A quick Zillow search of homes for sale in Bergen county, New Jersey will turn up many similar-looking single-family homes for sale. Plan Architecture has, in a short amount of time, managed to corner the luxury residential design market in the tristate area, working closely with real estate agents. Yet their signature style is anything but ordinary. Today on Disruptive Design, DNN Editor in Chief Courtney Porter sits down with Plan Architecture’s principal architect and interior designer, Dan D’Agostino, to discuss the ways their daring style is taking over, challenging the status quo, one new build at a time. Click play on the video below to watch their discussion:
Luxury Architecture, Elevated to Art
“Everything I do is with the client in mind,” Dan D’Agostino says. “It’s driven by their needs. I feel like that aspect can get lost in the design process. I want to problem solve with the client. Our mission is to create lifestyle-enhancing designs that are inspired by our clients, fueled by our passion, and delivered by our devoted team.”
My favorite moment is when I’m meeting with clients about a plan and they look like they just saw an incredible magic trick. They joke that I’m a mind reader.”
– Dan D’Agostino
In 2018, he launched Plan Interiors to serve the many clients who were inquiring about interior design assistance. Plan Interiors is an in-house interior design service available exclusively to those who are working with Plan Architecture. The Plan Interiors team recently took home a Kitchen & Bath Design Silver National Award in the Best Kitchen Over $225k, for an elegant, 530-square-foot kitchen for a home commissioned by Caruso Builders and designed by Plan Architecture.
Natural Light, Seamless Placement
“It’s all about meeting the land and creating inspiring spaces,” he says. “They talk about the term tabula rasa, but in architecture, I don’t believe there is such a thing as a clean slate. You have the sunlight and its subtle shifts during the day, the home’s connection to the landscape, and overriding principles that bring the house together, the alignments and configurations. I have an obsessive awareness of what people will be looking at in each room. Every little detail is rigorously, mindfully considered.”
More about Dan D’Agostino and Plan Architecture
Dan D’Agostino, AIA, is celebrated both for his artistry and for his uncanny way of creating exactly the design his clients are dreaming of. He is the principal and lead architect of Plan Architecture, a hidden gem located in Bergen County, New Jersey, less than an hour from Midtown Manhattan. Dan has more than two decades of experience invoking his unique architectural alchemy, working with a roster of sophisticated clientele and celebrities in the tri-state area, including notable performers from the music world, reality show favorites, TV personalities, sports figures, interior and industrial designers, and prominent Broadway creatives.
He and his 25-member team at Plan Architecture have a diverse portfolio of work, ranging from new builds and renovations to single-family dwellings and high-rise, mixed-use buildings in dense urban areas. The largest boutique firm in the area, Plan Architecture has garnered impressive accolades, including a prestigious AIA Gold Medal for a mixed-use structure designed for Lower Manhattan, a National Kitchen & Bath Design Award, a Luxe Red Award, and numerous “Best Of” awards on Houzz. NJBIZ honored him as a “40 Under 40” winner, representing the best and brightest of New Jersey’s new generation of leaders.
My vision is to transform luxury architecture into an art that enriches lives, satisfies wants, and fulfills needs—both beautifully and intrinsically. We do this with honesty, creativity, innovation, excellent communication, professionalism, and patience.
– Dan D’Agostino
Dan is well respected in the tri-state region for his mastery of classic architecture combined with a modern sensibility. His specialty is single family, custom residential projects—in fact, he is the designer of more than 1,000 homes. Whether a client seeks a timeless coastal home, a modern lake house, a classic Tudor charmer, a bohemian New York City loft, a gracious Hamptons-style retreat, or a French château-inspired dazzler, Dan delivers results that are of the highest caliber.
Born and raised in Hoboken and North Bergen, New Jersey, Dan grew up as an artistic kid who dreamed of designing roller coasters. He discovered another way to create breathtaking structures—architecture—and by high school, he was already honing his skills and passion, studying mechanical drafting and architectural drawing.
Dan received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from NJIT’s New Jersey School of Architecture, where he has created the Plan Architecture Scholarship Fund. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects. After building his career working at five firms, in 2014, he founded Plan Architecture with the goal of creating a client-forward, full-service architecture firm. | To learn more about Plan Architecture, visit their website or follow them on Instagram: @planarchitecture and @planinteriors
