Best of Boston Home 2016
Mohr & McPherson, South End. / Photograph by Sarah Fisher
Shops and Showrooms
Nothing is more exhilarating to a designer than an empty house—it offers an opportunity to acquire beautiful things, and arrange them just so. Ahead, the skillfully stocked stores that continually inspire.
Best american-modern furnishings
Room & Board
American made is Minneapolis-based Room & Board’s calling card, which is why we were thrilled when the company opened a showroom on Newbury Street last year. Its five floors brim with instant classics such as Hess leather sofas made in Texas, Marcel wingback chairs made in North Carolina, and walnut Chilton dining tables from Vermont.
375 Newbury St., Boston, 617-351-0020, roomandboard.com.
Best antiques
The Barn at 17
Weave through the labyrinthine arrangement of hand-painted chinoiserie screens, velvet, and meticulously restored cut-crystal French chandeliers to discover a charming pair of painted ceramic Staffordshire spaniels for your mantel.
17 Murdock St., Somerville, 617-625-5204, thebarnat17.com.
Best asian furnishings
Mohr & McPherson
Owner Kevin McPherson personally scours the globe to stock his Harrison Avenue showroom with antiques and home goods from China, India, and Japan. His thoughtful collection of live-edge dining tables, overdyed rugs, and silk poufs, plus the occasional giant brass gong, is a heartfelt tribute to the wonders of the East.
460 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-210-7900, mohr-mcpherson.com.
Best bath supplies
Waterworks
Waterworks boasts a gorgeous catalog of responsibly made and stylishly designed bathroom fixtures and accessories, from freestanding copper bathtubs and Carrara-marble vessel sinks to graceful accessories like art deco inspired soap trays and braided organic jute bath rugs.
Boston Design Center, One Design Center Place, Ste. 147, Boston, 617-951-2496, waterworks.com.
Best closet systems
Showroom
The master closet deserves as much consideration as the living room and kitchen, and while custom built-ins may look nice, few builders can match the innovative kit of parts offered by the Italian furnishings company Poliform. Wooden and glass doors, pullout trays for shirts and slacks, shoe racks, and LED lighting are just a few options available in this ultra-sexy modular system, available exclusively at Showroom.
240 Stuart St., Boston, 617-482-4805, showroomboston.com.
Best consignment furnishings
Garage Sale
This South End gem offers a constant rotation of high-end consignment finds, from vintage scores to gently used designer home accents. You’ll just as likely discover a vintage tricycle circa 1900 as you will a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa upholstered in velvet.
53 Waltham St., Boston, 617-482-7044, garagesaleboston.com.
Best french-modern furnishings
Roche Bobois
Teaming up with cutting-edge designers like Jean Paul Gaultier and Cédric Ragot, Roche Bobois produces joyous, ultramodern furnishings that are as fashionable as they are comfortable, whether it’s an oversize Mah Jong sectional in patchwork textiles or a dazzling Margaux Keller handblown glass vase.
2 Avery St., Boston, 617-742-9611, roche-bobois.com.
Montage, Boston. / Photograph by Sarah Fisher
Best italian-modern furnishings
Montage
Before most Bostonians ever heard the words “Italian” and “modern” used in the same sentence, the owners of this venerable institution were scooping up New England exclusives on Europe’s chicest brands, like Moroso, B&B Italia, and Minotti. Never sated, they continue to discover exciting new lines, such as the comfortable outdoor creations of Paola Lenti and the multi-colored glass furnishings by Glas Italia.
75 Arlington St., Boston, 617-451-9400, montageweb.com.
Best kids’ furnishings
Circle Furniture
Brothers Richard and Harold Tubman parlayed their father’s penchant for beautifully crafted wood furniture into a thriving business that offers exclusive pieces made right here in New England. Sturdy wooden bunk beds and charming bead-board dressers, locally made with care, are exactly what we want for our little ones.
31 Saint James Ave., Boston, 617-778-0887, circlefurniture.com.
Best large appliances
Yale Appliance + Lighting
Why do so many area designers get their large appliances from Yale? Because the 20,000-square-foot Dorchester showroom displays dozens of models of ranges, cooktops, refrigerators, and more for the discriminating shopper to measure and compare. Even better, this family-owned business has been stocking dependable brands like Miele, Maytag, Sub-Zero, and Whirlpool since 1923.
296 Freeport St., Dorchester, 617-825-9253, yaleappliance.com.
Best midcentury-modern furnishings
Machine Age
No other shop in Boston, or in most of the country, carries such a comprehensive assemblage of authentic midcentury pieces. Certainly you’ll find an original classic Eames lounger here; but even hard-core connoisseurs of the postwar European and American aesthetic will be wowed by this 9,000-square-foot homage to the era.
645 Summer St., Boston, 617-464-0099, machine-age.com.
Casa Outdoor, South End. / Photograph by Sarah Fisher
Best outdoor furnishings
Casa Outdoor
Owner Zhanna Drogobetsky travels to Europe seeking stylish modern outdoor furnishings such as Tuuci umbrellas made with UV-resistant fabrics, geometric resin Ramón Esteve planters, or airy rattan-woven sofas by Kenneth Cobonpue.
450 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-955-9377, casaoutdoorboston.com.
Best specialty furnishings
Thos. Moser
Consider the beauty of wood—cherry, maple, walnut—then consider how rarely a piece of furniture revels in its materiality and construction. Each Thos. Moser handcrafted piece, made of carefully chosen woods, tells a story about its creation.
