Shadowing Practice: Inside Lenny Kravitz’s Regal Paris Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
186 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
A.D.
2
Welcome to Hotel De Roxy.
3
Come on in.
4
Well first of all this place is called Hotel de Roxy.
5
It's named after my mother because it was her dream to come live in Paris.
6
She wanted to retire after doing 11 seasons of The Jeffersons, and she never got to do it.
7
So, I'm doing it for both of us.
8
And this place is a real gift.
9
I've been in this house for 22 years now, but I've been in Paris my whole career.
10
When my first album, Let Love Rule,
11
came out in 89, they weren't quite sure how to market me in America because I didn't fit in a box.
12
So they sent me to Paris.
13
It's my favorite city in the world.
14
It's just an inspiring place culturally.
15
Music, art, fashion, cuisine.
16
It's got it all.
17
I love Paris, but I love this house.
18
And I walked through the front door into this entry, and I knew I was at home.
19
This place was made to make music in.
20
It's got the most beautiful reverb.
21
As you can hear, I got the opportunity to work with Steinway
22
and I designed this grand piano a few years ago and it's a piece that I'm really proud of.
23
I wanted to use an African form for the piano and blend the two styles of European design and African design.
24
And I designed it for this space.
25
The legs, as you can see, are hand-carved.
26
And all of the design started with the design of the legs.
27
And all of the bronze work is all hand-done.
28
And the petals are the same.
29
this house continually pays tribute to my ancestors.
30
And as you'll see, as we walk through the house, there's photographs of them everywhere.
31
All of this photography tells a story throughout the house, through black history, American and African.
32
It's all African, but that's Gordon Parks, who's one of my favorite photographers and artists.
33
And I had the pleasure of getting to know him before he passed.
34
And this photograph is taken by Weegee.
35
It reminded me of my family, of my grandparents, when they used to take me out in New York City.
36
And you would get dressed, you'd put on, as we would say, your Sunday best, and go out on the town.
37
This is the Petit Salon.
38
It's called the Roxy Room.
39
And it's dedicated to my mother.
40
She was the love of my life.
41
I was a mama's boy.
42
I found a bunch of photographs
43
that my father had taken of my mother in the late 60s
44
and got them framed by the same framer that does a lot of framing for the Louvre.
45
I just wanted to have a room where I was surrounded by her image.
46
This is my favorite photograph of my mother.
47
It's just a moment.
48
And I love the composition, the hat, the look on her face.
49
And that photograph, one of the major ways that I remember her is in the late 60s, she would read poetry in Central Park.
50
And this guy, he used to play the guitar.
51
And she would sit like that and read Langston Hughes and other poets.
52
It's one of the deepest impressions I have of her.
53
For me, soul is the most essential element.
54
Putting yourself into it, whatever your soul is.
55
You know, people ask, well, how do you define your design?
56
I call it soulful elegance.
57
You know, it's being elegant, sophisticated, but with soul.
58
You know, with your heart, with your spirit.
59
because design and elegance without that feeling is just designer names
60
and you know stuff but when you're collecting
61
and it really reflects who you are what you are where
62
you've been it's beautiful you know whatever your style is just
63
being authentic to uh who you are we all have to tell our story
64
This is the Grand Salon and this is where I receive folks.
65
This is where we hang out.
66
We all sit around and sit on the floor and play music.
67
It's got a lot of art in here that I love.
68
The whole room is built around Muhammad Ali, his legacy and his message captured by Andy Warhol.
69
Andy Warhol, but I love Muhammad Ali.
70
And yes, he was the greatest boxer.
71
But what I love about Muhammad Ali is the humanitarian work, the civil rights work.
72
He was a freedom fighter.
73
And that is so important.
74
If you think about the things he was saying at that time in the 60s, he said some very challenging things,
75
but he was so intelligent and he had a great wit
76
and strength and he knew how how to balance that all together.
77
This room is about that.
78
Another thing that I love about this room is this is the first chandelier that I designed, that Kravitz Design did.
79
This chandelier was made for Swarovski, and it was in one of the art fairs years ago.
80
It's called the Hotel de Roxy.
81
Some of the articles in here that are giving me
82
so much vibe are these African sculptures that I got from Church Boutique, which is one of my favorite boutiques in the world.
83
It's run by my good friend Rodney Burns, and he has curated quite a few things in the house.
84
Yeah, these chairs were done by Kravitz Design many, many years ago.
85
I love when you do something years ago and you have no idea where they're going to end up, but when they end up where they are,
86
it looks like they were designed for that space.
87
At the end of the day, it's all about comfort, creating an ambiance where you can feel relaxed, a space that opens communication.
88
The lines, the silhouettes, the fabrics, the lighting, the art, you know, all of it, it all matters.
89
But at the end of the day, if the room is not comfortable, then it's not working.
90
This is the dining room.
91
I like to have dinner parties and invite interesting people from all different backgrounds to sit and enjoy a meal and conversation.
