Best of Boston Home 2012

Family Room

Decorative Accessories: Twelve Chairs

Proprietors Roisin Giese and Miggy Mason, who met as design majors at Cornell, have created a charming shop that’s a study in good design. Twelve Chairs’ beautiful inventory, which includes herringbone throws woven in Maine on antique looms and Mason-jar planters handcast in Oregon, lives up to the duo’s ultra-sustainable principles.

319 A St., Boston, 617-701-3496, twelvechairsboston.com. 

Custom Cabinetry: Pomeroy & Co.

The architectural woodworkers at Charlestown-based Pomeroy & Co. have been quietly churning out meticulous custom pieces for more than 25 years. The company specializes in historical renovation and restoration (hello, Beacon Hill), but turns out modern cabinetry with equal aplomb. It also takes commissions for entire rooms and bespoke furniture.

18 Spice St., Charlestown, pomeroyco.com.

Audio/Visual: Audio Concepts

Thanks to its comprehensive engineering approach, Audio Concepts has been the top choice of home-theater designers since 1975. Two showrooms — the original outpost in North Attleboro and one near Boston University — are the stuff of A/V fantasies, showcasing vivid televisions; GoldenEar speaker technology; and Norwegian Stressless Seating, which proves that “beautiful recliner” doesn’t have to be an oxymoron.

870 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-734-1800; 90 Commonwealth Ave., North Attleboro, 508-699-8819; audioconcepts.com. 

Cleaning Service: EcoClean

If you believe it’s counterintuitive to clean your house using products laced with carcinogens, toxins, and volatile components, EcoClean will give you a reason to breathe easy. Whether you live in a 500-square-foot studio or a six-bedroom manse, the team will swing by on schedule and armed with HEPA-certified vacuums, environmentally friendly microfiber towels, and all-natural cleaning solutions.

Cambridge, 617-981-9294, ecocleanboston.com. 

Fireplaces: Black Magic Chimney & Fireplace

What’s even more soothing than warming your frosty feet by a fire? Putting your trust in Black Magic’s technical expertise for all things ablaze. Looking for an old-school (and energy-efficient) biomass wood stove, a minimalist electric fireplace, or simply a chimney sweep? Black Magic will keep the flame burning.

21 New St., Cambridge, 617-876-4456, blackmagicchimney.com. 

Furniture, New: Montage

It takes tremendous self control to pass by this Back Bay shop’s gleaming windows without staring lustfully at the sleek displays. The third-generation family business and design stalwart is the exclusive Boston dealer of au courant European collections like B & B Italia and Poltrona Frau, as well as American Antoine Proulx.

75 Arlington St., Boston, 617-451-9400, montageweb.com. 

Flooring: EcoModern Design

Yes, its green flooring options include bamboo and cork, but EcoModern also impresses us with luxurious options like all-natural Eco-Terr slabs in mesmerizing mosaics and FSC-certified wood gilded in 23-karat gold. And by hosting green seminars for industry professionals and facilitating Mayor Menino’s Green Building Task Force, owner David Sanborn practices what he preaches.

Boston Design Center, One Design Center Place, Stes. 543 and 551, Boston, 617-261-0300, ecomoderndesign.com.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle