|
|
|
| RendezvousFrance.com | |
Terrence
Conran's Paris  |
 |
|
Sir
Terrence Conran, 70,
revolutionized design with Habitat, the chain he created in England in
the 1960's. With Habitat, nicely designed furniture became suddenly affordable
to everyone. He created style in a continent still influenced by pre-war
values. Since then, Conran has opened in the capital the Conran Shops,
high end design stores. Finally, this bon vivant has created a series
of highly successful restaurants in London and in Paris. His Alcazar,
on the Left Bank, is one of the centers of the new Parisian life. We met
him recently. Excerpts from our conversation.
|
| Q. Why was Paris trailing London as capital of cool in the 90's? |
| A. For a long time, Paris's problem was the price of its real estate. When London was hit by the recession, in the 1980's, real estate took a deep plunge. It allowed a mass of young entrepreneurs to start projects they could not risk before. Suddenly, lots of great properties came to the market at one quarter of their values. But in Paris, real estate remained high so that it was impossible for a young person with ideas to get started. It was too expensive. |
| Q. Do you see changes now? |
| A. It is now beginning to change. I can see it with stores and restaurants. In the past year, there's been a lot of movement, lots of new ideas, lots of new things happening. And I observe that those who are starting something are succeeding, on the whole. That's encouragement for the others. Right now, there's a lot of new things happening in Paris, many innovating things, especially in night clubs. |
| Q. And Parisians? |
| A. I've been coming to Paris for a long time. When I get to Gare du Nord, I get in a cab and I am happy. Paris is a hard place to live, but very beautiful. Recently, Parisians have become much more pleasant. Ten years ago, their behavior told you "Get lost!". I don't know why, but they have changed a lot. |
| Restaurant: |
|
|
Conran Shops: |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| The Conran Web Site |
