162 // ROCHE, REIMAGINED
Japanese designer Kenzo Takada revamps the French wares of Roche Bobois just in time for the brand’s grand opening of its new Miami Design District showroom.
JAPANESE DESIGNER ENZO T ADA REVAMPS THE FRENCH WARES OF ROCHE BOBOIS JUST IN TIME FOR THE BRAND’S GRAND OPENING OF ITS NEW MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT SHOWROOM.
Following collaborations with Christian Lacroix Maison, Sonia Rykiel Maison, Missoni Home, and Jean-paul Gaultier, renowned international luxury furniture designer Roche Bobois has enlisted Kenzo Takada to reimagine its iconic Mah Jong sofa—a free-form modular piece made for multiple configurations, originally launched in 1971.
“I wanted to completely change their colors and interpret them in a new way,” says the Japaneseborn designer, who organized the collection into three thematic color schemes: Asa (morning), Hiru (midday), and Yoru (evening). “I [used] inspiration from the patterns found on kimonos, specifically the weaving used for Noh theater [costumes],” Takada says.
It’s been 14 years since the dynamic duo’s last partnership. This time, aside from new fabric creations, Japaneseinfluenced coordinating earthenware vases and enamel-coated occasional tables—plus a hand-tufted Gara rug—round out the offerings. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, as the high-end brand celebrates the grand opening of its new Miami Design District store as a third component to its Aventura and Coral Gables hubs. The store also happens to be designed by Jacqueline Hopfer, head of Roche Bobois’s interior architecture department and daughter of legendary designer Hans Hopfer, who created the original Mah Jong sofa. Call it a fullcircle, or better yet, a modular moment. 3450 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; roche-bobois.com