Kevin McHale
$220,000 a year, and he eats guys who make four times that for lunch.
Black Ink @ Home
It's all about industrial chic—eclectic bits and pieces like the salt and pepper shakers made to look like a bolt and the frog can crusher. Black Ink offers items with a sense of humor and a function. 370 Broadway, Cambridge, MA .
Barbara Cole Lee + Company
Lee—a collector herself—is something of a matchmaker, pairing great pieces with the right clients. She's on first-name terms with top local galleries and artists, but will happily hit the road in search of the perfect painting or sculpture. Like all good yentas, she's as much an educator as a connection-maker, giving her customers the confidence to buy what they like while developing their art savvy. 35 Fisher Ave., Brookline, MA 2445, barbaracolelee.com.
Carter Dayton Home
The interior designer Michael Carter teamed up with the retail visionary Lynn Dayton to create a Wellesley showroom that doubles as a valuable resource for professionals. Think of Carter Dayton Home as the answer to all your decorating prayers—it even offers a fabulous array of fabrics, wallpapers, and lighting usually available to the trade only. 276 Washington St., Wellesley, MA carterdaytonhome.com.
The Maids Home Services
We aren't ones to cry over spilt milk, as our floors can attest; our couch has more hair on it than our cat. Without a speck of judgment, the Maids clean up our act month after month, dusting baseboards, degriming showers, and all but eliminating any traces of pet (except for, of course, the pet itself). They're quick, well priced, and unobtrusive: Aside from the preternatural sparkle and neatly triangled toilet paper, you'd never know they'd been there. 179 Boylston St., Jamaica Plain, MA 2130, .
Home Entertainment Expo
Tired of pricey refreshments, sticky floors, and views blocked by the bald guy in the row ahead? Bring the big screen to you with help from this Sudbury showroom, where speakers, amps, and plasma TVs share space with custom lighting, European-made chairs, and touchpad control systems. 490 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA 1776, homeentertainmentexpo.com.
Whole Heart Provisions
This plant-based restaurant trio is meat-free—but that’s beside the point. With toppings like pickled cauliflower and miso-barbecue tofu, its green-and-grain bowls are light, bright, and soul-satisfying, even for carnivores. 487 Cambridge St., Allston, MA wholeheartprovisions.com.
Kevin McHale
Were it not for Hall of Farmer Larry Bird's preeminence, McHale might be recognized as the greatest basketball player this town has seen since John Havilcek retired.
Lekker Unique Home Furnishings
Owner and founder Natalie Carpenter sought to create a store that harnessed the artistic energy of the South End; her foresight and discerning eye for Scandinavian design quickly catapulted the shop to success. Thanks to wares such as textured Pols Potten glasses and fired-clay Chris Stiles figurines, Lekker is still the city leader in outstanding contemporary décor. 1317 Washington St., Boston, MA 2118, lekkerhome.com.
Barbara Cole Lee + Company
As the longtime chair of the MFA museum school art sale, Boston's other Barbara Lee—the art consultant, not the gazillionaire—has built it into the largest event of its kind in the country. She brings that same passion to the needs of her high-powered customers, for whom she'll travel to the Venice Biennale and Art Forum Berlin in search of just the right piece. Lee is also an expert on the local scene, comfortable with both established stars such as Ellsworth Kelly and hotshots like George Rosa. 35 Fisher Ave., Brookline, MA 2445, barbaracolelee.com.
HausWitch Home + Healing
Erica Feldmann’s spellbinding boutique blends the metaphysical (spell kits and tarot decks) with the sort of good taste even the devoutly unspiritual can appreciate (art by indie makers, naturally dyed meditation pillows). The shopkeeper draws on her background in design and feminist theory to help people spark some interior magic while encouraging self-care through reiki and tarot readings at the shop’s nearby “healing space”—this is Salem, after all. hauswitchstore.com.
Home.stead Bakery & Café
Serving up far more than just chai lattes, Home.stead has found a special place in our hearts for its selection of artisanal impulse buys, from Goga bags to Alexis Mattox Design cake toppers. 1448 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA 02122, dorchesterhomestead.com.
The Maids Home Services
The Maids didn't so much clean our apartment as unleash a hellfire of spic-and-span. Wearing vacuums on their backs and armed with motorized bottles (seriously), the housecleaners left no corner, crack, or crevice undusted, unscrubbed, or unwashed. They even tackled that war zone underneath the couch cushions. 179 Boylston St., Jamaica Plain, MA 2130, maids.com.
Sweet Peas Home
This cheerful shop in Back Bay offers a selection of creative, user-friendly items for the home—hand-painted furniture, small handmade gift items. The staff is particularly helpful, especially if you're trying to pick something up for that person who has everything. 216 Clarendon St., Boston, MA .
Green Home Solutions
Increasingly popular in commercial projects, green renovations are still relatively rare for private homes, which is odd, considering they cut utility costs, boost resale value, and, oh yeah, help keep the planet from dying. With more than 25 years' experience under his belt, Paul Marquis is doing his part to change that, as he takes homeowners through the entire project—from recommending eco-conscious architects and contractors to finding landfill alternatives for construction materials—with a thoroughness that any home consultant, green or otherwise, should aspire to. P.O. Box 164, Arlington, MA .