House Tour: Industrial Designer Joe Doucet's NYC Apartment

Filed under: House Tours

Form follows function in designer Joe Doucet's bright and modern New York apartment.

Industrial designer Joe Doucet spends his days re-imagining everyday objects. So you might be surprised to see that when it comes to the Greenwich Village apartment he shares with his wife and son, less is more.

Doucet says he's not trying to make statements with his home, instead he wants a calm, livable space with few distractions.

"We want a space that works for us, not a space we work for," says Doucet. "A six-year-old son and the countless lightsaber battles which come with him will teach you that living in a museum is no fun at all. If it can be broken and cause you misery, lock it away somewhere."



Doucet is a huge bibliophile. "A home without books has no soul," he says, adding that aside from family, books are the one thing he couldn't live without. In the living room, Doucet color-coded the books on his floating shelves to make them look more organized.

The lamp and white chair in the living room are two of Doucet's designs, though he says he prefers not to live with too much of his work. "I tend to obsess over every detail and my life is more sane without being constantly immersed in my work," he says, although he will test out prototypes at home.

In the narrowest part of the apartment, this black wall adds some interest. It's filled with the family's collection of black-and-white photos and art. Doucet finds that adding interest opens up the space. And we're a big fan of mixing framed art with family photos.


The graphic work hanging in the living room, as well as the meat painting over the sofa, were made by Ukrainian artist Natalya Slikno, a friend of Doucet's.

Doucet created the grass element for an exhibit where he needed to segregate space and direct traffic flow without obstructing the view. For this particular project, he brought work home: He tried them out along the master bedroom loft's railing, where they offer a sort of semi-private feel. He found he liked the results and they've stayed ever since.

More books line the wall in the bedroom. Doucet says he finds that the types of books someone reads tells you more about them than anything else. "It's the first thing I look at when entering someone's home," he says. "If I meet someone for the first time and see they own no books, I honestly have less of a desire to get to know them well."





The dining area features a gray accent wall and steel table, which is practical for a variety of uses, from homework and art projects to dinner parties.

The high ceilings in the apartment allow for this clever bike storage on pulleys.

Doucet says that while his space isn't cluttered, he doesn't see it as spartan either. "The things we have out have a meaning to us. They feed us by their presence. If an object does not feed back to the environment, it will likely find itself in storage within weeks."

Thanks for letting us in, Joe! If you're itching for more house tours check out:
Cheap Chic Ideas From Christina Aguilera's House
A Colorful House Tour of Ruthie Sommers' California Charmer
Cheap Chic Ideas From the House of Color
Happy Homes Make Happy People: Rachel Doriss

 

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