Celebrity hatter Nick Fouquet lifts the lid on his geodesic dome home
When it came time to buy a home, celebrity hat maker Nick Fouquet gravitated toward one with a familiar shape: circular. (Video by Jesse Goddard/ Los Angeles Times)
As a celebrity hat maker, Nick Fouquet spends a lot of time staring at people’s heads.
So when it came time to buy a house in November 2016, he gravitated toward one with a familiar shape: circular.
“I don’t do the norm,” said the bespoke-headwear designer, who has crafted hats for Pharrell Williams, Madonna and Justin Bieber. “But at first, even I was thinking, ‘a geodesic dome?’”
Sitting on an acre, the 1,200-square-foot, three-story dome home is tucked into a lush canyon in Topanga and features two bedrooms, a pool and two wraparound decks. Fouquet’s preferred place to hang his hat is his 150-square-foot living room.
Fouquet, 34, who earned a degree in environmental science, started making hats in a garage basement and opened his Venice store in 2014.
Why is the living room your favorite spot?
It feels like a luxury cabin in the woods.
Describe the aesthetic.
The living room has high ceilings and a fireplace, and the views are insane. The dome is constructed in triangles. There are triangles everywhere, so it’s beautiful.
What’s in the room?
I don’t have a TV. But I have my favorite chair and my books by the fire and candles and my typewriter and my backgammon board.
How do you use the room?
The living area is where I come to read and write. I come up with ideas and concepts. The creative process is an extension of my soul. I’m not reinventing the wheel. But I have a passion for the work and the craftsmanship that goes into each individual piece. We live such busy lives, and this room gives me a place to revitalize. This is also where I come to get Zen and clarity.
What’s the allure of living in a hemisphere?
I never thought I would live in a circle; I always thought I would live in a square. When I first saw the space, there was an awakening for me. It’s magical and special. It needed a lot of work. But I found the beauty in the weirdness and the abnormal and became so passionate about fixing up this beautiful wooden home. I saw the vision of what the space could be and took time to beautify this diamond in the rough.
What went into the renovation?
It is a top-to-bottom remodel that’s still ongoing. The renovations entailed new decks and new floors and the demoing of the inside walls of the dome to open up the space.
Did you have help with the redesign?
My sister Gigi helped me create the look of the interior, and Tim McCarthy from Forma Design Group has been a mentor and a huge asset.
Any hats in the room?
One. It’s signed by everybody on my team. People always ask me how many hats I own. The truth is, I only own one hat at a time.
A lot of people shy away from hats.
Ultimately, wearing a hat is about having confidence. You have got to wear the hat; you can’t let the hat wear you.
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