See Inside Artist and Designer Josh Yöung’s Stunning City Escape (2024)

"For the apartment, it was all about layering and adding high contrast while maintaining a collected, edited look and feel," says Yöung.

Topping Yöung’s have-to-have list while apartment hunting? Historic details aplenty. "We knew we wanted a pre-war building with all the original, charming features," says Yöung. "I remember walking in and seeing all the framed moldings, original brass hardware, and tall ceilings, and I was instantly sold." Taking a cue from his own artwork, Yöung opted to offset those classical details with notes of the neoteric. In the living room, for instance, a vintage marble mantle crowned with an Art Deco mirror plays opposite a Mid-Century modern coffee table and a sleek pair of contemporary accent chairs.

"Books make a home," says Yöung of one of his favorite decorating devices. "I feel like I can look at someone’s collection and instantly tell you who they are as a person."

A series of Yöung’s abstracts take up residence behind a Federalist dresser, which also happens to be one of Yöung’s favorite design styles. "I was born and raised in a small, colonial town in Pennsylvania, and I think that early American style has always followed me," says Yöung. "On the other end of the spectrum, I lived in Milan for six years and have an admiration for the Italian rationalist style. I absolutely love marrying the two. Minimalist design meets maximalist with cross cultural references."

"Everything in your home should tell a story," says Yöung. "Antiques bring a sense of character very similar to artwork, including a sense of uniqueness and non-commercialness.” Yöung’s knack for making vintage items feel like part of the modern dialogue is a skill he hones by never relying too heavily on any one style. "For example," he says, "I love Federalist furniture and currently have three pieces from that period. That’s enough. Its presence is there without turning the apartment into a museum from Williamsburg, Virginia." When asked about how he goes about sourcing vintage, Yöung says, “Don’t just shop out of a catalog. Visit your local antique and thrift stores or use online shops like Chairish."

"I love walking into a bedroom that feels open and allows you to look directly at the bed and nightstands," says Yöung. "For small city living, it’s all about maximizing on limited space." As for his signature palette, Yöung says "neutrals have always spoken to me both within my interiors as well as in my artwork. They have such a calming, organic feel."

Being an artist, Yöung knows his way around an optical illusion, which was helpful when it came to maximizing how big the apartment felt. "Our bedroom was tricky for me because it has a very odd layout," he says. "Even though I love all of the light in the room, there are almost too may windows, and it became a problem finding a proper place to put our bed." To resolve the conundrum, Yöung lined one of the window-covered walls in ivory-colored Belgian linen curtains, a whopping eight panels in all. "It feels really luxe and textural, and you would never know that there were windows behind it," says Yöung. "This acted as a backdrop to place our bed in front of, which in return, opened up the entire room."

After living in their apartment for a year, Yöung and his husband snagged a unit on a higher floor of their complex to act as Yöung’s studio. Like their apartment below, the studio is a corner unit with windows facing both east and south. "We have the most amazing lighting throughout the entire day.” To ensure the space doesn’t detract from his focus on his canvases, Yöung elected to keep the palette primarily white and monochromatic. "At the same time, I wanted my studio to feel dreamlike, warm, and old world," says Yöung, who counts his studio as being a touch more whimsical than the apartment below. "My studio is more about filling the space with items and accents that inspire me and feed my eye. It was important to me that it feel like my second home as well as be a place to explore, create, and discover."

"I wanted my studio to feel dream-like, warm, and old world," says Yöung. "When visiting, I want you to know and feel that you’re in an artist’s studio in the heart of a bustling city. I wanted it to feel authentic and genuine." Ever the master when it comes to packing maximum personality in a small space, Yöung hung a series of his original abstracts perpendicular to one of his mixed media portraits.

"I don’t release a piece or collection unless I myself would bring it into my own home," says Yöung. The ideology provides a bit of clarity to the question of why Yöung’s artwork resonates so strongly. While new art can occasionally skew a bit impersonal, Yöung’s art deftly walks the line between old and new. "It’s all about the artwork," he says, "Honestly. Not only my own, but other artwork, vintage pieces, and photography that I own as well. Artwork is the most timeless thing one can own and acquire. It’s something you hand down to your kids and truly becomes a legacy of your taste and eye."

A gallery wall in the bedroom displays some of Yöung’s most beloved 20th century icons, including Truman Capote, Wallis Simpson, Little Eddie Bouvier, and Salvador Dalí. "Playing with various styles, materials, and textures truly creates the most perfect and classic environment," says Yöung.

A tonal moment in Yöung’s studio comprised of a cerused dresser and one of his monochromatic abstracts. "My artwork is my life," says Yöung. Since my studio is in the same building, I practically never leave, which is exactly how I want it."

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