A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene

A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 2
A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 3
A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 4
A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 5

Rich colors bring warmth to designer Josh Greene's New York home (Photos 1, 3 and 4 ©Peter Murdock, Photo 2 ©Victor Harshbarger)

Take a tour with Artsper around the New York home of Josh Greene, an interior designer and founder of Josh Greene Design. Admire his polished yet livable style while discovering his art and design inspirations, his favorite design projects to date and his expert advice to make your house feel like a home...

1. Hello Josh! How would you describe your interior design style? Furthermore, where do you draw your inspiration from at the start of a design project? 

Hello! This is always a tough question for me because my projects are all so different. I very much take into account who the client is and their vision for how they want to live in the space as well as the space itself - the architecture, the renovation and the location of the property all influence the design. There is a definitely a thread throughout my projects, I like homes to be polished and pulled together but also comfortable. And I think there is a consistent color sensibility and deliberate use of antiques from varying periods and new pieces. Initially, after some conversation with the clients and thinking about the furniture plan, I pull inspiration images based on a gut feeling about what I think would be best for the clients. And the images have to have similar architecture to the project that we're designing. From there, I pull large fabrics and rugs from my library and then start to edit down schemes by room. Definitely, my personal experiences (travel, museum visits, things that catch my eye) push me to try new things, explore new ideas and color palettes so those are also influencing me at the start of a project but that's more of an unconscious influence.

A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 6
A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 7

Displaying statement art creates a stunning visual focal point ©Peter Murdock

2. What has been your favorite design commission, or the project you're most proud of, to date and why?

I most recently completed a project in Palm Springs, California that is running in the upcoming issue of Departures. I've spent time in Palm Springs throughout my entire life and my parents have lived there full time for the last 20 years so it's really a place that is special to me. Plus there is such an amazing history of design, both in terms of architecture and interiors. But this was the first time I did a real project there, which had been a dream come true. The house is new but has wonderful modernist architecture by Studio AR&D and the homeowner is a friend of mine so we threw in some 1970s and 1980s references that we both enjoy to warm up the modernism. The result is a really great observation on what today's modern desert style should look like. 

3. You are based in New York- where are your favorite places to experience art in the city?

We have the best museums, so all the big hitters: MoMA, The Met, The Whitney, The Brooklyn Museum! Then there are all the galleries in Chelsea and throughout the city and smaller organizations that put on great shows, such as the Morgan Library, The New Museum and The Frick Collection. It's often the smaller shows that I enjoy because they're less crowded. I recently saw a show at the Morgan focused solely on drawings from artists spanning seven centuries. It was truly remarkable - the best of the best in that category.

4. Which artists or artistic movements serve as sources of inspiration to you?

I'm partial to abstract expressionism and color field paintings, if I could pick anything from a museum it would be from those movements. Specific artists include Franz Kline, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis. For figurative and landscape, I like the more graphic, two-dimensional works from artists such as Alex Katz, Jonas Wood and Jacob Lawrence.

A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 8
A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 9

Art and decorative pieces can add an elegant touch to any room (Photo 1 ©Peter Murdock, Photo 2 ©Victor Harshbarger)

5. As a lover of contemporary art, how do you incorporate artworks into your design work? What links can be established between art and design? 

I think the architecture and the furniture layout really determines where art goes and I am a firm believer that the scale of the wall and the piece hanging on it need to be in harmony. Certainly you want to take into account how prominent a piece is or is not when choosing where to hang it but that's not everything. I think the art needs to be in harmony with its surroundings as well, not thematically or color-wise but certainly in terms of energy. Sometimes contrasting energy between a piece and the decor is really stimulating but other times it fights which doesn't work. I typically think large, impactful art works in most situations though!

6. Are you an art collector yourself? If so, which works of art can be found in your home? Which works of art would be your dream to own? 

I'm a mini-collector, I certainly live with art and pay attention to it but I just buy what I like and have things from my many talented friends and even my brother, who paints. I don't really have any walls left in my apartment so I am a bit on a pause for acquiring new pieces. But the pieces I do have range from abstract to figurative, it's really visual for me. 

7. And finally, what advice would you give to someone who has just moved into a new home and wants to personalize the space?

Establish a furniture plan to scale and stick with it. Get the most important pieces first such as the rug and window treatments and your main pieces of upholstery. Then you can build the rest of the space from there as you find things along the way. But always stick to the plan! Oh, and hang your art right away. Nothing makes a space feel infinitely more complete than getting your artwork off the floor. Nothing is easier than patching nail holes so don't be afraid to move it around as you acquire things.

A Visit to the Home of Interior Designer Josh Greene - 10

Colorful decorative accents bring vibrancy and character to neutral toned walls and furniture ©Peter Murdock


Their favorite artworks

Photography, Vertical horizon #3, Ralph Gibson

Vertical horizon #3

Ralph Gibson

Photography - 111.8 x 81.3 cm

$16,940

Photography, Ocotillo Lodge, Christine Flynn

Ocotillo Lodge

Christine Flynn

Photography - 91 x 91 x 5 cm

$4,214

Photography, Building waves, Michael Portillo

Building waves

Michael Portillo

Photography - 60 x 80 x 2 cm

$518

Painting, Equilibre EB2, Kardesch

Equilibre EB2

Kardesch

Painting - 100 x 50 x 3.5 cm

$3,162

Painting, Equilibre E12, Kardesch

Equilibre E12

Kardesch

Painting - 80 x 40 x 3.5 cm

Sold

Photography, Tirages sur papier photo: dépliant X, Gottfried Jäger

Tirages sur papier photo: dépliant X

Gottfried Jäger

Photography - 60 x 50 x 3 cm

$16,940

Painting, Abstraction lettre 9, Chang-Woo Seok

Abstraction lettre 9

Chang-Woo Seok

Painting - 35 x 45 x 1.5 cm

$1,355

Photography, Nine Rectangles 1, Luuk de Haan

Nine Rectangles 1

Luuk de Haan

Photography - 49.5 x 42 cm

$1,778

Painting, 1015_0119_archeologie, Yvan Salomone

1015_0119_archeologie

Yvan Salomone

Painting - 96.5 x 137.3 cm

$10,164

Fine Art Drawings, HfG Fassade, Yves Bélorgey

HfG Fassade

Yves Bélorgey

Fine Art Drawings - 80 x 121 cm

$8,470

Photography, Expansión 5928, Edi Hirose

Expansión 5928

Edi Hirose

Photography - 136 x 110 cm

$7,905

Fine Art Drawings, Self-Portrait 20.100, Arthur Hent

Self-Portrait 20.100

Arthur Hent

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.2 cm

$136

Fine Art Drawings, Self-Portrait 20.104, Arthur Hent

Self-Portrait 20.104

Arthur Hent

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.2 cm

Sold

Photography, Temporal Perception #7, Serge Hamad

Temporal Perception #7

Serge Hamad

Photography - 114.3 x 152.4 cm

$4,750