Best of Boston Home 2008
Our top picks for architects, designers, furniture stores, kitchen suppliers, and more.
Exteriors
A stucco-faced Brookline home with lead-coated copper accents by Adolfo Perez. (Photo Provided)
Hardscape Design, Luxury
ADOLFO PEREZ
Focusing on modern, streamlined shapes, Adolfo Perez’s minimalist design transforms the banal into the breathtaking. His projects showcase thoughtful relationships between metal, natural stone, and wood—especially warm woods and mahogany—to complement nearby buildings, never allowing loud colors or contrived-looking materials to ruin the clarity of peaceful exteriors.
69 Union St., Newton, 617-527-7442, adolfoperez.com
Decks
PATIO ENCLOSURES
The interior of the house looks great, the roof is new, the driveway is done. But what’s happening beyond the back door? Well-designed decks and patios complete the package and will keep you in nature year-round. Patio Enclosures, a company of professional builders, charges reasonable rates and respects your schedule, so get that croquet set and grill ready.
15 Aegean Dr., Ste. 5, Methuen, 978-682-7400
Fencing
PERFECTION FENCE
Good fences make good neighbors, and great fences make, well, great-looking properties. At Perfection Fence, choose from solid-wood privacy fences made of northern white cedar or pressure-treated yellow pine, classic pickets, practical chain-link, or poolside mesh. The family-owned company also supplies garden pergolas, tennis and basketball court enclosures, and trellises.
635 Plain St. (Rte. 139), Marshfield, 800-537-2900, perfectionfence.com
Garages and Sheds
NEW ENGLAND SHED AND BARN
In the planning stages, it was supposed to be a simple shed, but then you needed a place for tools, a boat, the contents of your basement, and somewhere for the kids to play. At New
England Shed and Barn, every building is custom-designed to suit your needs. Change the height of the walls or the slope of the roof; add an extra door or a small porch; put in window boxes. The company mills its own lumber and does its own installations, often in just a single day.
102 Ring Rd., Kingston, 800-450-9040, neshed.com
Cube planters—which can be filled with either soil or water—at Winston Flowers & Garden’s Newton location. (Photo Provided)
Garden Supplies
WINSTON FLOWERS & GARDEN
The place is inspiring and gorgeous, almost magical in certain lights. Oh, and you can buy fertilizer there, too. Winston’s 2-acre garden center is like one of its chic flower shops on steroids—in addition to the flowering plants and cut flowers are tools, seeds, garden furniture, and three greenhouses full of annuals and perennials. Not sure what to do with all that? There are plenty of landscape designers on staff to help you grow your own magic.
11 Florence St., Newton, 800-457-4901, winstonflowers.com
Perfection Fence isn’t just about white picket fences (though it does those, too). (Photo Provided)
Gazebos & Pergolas
PERFECTION FENCE
Ever since Liesl was 16 going on 17, and Rolfe was 17 going on 18, the Austrian gazebo has been considered a most romantic garden structure. Today it comes in all shapes and sizes, ranging from understated porches to glass-and-steel wedding cake-like structures. There are none of the latter at Perfection Fence, a Marshfield-based company that constructs gazebos and pergolas aplenty, tastefully made to order: with screens or without; in wood, granite, or wrought iron; poolside, deck-side, or in the middle of a field. Quick feet and lingering rainy-night kisses not included.
635 Plain St. (Rte. 139), Marshfield, 800-537-2900, perfectionfence.com
Home Security Systems
ADVANCED ALARMS
Mom always said you can never be too careful, so it’s nice to know that Advanced offers the added security of a personal call every single time there’s a breach of one of its ultrareliable alarm systems. The company offers tons of mix-and-match options, so you can control your features (and cost), whether you need a single window sensor or Mission Impossible–style laser beams in your living room.
78 South St., Wrentham, 508-384-0018
Outdoor Kitchen Design
DAVID BARTSCH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Nantucket-based David Bartsch—he has a satellite office in Boston—has a passion for outdoor living and working with clients to create the exact setup they want. He’ll design a simple and beautiful fire pit for toasting marshmallows, or an elaborate, chef-worthy installation complete with a cutting garden and a wine refrigerator for prepping and dining al fresco, so you won’t have to step into your kitchen all summer long.
9 Amelia Dr., Nantucket, 508-228-7979, david-bartsch.com
The Boston Home team has curated a list of the best home design and home remodeling professionals in Boston, including home builders and contractors, interior designers, home accent décor, and more. Get the help you need with FindIt/Boston's guide to home renovation pros.
The Boston Home team has curated a list of the best home design and home remodeling professionals in Boston, including architects, builders, kitchen and bath experts, lighting designers, and more. Get the help you need with FindIt/Boston's guide to home renovation pros.
