Joe Nahem
photo by Peter Murdock
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? My partner Jeff & I are so fortunate to have our dream second home, on the beach in East Hampton
What are three words to describe your style? 1. Client specific 2. Continually evolving 3. Inviting
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? It changed almost monthly. As I took over our finished basement for my personal space, it ranged from painting my dresser drawer fronts with orange & white checks, to a white fur (ala 007) bedspread.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? Just after graduating Parsons, I ended up at a Sotheby’s auction & “mistakenly” bidding on a small Warhol, Jackie…….& getting it. I had to put it on my Master Card & took 3 years to pay it off.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Gio Ponti
No room is complete without the people who live there & dogs.
People think of me as outgoing, but I am really shy
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: red roses, ferns
An hors d’oeuvre platter: pig-in-a-blanket
A bar cabinet: ugly bottles
A song for:
Dinner at home: Silence and the rhythm of live ocean waves
Working at your desk: music would never work, I need to hear everything going on
Going for a run: French or English language tapes or 80’s disco
Biggest Vice? Bread….any kind
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Airline tickets to exotic locales
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Not really
Who is your star crush? My favorite star client, Mr. Downey
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? I have learned never to say “never”, as I have surprised myself many times by doing things I’ve said I would “never” do. (aka floral prints)
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? My own book that I worked so hard on, Fox-Nahem, The Vision of Joe Nahem
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Longevity
photo by Peter Murdock
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Love Actually
Book: The Goldfinch
Scent: smell of the ocean on a morning run
The fabric you always come back to: polished linen
Dream project: designing for a major, hi-end hotel chain……..or just one hotel.
Meal: sea food Paella
Drink: Pellegrino
Hotel: Le Sirenuse in Positano, IT
Travel Destination: safari in South Africa
Artist: Cy Twombly
Thing to collect obsessively: dogs & puppies
Era in the history of design: Swedish 40s & 50s
Museum: Prado
Paint Color that always look great: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/hc-158/newburg-green?color=HC-158
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Alexa Hampton and Susie’s Senior Dogs
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs, puppies, rescue dogs, Jack Russells, senior dogs, mutts, pure-breeds, strays
