The results interrogate pearl-clutching assumptions of private and public realms, embracing voyeurism and exhibitionism as underlying tensions. “Imagine an apartment where your clothes fall off the moment you walk in,” says Jett, who divided the floor plan into what he calls the shell and the core. The dining and living areas open onto the sleeping space in one fluid sweep, with sliding glass partitions as barriers. A carpeted plinth forms not only the base of sectional seating but also the single step up and down into the bedroom, where that same low pile extends wall-to-wall and up the bespoke bed and integrated side tables. Central to the whole scheme is the open-concept closet and bathroom, with a circular shower of glass bricks. “You’re putting on a show,” Jett jokes of the transparent but ultimately modesty-preserving blocks. “You should be able to tell if a person is there—or two people.”
The materials palette blends industrial hallmarks with soigné interventions reminiscent of a bygone SoHo scene. Walls of exposed brick and pressed-tin ceilings set the stage for maple millwork, Nero Marquina marble surfaces, and stainless-steel cabinetry. Rounded forms, meanwhile, offer their own language—from arched doors that riff on warehouse precedents to the folds of curtains that wrap the bedroom to the wavy motif on the custom coverlet, Jett’s homage to kimono fabrics. Lighting too forms a kind of architectural language, with track fixtures, uplights, and Ingo Maurer icons casting a calm collective glow.
True to Jett and Chiou’s shared sybaritic ambitions, the home comes alive in the nighttime. “It’s dark in a way that speaks to me,” Chiou notes. “The sun goes down and light comes through the windows, creating distinct shadows.” Friends pop by for cocktails, fanning out on the built-in sectional, scattering across the carpeted floor, or lounging atop the bed. A projector can transform the whole space into a theater. “Being home is such a joy,” he adds. “It feels quintessentially New York.” Come bedtime—curtains drawn, door closed—he retreats to the sheets, cocooned in the carefully calibrated vibe. Turns out his comfort zone is broader than he thought. “I work in finance; part of my job is to be conservative,” Chiou jokes. “This experience pushed me to embrace risk.”
This Soho loft designed by Darren Jett is featured in AD’s February issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.
