Carrying design to great lengths

Joe LaRoche is owner of Metrosexual Movers, a boutique moving company. (David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Moving Day: It's as welcome as a tax audit. And while hiring professionals might initially placate the almost-displaced, the sight of burly strangers barreling down stairs with frail family heirlooms could make anyone queasy. Cue Joe LaRoche. The East Arlington resident is co-founder and owner of Metrosexual Movers, a boutique moving company whose motto ("Wouldn't this couch look better over there?") underscores the company's aesthetically attentive approach.

LaRoche, a Carnegie Mellon grad, uses his graphic design background (he is also principal in the design firm Bionic Studio) to art-direct a move from conception to completion, even offering design suggestions for the new home. So how did an art designer (and stand-up comedian) get bitten by the moving bug? "I love the sheer physicality of moving," LaRoche says. "Even when I was in school getting my design degree, I always told friends and family who needed to move, 'You provide pizza and beer, and I'll be there.' "

Q. Define a "Metrosexual Mover."

A. Well, let's define a "metrosexual." We know what a mover is. Frankly, metrosexuals have gotten a bad rap. There's nothing that mandates they have to be frivolous and lack substance. The only definitive thing one can say about a metrosexual is that he is a heterosexual male, not intimidated by subjects culturally associated with and embraced by women. So it's an additive thing: increased sensitivity, more skills, in a broader range of areas.

Q. Do you think your company name puts some people off?

A. The name functions exactly as it was designed to function. People who like it will like me and like our service. People who don't can throw darts at the phonebook.

Q. Have you ever met resistance from a client who disagreed with your aesthetic choices?

A. You'd be surprised as to how many people have given absolutely no thought to where they want their furniture, or how to best utilize the space. This actually threatens to slow us down on a move. Once the rooms start to fill up, it becomes too late to do anything about the layout effectively. Most rooms will tell you exactly how they need to be laid out based on the available wall space, where the windows, doors, radiators, vents are. In more luxurious spaces, there are decisions to be made. This is where my training as a designer and my career as an art director can be an additional asset to clients. I've had some (very polite) disagreements with people who didn't realize they were throwing away a fortune in free interior design, but I never fight clients on these details.

Q. How has your stand-up comic experience come in handy in your latest venture?

A. People will usually cut you some slack when you drop their Faberge egg collection down a flight of stairs if you can make a witty, off-the-cuff comment like "Well, it looks like your grandkids are going to have to work for their college tuition!"

Q. What are your rates like?

A. You know what they say: "If you have to ask . . ."

Q. OK, fine. Then how's your hair?

A. It's real, and it's spectacular!