92
This room is centered around this photograph of my grandfather, who was the head of the family and such an inspirational figure to me.
93
This photograph was taken by Reuven Afanador years ago in Nassau, Bahamas.
94
I love that he's here looking over the table, still blessing everyone who comes in here.
95
I feel his presence and I love seeing him every day.
96
This room's all about the nighttime.
97
I never have lights on very bright.
98
People come in here and they think it's quite dark.
99
So the lights are always on very dimly and it just feels rich and warm and vibey.
100
And that's the way I like it.
101
This is by one of my favorite artists in the furniture world.
102
I have several pieces of his.
103
And I've been collecting him for a long time.
104
This is Paul Evans.
105
He was an absolutely incredible artist.
106
And I'm just drawn to his work.
107
How brutal, how elegant.
108
This table is designed by Carl Springer.
109
And I've had this for many years.
110
I love it.
111
The lacquer is just worn.
112
It's got a lot of character.
113
These are Africa chairs.
114
Scarpa had these for a very long time.
115
They just made their way to Paris.
116
And the two chairs at the end, I found at the Paris flea market at Les Pouces, where I go every week.
117
One of my favorite things to do in Paris, looking for furniture and art from all these wonderful vendors that really curate well.
118
We're in the library and this library probably means the most to me because my mother,
119
she kept speaking about learning French and reading books and that she wanted to have a library.
120
And it was something that stuck with me.
121
And it's actually filled with a lot of books that she had.
122
A lot of the African art books were hers.
123
And a lot of the literature was hers.
124
Those are James Brown's boots.
125
James Brown is it.
126
James Brown is the funk.
127
James Brown is the rhythm.
128
James Brown taught me so much and gave the world so much joy and full of powerful messages.
129
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud.
130
Downstairs is the work floor, that's where the studio is.
131
I collect pieces that have great meaning and inspiration to me.
132
People that changed my life, that inspired me, that educated me, and all of the things I have down there came to me different ways, some personally.
133
Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Prince,
134
Bob Marley, Miles Davis, John Lennon.
135
On my birthday many years ago, I was at Yoko Ono's place in the Dakota.
136
And she said, today's your birthday.
137
I said, yeah.
138
And she said, come here.
139
She took me into the room where there was a set of drawers that still had John's clothes in it.
140
And she pulled out this beautiful shirt.
141
She said this was one of his favorites.
142
Happy birthday.
143
We're in the bedroom.
144
It's a gift to be able to sleep peacefully every night.
145
The word recreation is re-creation.
146
When you're an artist, to be able to continually be inspired, you have to continually recreate
147
so that you can be vibrating at the frequency you need to be able to pick up the things
148
that you're being transmitted.
149
I'm just an antenna, you know, I don't do this.
150
It comes to me.
151
This room provides that space for me to be able to close the doors and recreate myself on a daily basis.
152
It's such a luxury to have a room with this kind of volume and the oval shape is just extraordinary.
153
And very few pieces, really it's just the bed and two chairs, two tables and two lamps and a console.
154
But they're all very substantial and old weight.
155
And so you're able to put very few things in the room, but they're all very bold and give a lot of energy.
156
And of course, the rock and rugs, which I've always loved.
157
You know, I sleep on the floor sometimes.
158
This portrait that you see on the wall is the first thing I ever got at the flea market here in Paris.
159
Back in the early 90s, Vanessa Paradis turned me on to the flea market.
160
We used to go together all the time to buy furniture.
161
And I saw this beautiful charcoal drawing of Leontine Price, who I love, one of the best opera singers ever.
162
I bought it just like that, came in that frame.
163
That portrait has been with me since then.
164
I just love the elegance and the strength of her image.
165
and she was just an incredibly gifted singer.
166
Music is essential.
167
I have Bang & Olsen all throughout the house.
168
I love their products.
169
I love their design.
170
I did not want to have a television in the bedroom.
171
I have this room next door where I can watch films and there's a guest room where my special guests stay.
172
And then you have the landing, the area out there where I sit sometime.
173
That's it on this floor.
174
So now I'm going to take you down to the basement so you can experience the heart and soul of this house.
175
Let it
176
fly The design of this house.
177
It's been an evolution because I moved in here when it was empty, did work on the place, put it together in the way I felt at the time.
178
But I've evolved over the last 22 years.
179
And so the house has just been completed to where it's at the place that I am now.
180
And I know that this will last.
181
I won't need to touch it again in my lifetime.
182
It represents so many parts of my history, my story, my evolution, and you know, Zoey will take it from here.
183
AD, thanks for coming by.
184
I hope you enjoyed yourself, and next time you're in Paris, ring the bell.
185
Doors always open.