19 Arlington St., Boston, 617-224-1245, thosmoser.com.
The Shops We Love
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best barware
The Boston Shaker
The Boston Shaker has everything the imbibing sophisticate needs to equip his or her bar cart, from handblown tiki mugs to specialty ingredients like lavender bitters.
69 Holland St., Somerville, 617-718-2999, thebostonshaker.com.
Photograph by Tony Luong
Best art gallery
Carroll and Sons
Every time we walk into this avant-garde Harrison Avenue gallery, we fall in love with yet another up-and-coming video artist, painter, or sculptor.
450 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-482-2549, carrollandsons.net.
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best hardware
E.R. Butler & Co.
Where else will you find exquisite, custom-made hardware like gold-plated hinges with decorative finials and cabinet pulls with agate cameo inlays displayed like jewelry in glass cases?
38 Charles St., Boston, 617-722-0230, erbutler.com.
Photograph courtesy of Frette
Best linens
Frette
Whenever we touch Frette’s luxurious French linens, we think of breakfasting on fresh croissants in a five-star hotel with views of the Eiffel Tower, which makes the linens worth the price.
776B Boylston St., Boston, 617-267-0500, frette.com.
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best florist
Laurajean Floral & Event Design
LauraJean Pecci is a flower-wrangling genius, as evidenced by her minimal succulent bouquets, over-the-top centerpieces, and window boxes overflowing with posies.
270 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 508-681-5573, ljfloral.com.
Photograph courtesy of Town & Country Fireplaces
Best fireplaces
Anderson Fireplace
Anderson Fireplace offers the full range of hearth options, from the traditional wood-burning fireplace to the sleek double-sided gas number.
720 Brockton Ave., Abington, 800-472-1717, andersonfireplace.com.
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best home accents
Artefact
Design thrives in the ’burbs at Artefact, where Joe Cariati blown-glass table lamps compete with romantic white porcelain tableware by Yuka Uchida for your attention.
1000 Pleasant St., Belmont, 617-993-3347, artefacthome.com.
Photograph courtesy of Carlisle
Best wood flooring
Carlisle Wide Plank Floors
These extra-wide (up to 20 inches), extra-long (more than 12 feet) planks are handcrafted from mature forests and salvaged woods.
Boston Design Center, One Design Center Place, Ste. 541, Boston, 617-830-4592, wideplankflooring.com.
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best lighting fixtures
Chimera
Whether you’re looking for a work of art by Bocci or traditional exterior lanterns by Fourteenth Colony Lighting, a visit to this Fort Point outpost promises to be illuminating.
327 A St., Boston, 617-542-3233, chimeralightingdesign.com.
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best gifts
Good
Good is an understatement here, where you’ll find maple cutting boards by Edward Wohl, Vermont-made Farmhouse Pottery, and delicate necklaces by Hannah Blount.
133 Charles St., Boston, 617-722-9200, shopatgood.com.
Photograph courtesy of Landry & Arcari
Best rugs
Landry & Arcari
Gallery-like Landry & Arcari is packed wall to wall with piles of rugs ranging from antique Persians to unique animal hides to bold Moroccan weaves.
333 Stuart St., Boston, 617-399-6500, landryandarcari.com.
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best tabletop accessories
Didriks
From Simon Pearce’s ceramic plates to ultramodern flatware by Alessi, Didriks’s unerring tabletop selections tend toward the sleek and the innovative.
190 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 617-354-5700, didriks.com.
Photograph courtesy of DiscoverTile
Best tile
DiscoverTile
Turn your backsplash into a bold statement by exploring DiscoverTile’s Spanish terra cotta, recycled glass, or elegant waterjet-cut marble.
Boston Design Center, One Design Center Place, Ste. 647, Boston, 617-330-7900, discovertile.com.
Photograph courtesy of Osborne & Little
Best textiles, trade
Osborne & Little
Collaborations have resulted in cheeky, delightful collections, such as Nina Campbell’s monkey-festooned “Barbary Toile.”
Boston Design Center, One Design Center Place, Ste. 551, Boston, 617-737-2927, osborneandlittle.com.
Photograph courtesy of Zimman’s
Best textiles, retail
Zimman’s
Boasting the largest in-stock selection of fabrics in New England, Zimman’s offers textiles in an endless variety of textures and colors, many at discounts as high as 90 percent.
80 Market St., Lynn, 781-598-9432, zimmans.com.
Photograph by Sarah Fisher
Best urban garden supplies
Niche Urban Garden Supply
Even if your home garden is a window box of salad greens, Niche is your local source for the seeds, planters, and garden tools that you’ll need to keep them thriving.
619 Tremont St., Boston, 857-753-4294, nicheboston.com.
Photograph courtesy of Romo
Best wallcoverings
Romo
Why choose between the metallic pastel florals or the fuschia trompe l’oeil prints? If you’re like us, you’ll find a wall for them all.
Boston Design Center, One Design Center Place, Ste. 528, Boston, 617-737-0599, romo.com.
Photograph by Christopher Garcia
Best kitchenware
Kitchenwares by Blackstones
This 1,000-square-foot store is packed with culinary goodies including professional-grade knives, plus unusual finds like a milk frother and solid granite drink-chillers.
215 Newbury St., Boston, 857-366-4237, kitchenwaresboston.com.
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