Beautiful Bistro Shelves

Palmer Industries bistro shelves

Brass and glass bistro shelves have definitely been having a moment in design recently. Think of the romance of an old back bar with tarnished brass hardware filled with bottles of tipsy goodness. The Bofinger in Paris just oozes old world charm doesn’t it?? I think this is part of the appeal of bistro shelves … Read more

Creating a Zen Corner For Finding Peace

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  One thing I’ve really enjoyed are all the free offerings, performances, classes and YouTube programs coming from celebrities homes. It definitely feeds this nosy body’s curiosity. Yesterday I was thrilled to be able to participate in a hands-on distance learning program with one of the world’s foremost decoupage artists Jill Barnes-Dacey. Jill is based … Read more

Sexy Building In The City

There’s a strong trend these days for folks – from millennials to empty nesters – to want to experience urban city living environments. There’s a lot of building in the city going on – especially here in Boston. Millennials are looking to avoid what they see as their parents heavy burdens of the big house … Read more

Cozy Nooks and Alcoves

There’s something so enticing about cute little nooks and alcoves for reading, eating and napping. These secret alcoves can be tucked away around a corner or carved out of a niche or unused closet space (if there is such a thing). Bed alcoves have long been used as a way to keep inhabitants warm in … Read more

Design Smackdown – Form vs. Function

Okay, a discussion about Form vs. Function is not exactly a design smackdown, but it’s a good jumping off point for a conversation. I was recently doing some research in quotes on design and realized that two icons of design – Steve Jobs and Marcel Wanders –  had very different and very interesting views on … Read more

Hold The Doors!

Carved wood door of woods and bears

  I saw this image on Pinterest and kind of fell in love with the magical woodland nature of its carvings and stained glass. It kind of reminded me of fantasy stories like Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. I also reminded me of: Game of Thrones character Hodor (née Wylis) who … Read more

2016 Newburyport Holiday House Tour

I made my annual pilgrimage to the 2016 Newburyport Holiday House tour on Saturday and this year, we were treated to some amazing homes and lovely, though not ostentatious, holiday decorating. The House Tour is put on and benefits the Custom House Maritime Museum of Newburyport. The first house I visited was the 1774 Lowell-Tracy-Johnson … Read more

2015 Boston Magazine Design Home

The other day I took a day and headed up to beautiful Ipswich, MA to visit the 2015 Boston Magazine Design Home. Each year, Boston Magazine along with many generous sponsors builds and decorates a home to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital. 100% of proceeds from the tour will go to Children’s Hospital. It … Read more

Boston Magazine Design Home 2014

The 2014 Boston Magazine Design Home will be open for public tours starting on September 10th. For the last ten years, the magazine has been teaming with a local builder, architect, designer and a charity to build a house that focuses on a specific kind of living style. This year’s house, located in Salisbury, MA, … Read more

Maison et Objet Accessories – 2008

Maison et Objet Muse Bust

One of the big trends I noticed in Maison et Objet accessories was the presence of white. I have to admit that I love the clean, bleached, feeling of this look. Two of my favorite stands were Guadarte from Spain and Woestijnroos BVBA – WR Collection – from Belgium. The bust above – surrounded by soft greens … Read more

Nantucket Dream Home

This beautiful Nantucket dream home was in a feature photo spread from a 2010 New England Home magazine. The whole house project is just a beautiful example of fresh New England design style and you can certainly feel the ocean winds wafting through. Design credit goes to the homeowners themselves; Architects Lyman Perry and Scott … Read more