Would You Buy a Kanye West-Designed Home? Rapper Starts Architecture Firm

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Kanye West is wearing a lot of hats these days: hip-hop icon and record label owner, husband to reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, fashion designer, and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump. Now West, who has sparked quite a bit of controversy recently, has signaled he’s ready to add architecture to the list.

The superstar-turned-entrepreneur nicknamed Yeezy tweeted on Sunday that he’s starting an architecture firm called Yeezy Home.

“We’re looking for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better,” he wrote in the tweet. (That makes sense that he’s hiring as all U.S. architects must be licensed and most states require them to receive an architecture degree from an accredited school as well.)

It’s unknown whether West’s recent headline-grabbing comments could hurt his new business. He recently told TMZ that 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice” and fessed up to becoming addicted to doctor-prescribed opioids after undergoing liposuction in 2016.

But his latest venture shouldn’t come as a complete shock, as West has expressed interest in the home design space before. He worked with minimalist interior designer Axel Vervoordt on the design of the $20 million Southern California estate he shares with his wife and three children, according to Architectural Digest. The Wests bought the 15,700-square-foot home in 2014.

West has also designed his own furniture, including a couch with Vervoordt, Kardashian West told Architectural Digest. Two years ago, he was reportedly talking to Ikea about doing his own furniture line with the home goods giant. That venture didn’t come to fruition.

So how serious is West about designing homes? Well, about a half-hour before his big announcement, he tweeted, “naps are awesome.”

But creating his own architectural firm could be “a really smart move,” says Vladimir Belogolovsky, author of “Conversations with Architects: In the Age of Celebrity.”

“It’s even smarter if it’s a name outside the industry,” Belogolovsky says. “Someone who is a celebrity, not just in the profession but is a cultural icon, that alone attracts attention and potential clients.”

Over the past few decades, many big architects have become brands, like Chanel or Gucci, Belogolovsky says. And while he hasn’t seen many entertainment celebrities making the jump into the architectural and design world (Brad Pitt is an exception), he believes West’s fans could boost his firm into becoming a hit.

“It makes sense marketing-wise,” Belogolovsky says. “The name of the architect [may become] even more important than the project.”

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