Pierre Hardy talks personal taste Part One

Pierre Hardy’s eponymous line is loved for its sculptural shoes and colour-block bags. Last year he celebrated 25 years as Hermès creative director of shoes

My personal style signifier is my glasses, which I have made-to-measure by Hervé Domar. I think there are two schools of thought with glasses: either you change them every day like an accessory, or, like me, wear the same pair and they become part of your face. www.hervedomar.com.

The last thing I bought and loved was a very sculptural and quite abstract Scarpa lamp, made in the 1960s from a block of white marble. It gives off a soft, warm light that is diffused by the marble and shows its veins, which are beautiful. Espaces 54, 54 Rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris (+339-5136 1848; www.espaces54.com).

Pierre Hardy’s 1960s marble Scarpa lamp | Image: Stephanie jayet

And the thing I’m eyeing next is a holiday house on the Côte d’Azur, between Toulon and St Tropez. I like being by the sea, and this stretch is lovely and less manic than the big towns. I wouldn’t want a luxury villa, just a little cabin in a nice situation. That would be a dream.

The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a pair of black Nike Huarache trainers with neoprene straps at the back that make them look and feel like wearing sandals on top of socks. I am crazy about Nike as it’s so creative and seems to have new designs every week. www.nike.com.

A recent “find” is Caffè Stern in Paris. It is in an elegant little arcade and takes its name from an original listed 18th-century engraver’s shop. The interior is Philippe Starck-designed and, although the owners have called it a café, it is really a Venetian restaurant. The nougat with truffle is amazing. 47 Passage des Panoramas, 47 Galerie des Variétés, 75002 Paris (+331-7543 6310; www.caffestern.fr).

The site that inspires me is the very sensual Barcelona Pavilion [pictured] by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It may sound a bit pompous, but it’s the perfect study of a house that wasn’t made for living in. I love his use of space, water and open sky. It’s a masterpiece.

Hardy’s Nike Huarache trainers | Image: Stephanie jayet

The last music I downloaded was MacArthur Park by Donna Summer. I was having dinner with friends in Corsica, and the restaurant was playing the album. It made me nostalgic and happy.

The best souvenir I’ve brought home was some obsidian stones from Pantelleria, a volcanic island between Sicily and Tunisia. They are black and highly polished with lots of reflections and shade inside, like the iris of an eye – quite mysterious and very beautiful.

Ludwig Mies Van de Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion | Image: Cover/Getty Images

The objects I would never part with are my cars – a black 1990s Jaguar that was my father’s and a grey 1980s Mercedes – and a necklace of charms, small medals and pendants, some of which I’ve had since I was born. It’s a bit of a résumé of my life.

In my fridge you’ll always find bananas, sheep’s milk, yoghurt and grapefruit juice. I love to cook but never have time to shop for ingredients.

Caffè Stern, Paris | Image: Fausto Mazza

The grooming staples I’m never without are my colognes. In winter I wear Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur during the day, and Guerlain Jicky at night. In summer I swap to Comme des Garçons Monocle Scent Two: Laurel, which reminds me of Corsica. I don’t go in for skincare and I shave my own head. www.guerlain.com. www.monocle.com.

The books on my bedside table include Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, Cosmopolis by Don de Lillo and anything by Alexandre Dumas. I also have books on artists I love such as Daniel Arsham, Cindy Sherman and Christopher Wool.

My favourite room in my house is more of an alcove in the sitting room, painted black and with a very old mirror and big Bertoia diamond armchair. I can tuck myself away there; it’s like a box in a box.

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Frank Stella, who I discovered as a student. In his career he has gone from very simple and abstract pieces to the giant monument on the roof of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

My favourite apps are Brushes, which I use to send sketches, correct prototypes and even create designs from scratch; and iMuscle 2, a fitness app that identifies specific muscles and gives you a list of exercises for that part of the body – though it’s not these that interest me but the analytic 3D pictures of the anatomy.