Kim Kardashian West is known for showing off her life online, however her and Kanye’s home has been featured sparingly over the years. But, every time a new corner or angle of the home reaches the internet, the West’s unique style causes massive buzz online with some praising the minimalistic design while others despise it.
The polarizing home was recently featured in Architectural Digest, and the family dove into the inspiration behind the aesthetic choice.
Regarding their initial decision to purchase the home, Kim told Architectural Digest, “I didn’t really know Kanye’s style at that point, but I thought the house was perfection. Kanye was less enthusiastic. He said, ‘It’s workable.’”
Kanye places importance on aesthetics, running his own luxury fashion brand as well as curating the visual experiences for all of his musical endeavors, and has now taken an interest in architecture and interior design.
“When I was growing up in Chicago, before the internet, I’d go to my local Barnes & Noble to check out Architectural Digest and other design magazines, along with the fashion and rap titles,” Kanye said. “My father encouraged me. He always had graph paper around for me to scribble on.”
“I really didn’t know anything about furniture before I met Kanye,” Kim said, “but being with him has been an extraordinary education. I take real pride now in knowing what we have and why it’s important.”
The couple, along with their daughter, North, famously lived with Kim’s mother, Kris Jenner, for a year while their home was being constructed. The two always knew they wanted their home to be uniquely them, and knew the task would take time and research.
The couple began to work with Belgian designer and tastemaker Axel Vervoordt, after Kanye fell in love with his Floating Stone table with rounded edges that exuded “seductive simplicity and wabi-sabi aesthetics.”
“When I saw the kind of work he was doing, I thought, This man could design Batman’s house. I had to work with him,” Kanye said.
Kanye was profoundly inspired by the design process, often bringing eccentric ideas to Kim. “Kanye would come up with the most far-out ideas, and I’d say, ‘This is not normal. We need drawers!’ I was the voice of functionality,” Kim explained.
The designer explained that through working with the couple he discovered their “common values in life,” specifically their “respect for the beauty and spirituality of art.”
He continued, “you can call it religion, but this is perhaps beyond religion, a search for cosmic values of peace and positive energy. We had very profound conversations about the space of the mind and the importance of silence.”
That silence was incredibly important for Kanye, as he has publicly dealt with mental health issues over the years, and as a result have worked toward turning their home into a sanctuary of sorts.
Kim explained, “Everything in the outside world is so chaotic. I like to come into a place and immediately feel the calmness.”
Photo Source: Architectural Digest
INSIDE KIM AND KANYE’S MINIMAL MANSION
