'Luxury doesn't have to be expensive' Francis Kurkdjian, 40, has been named 'Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres', one of France's highest honours, for his cutting edge take on perfume. Le Male, created for Jean-Paul Gaultier, is the world's top-selling fragrance for men. Kurkdjian has recently opened a Paris boutique and lives in the city. You're French of Armenian descent. Did you grow up in Paris? I grew up in Gournay-sur-Marne, a very small town in the eastern suburbs of Paris. We were a very close family and my grandparents played a big part in my life. My grandfather was a tailor and the tiny house was filled with music, art, the odours of sewing machine oil, tailor's chalk and the fragrant scent of spices coming from the larder. Why did you decide to live in the 10th arrondissement? I knew the neighbourhood. I rented here in 1999 when I moved back from New York. It's a great location, a couple of miles from the centre of Paris, not too far from Opra Garnier, the Bastille and the Comdie Franaise. I've lived here for five years and what I like about the neighbourhood is the mix of Indian, African and Middle Eastern cultures. It's a sunny apartment. The building is huge, the former offices of The Globe newspaper. The faade is landmarked as a fine example of art deco style. It was also home to Jean Jaurs, the charismatic leader of the French Socialist party. There are three interior courtyards