Next-Generation Design

Page 6 of 6

A Few of Their Favorite Things
Nine local tastemakers share how they added some personal touches to their own half-pints' domains.

Bill Boehm
Principal at Boehm Architecture; father of Théo, 6, and Rosa, 3
"We built a small addition to our house to create a bedroom for the kids. It has a high, wood-paneled ceiling; built-in window seat; and cork flooring. We purposely kept the decorative scheme neutral to allow for the kids' own work, which is an ever growing gallery of images that they choose and tape up on the walls. Just outside their room is a light-filled hall that opens to the kitchen. It's a great in-between space that they can play in (and mess up!) while being in contact with their parents, while not literally underfoot."

Wendy Goldstein Pierce
Founder of PR and marketing firm Goldstein Pierce; mother of Jack, 6, and Elizabeth, 4
"When we moved into our new house, the kids' rooms were the first things we decided to do—we wanted them to feel settled and comfortable. My son has a space and world theme: dark blue walls covered in maps, a rocket-shaped light fixture with a model of the solar system around it, a comforter printed with a U.S. map. There's no furniture in his room except for a bookcase, and all his stuff is in a large red bin packed into the closet. My daughter wanted a pink and yellow room, so we found a light fixture that resembles the sun or moon, depending on the time of day. Her white wicker bedroom set is actually mine, from when I was a child."

Fritz Klaetke
Principal of graphic design firm Visual Dialogue; father of Ava Detroit, 6
"Our house is superclean, all white, very modern. The only decoration is in her room: She has black and white flower-patterned shades, vinyl insect decals on the walls, an Ishihara test for colorblindness that spells out her name. She has a collection of Russian nesting dolls as well as stuffed animals. It's kind of a mix of everything."

Mimi Love
Principal at architecture firm Utile; mother of Sofia, 8, and Nico, 6
"My son wanted a space theme for his room, so we found these great sheets and duvet cover from Boodalee with a rocket ship pattern. We also had these big shelves built for all his Lego collections, along with dressers from Machine Age and totally modular shelving for both the closets. Sofia's favorite color is light blue, so she has a blue Flor rug that looks like a puzzle—it's like modular carpet tiles. Her favorite thing is the Garnet Hill curtains and sheets, which are white with blue polka dots."

Betty Riaz
Owner of clothing boutique Stil; mother of Ines, 11
"My daughter's room is my favorite room in the whole house. It's huge, at about 700 square feet. There's an antique dresser, a vintage chaise from France, a gorgeous quilted bed, and a Persian silk carpet that we just brought back from Pakistan. Oh, and a chandelier."

Sara Campbell
Fashion designer, mother of Maggie, 14, and Lucy, 12
"Initially, we used all antiques: a handpainted crib, a picket-fence bookshelf—I simply looked for unique furniture. My daughters have stepped in since then. Maggie still has the antique bed and the matching rocker and chest of drawers, but has made it more of a Pottery Barn style. Lucy stripped the wallpaper and painted the walls Tiffany blue."

Michael Horvath
Exhibit designer, Museum of Science; father of Ava, 2, and Olivia, 6 months
"Ava has an Asian-themed room, with an elaborate mural of an Indian elephant above her bed, while Olivia's room is inspired by Paris and by travel. And since Olivia's too small to reach her bed, we made a small set of stairs for her."

Eli Gurock
Co-owner of kids'-gear retailer Magic Beans; father of Audrey, 5, and Mira, 4
"You can theme the room based on a kid's personality and include them in the process. We knew Audrey loved purples—she's a bright kid, and color affects her personality, so we hired a local company to do murals all along the walls to create a fun, colorful environment."

Jan Saragoni
Founder of PR/marketing firm Saragoni & Company; mother of Joe, 16, and Anna, 15
"Our house has an old servants' quarters on the third floor, which we converted into the kids' hideout. They have a staircase that goes straight down to the kitchen. It's basically their own little nook. The only thing they let me do was paint the rooms: Joe's walls are a pale blue; Anna's are pale yellow. But now they've covered them with Sports Illustrated and Teen Vogue magazine covers. Once they go off to college, I imagine that the top floor will turn into Mom's little hideaway."

Originally published in Boston magazine, April 2008

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