186
Peace.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B21
Inside Troian Bellisario & Patrick J. Adams’s Eclectic L.A. Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
Architect Breaks Down 5 of the Most Common New York Apartments | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
How This Famous Architect Changed America | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
Inside Amanda Seyfried’s Peaceful New York Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
Inside a Small 465-Sq-Ft Malibu Beach House With a Loft Bedroom | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B26
Inside The Home Frank Lloyd Wright Designed For His Son | Unique Spaces | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
How This Famous Architect Revolutionized The Way Architects Design | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
Every Way Emma Chamberlain Has Updated Her Home | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B11
Inside Jensen and Danneel Ackles' Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
Inside Jeff Goldblum & Emilie Goldblum's Playful Guest House | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
Inside Lana Condor’s Dream California Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
University StudentsWorking Adults
C14
Inside a Woodland Home Built Over Water to Become One With Nature | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
Inside Nina Dobrev's 1920's Spanish-Style Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B27
Inside Dakota Johnson's Serene Hollywood Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B226
Inside Kendall Jenner’s Cozy Mountain Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B210
Inside Kendall Jenner’s Home at Christmas | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B216
Inside Kendall Jenner’s Cozy L.A. Hideaway | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1Inside Jennifer Garner’s Farm-Style L.A. Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B22
154 sentences
Inside Madonna’s London Home, Filled With Wonderful Objects | Vogue
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B11
40 sentences
AEF 3.3 - Harry Questions Rob
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B21
643 sentences
LAW ROACH IS AN ICONIC GUEST | ZIWE INTERVIEW
Interview EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
720 sentences
Paris Jackson: "the breeze," "just me and you," and Family | Zane Lowe Interview
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C11
83 sentences
How living abroad rewires your brain.
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
479 sentences
John Legend reflects on his early career, songwriting process, Ordinary People & new album collab
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
68 sentences
Monet's Water Lilies: Great Art Explained
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
244 sentences
NYC Diaries | Everything I pack for a trip, recent pickups & building a brand!
Business EnglishTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
B23
70 sentences
When the Rock & Roll Lifestyle Became Too Much with LOU GRAMM (Foreigner)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
75 sentences
We Didn't Deserve David Lynch
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Inside Lenny Kravitz’s Regal Paris Home”. This video has 186 sentences and 2018 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:23. The speaker talks at a steady 131 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| elegance noun | /ˈɛl.ɪ.ɡəns/ | Grace, refinement, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners. |
| continually adverb | /kənˈtɪnjuəli/ | In regular or repeated succession; very often. |
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| chandelier noun | /ˌʃæn.dəˈlɪɚ/ | A branched, often ornate, light fixture suspended from a ceiling. |
| curate noun | /ˈkjʊɹɪt/ | An assistant rector or vicar. |
| recreate verb | /ˈɹɛk.ɹi.eɪt/ | To give new life, energy or encouragement (to); to refresh, enliven. |
| elegant adjective | /ˈɛləɡənt/ | Characterised by or exhibiting elegance; having grace, refinement, or tasteful simplicity. |
| ambiance noun | /ˈɑm.bi.ɑns/ | A particular mood or atmosphere of an environment or surrounding influence. |
| ancestor noun | /ˈæn.sɛs.tɚ/ | One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a forefather; a forebear. |
| framer noun | /ˈfɹeɪmɚ/ | A person who makes frames for paintings. |
| grandparent noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)pɛəɹənt/ | The parent of someone's parent. |
| lacquer noun | /ˈlæk.ɚ/ | A glossy, resinous material used as a surface coating; either a natural exudation of certain trees, or a solution of nitrocellulose in alcohol, etc. |
| nighttime noun | /ˈnaɪtˌtaɪm/ | The hours of darkness between sunset and sunrise; the night. |
| reverb noun | /ˈɹiˌvɝb/ | An electronic effect which simulates echoes or reverberations in the sound signal being processed. |
| silhouette noun | /ˌsɪluˈɛt/ | An artistic depiction, often of a person's profile, in the form of an outline without any other visual details, similar to a shadow, made by cutting a piece of… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| walk through verb | To explain (something) to (someone), step by step. |
| come on in verb | Synonym of come in (“to enter”). |
| come out in verb | to be afflicted by (a visible disruption of the body) |
| go together verb | To be in a relationship. |
| have down verb | To have mastered a skill. |
| look over verb | To check quickly; to make a brief or cursory visual inspection of. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- It's my favorite city in the world.
- I was a mama's boy.
- You know, people ask, well, how do you define your design?
- You know, it's being elegant, sophisticated, but with soul.
- Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to take · used to play · used to go |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is called · was made · is taken |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been · you've been · has curated |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Boutique, which is · everyone who comes |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 30 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: chandelier /ˌʃæn.dəˈlɪɚ/, inspirational /ˌɪnspəˈɹeɪʃənəl/, recreation /ɹiːkɹiˈeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: continually /kənˈtɪnjuəli/, inspirational /ˌɪnspəˈɹeɪʃənəl/, humanitarian /hjuˌmæ.nəˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/, recreation /ɹiːkɹiˈeɪʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like elegance, continually, inspire.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.