboration with Shinji Hamauzu’s Tokyo-based Not a Lodge, an organization which has created a collection of trip houses throughout Japan, that are architect-designed and bought by fractional possession, slightly than the standard renting of rooms (‘it was essential to indicate that we have been utterly totally different out of your common resort,’ Hamauzu informed Wallpaper* when he was awarded a 2023 Design Award for the challenge). In February final 12 months, Williams and his shut collaborator Nigo have been introduced as ‘buyers and inventive advisors’ for the corporate, with a number of initiatives within the works.

The constructing itself is titled ‘Drophaus’, named for the way in which it finds inspiration in a droplet of water. Compressed glass partitions mimic a water drop; the impact, says Williams, is that the traces between the house and the backyard are blurred (within the present set, it was surrounded by Japanese-style terraces and lengthy grasses). He says that the dwelling house is certainly one of an ‘outsider’s design mindset’, which is about ‘reimagining disciplines round feeling, perform and cultural relevance’.

‘I grew up round water, I’m drawn to it, I construct and create my finest work near it. Drophaus is predicated on a water drop, so if you happen to stand again and take the roof and the ceiling off, it’s only a drop,’ Williams tells Wallpaper*. ‘If I can’t reside in water, that is the closest factor. Drophaus is my imaginative and prescient of the long run – one thing that is sensible at present or 20 years from now as a result of it’s constructed on perform, savoir-faire and actual human want. I’m not an architect. I’m an answer builder.’

True to this multidisciplinary strategy, Drophaus additionally options ‘Homework’, a brand new furnishings collection whereby every object has ‘ten per cent imperfection’ – whether or not of their irregular kinds or undulating textured surfaces. Williams says he designed them to emphasize this as a spot for dwelling: reflecting this, the invite for the present was a pair of leather-based slippers imprinted with the present’s date. And, at first of the present, a trio of fashions explored the house, earlier than strolling the grass-covered runway.