Shigeru Ban talks personal taste: Part One
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban designs private homes, disaster-relief housing made from recycled materials, and museums, including Centre Pompidou-Metz and Aspen Art Museum
My personal style signifier is always wearing black. My mother, a couturier, designs and makes my jeans at her atelier, which is in the same building as my Tokyo offices. She also makes jackets in a variety of fabrics – linen, cotton, wool – so I can wear them throughout the seasons and across the globe.
The best gift I’ve given recently was a set of sculptural white-wine glasses designed by Josef Hoffmann. The “muslin” crystal is super-thin. I gave them to someone in my office who is a wine lover like me. $500 for four; www.mosspop.com.
Camper leather boots, £130 | Image: www.camper.com
And the best one I’ve received was a silkscreen print by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. It is very special, not only because I’ve worked with Isozaki, but also because it was given to me by a client who became a dear friend.
The objects I would never part with are my special Utrecht black sketchbooks that I have been using since I was a student at The Cooper Union in New York in the 1980s. I draw in them wherever I go, preferably with a fine-point Muji Aluminum Hexagonal pen in black or red ink. I keep these pens clipped to my shirt pocket so that I’m ready to sketch any time, anywhere. Muji Aluminum Hexagonal pen, £3.95; www.muji.com. Utrecht sketchbook, from £3.91; www.utrechtart.com.
An indulgence I would never forgo is Henri Giraud Code Noir champagne. It’s not very well known because until the 1990s it was only sold privately to customers in France and Italy. It is fermented in oak casks and has a delicious, complex flavour. From £70; www.champagne-giraud.com.
The last thing I added to my wardrobe was a pair of chocolate-brown short leather boots by Camper. They are very simple and I love them because I like to travel light and can wear them every day. £130; www.camper.com.
Henri Giraud Code Noir champagne, from £70 | Image: Code Noir
An unforgettable place I’ve travelled to in the past year is Daanbantayan on Cebu island in the Philippines. This area was ravaged by a typhoon two years ago, but the natural beauty I saw everywhere was incredible. The ocean was a particular blue I haven’t seen elsewhere and I found the local fishermen’s houses made of bamboo and nipa-palm leaves especially charming. The strength of the people was inspirational.
A recent “find” is Sushi Ginza Onodera, a very pure sushi restaurant in Paris. This place isn’t about fusion cooking, nor is it influenced by French cuisine. I love the omakase menus, the beautiful plates of fresh nigiri, the very warm ambience and authentic decor. 18 Rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris (+331-4020 0930; www.sushi-onodera.com).
Silkscreen print of Fukuoka City Bank head office by Arata Isozaki | Image: Arata Isozaki & Associates
My favourite space in my house is the central courtyard in my Tokyo home, where trees grow up through the building to the sky. It is in a forest and I didn’t want to take down any trees to build this light-filled house.
The last music I downloaded was Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin by the Japanese-American violinist Midori. In addition to being a wonderful musician she is also a United Nations Messenger of Peace, which I admire. I also bought Mendelssohn & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos by Akiko Suwanai, and Berliner Philharmoniker: 125 Years by conductor Seiji Ozawa, who is a huge talent and also a friend.
Umeboshi, or pickled plums | Image: Getty Images/amana images RF
In my fridges you’ll always find sake in Tokyo and wine in Paris. And traditional Japanese umeboshi – or pickled plums. My mother used to make me eat them when I was a child and I hated the salty, sour taste, but recently I got very bad food poisoning in Rwanda and these plums literally saved my life. I now eat them every morning.
My favourite websites are the Oita Prefectural Art Museum and the Aspen Art Museum, for video tours and information about their exceptional exhibitions. Also the Centre Pompidou-Metz site, which is an excellent contemporary art resource. www.aspenartmuseum.org. www.centrepompidou-metz.fr. www.opam.jp.