Best of Boston Home 2015

Thank you so much Boston Magazine for the honour of being included in your Best of Boston Home 2015 selections.

ID Boston

Thank you Chesie Breen and everyone at ID Boston magazine for the cover story in the Volume Two: Fall 2014 issue.

Paris Delights

Paris is a city full of shopping and culinary delights. Some of the highlights from my recent trip are:

DEYROLLE

Located on Rue du Bac in the left bank, Deyrolle has been the go to taxidermy and entomology shop since 1831. I was lucky to hit the store right after Fashion Week when they were showcasing their collaboration with Damien Hirst. He assembled a cabinet of curiosities titled "Signification (Hope, Immortality and Death in Paris, Now and Then)." He mixed butterflies and skulls with handmade objects to study themes of the organic versus the inanimate. Since the stores inception, artists such as Salvador Dali, have used Deyrolle for inspiration for their art. Hirst wanted "to raise science to an art" because "art is artistic but evolution is too." 46 Rue de Bac

ASTIER DE VILLATE

Astier de Villate is one of my favorite sources for dinnerware. Their shop on Saint-Honoré is the perfect venue to showcase their hand made pottery.  Inspired by 18th and 19th century designs each piece is made out of black terracotta clay and typically painted in a glossy white glaze. 

173 Rue Saint Honoré

KERAMION

The Keramion gallery was a standout in the Saint-Ouen flea market because of its rare treasures. They are located in the Serpette market and are solely dedicated to classical archeology. Specializing in antique ceramics the gallery offers primarily Greek, but also Etruscan and Roman artifacts, marble sculptures and curiosities. 110 rue de Rosiers

APICIUS

Hidden away in the center of Paris is the restaurant Apicius. I had the pleasure of dining there with my French neighbors from Beacon Hill.  Everything from the service to the food was exceptional.  It is set in a 19th century private mansion on the ground floor of the former Hotel de Talhouet-Roy, complete with a decadent interior and fabulous works of art. 20 rue D'Artois

VERJUS

Verjus was the culinary highlight of the trip.  Tucked right behind the Grand Palais, this quaint restaurant did not disappoint  They serve a price fixed degustation menu of eight course. Each was better than the next. The neutral understated decor was the perfect backdrop to enjoy the complex assortment of dishes. 52 Rue de Richelieu

AD Intérieurs + Musée des Arts Décoratifs

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Paris, during which I had the pleasure of visiting the AD Intérieurs show house at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The show featured spaces created by 16 French interior designers. The guidelines were that the concept be centered around a little-seen piece from the museum's collection.  The resulting spaces not only incorporated the museum's selections seemlessly but were works of art unto themselves. 

Designed by Luis Laplace and Christophe Comoy

Created around the desk of Clément Mére

Design by Isabelle Stanislas

Created around a 16th-century Venetian wood sarcophagus chest

Design by Caroline Sarkozy & Laurent Bourgois

Centered around Marie Antoinette's settee

Design by Chahan Minassian

Centered around smoked glass-spangled desk made in 1966 by sculptor César

Designed by Charles Zana

Created around a 1957 ceiling lamp by Ettore Sottass (not shown)

Max ID NY

I recently discovered Max ID NY, a quirky shop in Sag Harbor, selling an eclectic mix of both antiques and modern sculptural pieces. It is a family run business, with the father overseeing the antiques and art and the son designing the new stark contrasting pieces. The store is located in a house which is set up as a pseudo second home for the family. Vertually everything is for sale from the stacks of books in front of the fireplace to the 19th century pillars and panelling bought on a European shopping trip. 

Chiltern Firehouse + Studio KO

Hotelier Andre Balaz's first foray abroad, the Chiltern Firehouse, is currently the hottest reservation in London.  Located in a 1889 Neo Gothic former firehouse in Marylebone, the restaurant features original tile floors, exposed brick walls and a woven canvas ceiling meant to be a nod to the hoses original stored there.  

The guest rooms were designed by the French firm Studio KO. The design duo has a talent at striking the right balance between finding the cultural roots of a project and keeping it feeling modern. I had the pleasure of staying at another one of their projects, L'heure Bleue in Essaouira, Morocco, and thought the design was both authentic and sophisticated.

Eric Piasecki

Last week I had the pleasure of working with esteemed photographer Eric Piasecki on a photo shoot for House Beautiful magazine. Eric regularly contributes to the top shelter magazines and has shot monographs for designers Steven Gambrel, Thom Filicia, Juan Montoya and Timothy Corrigan.  He has a phenomenal eye for light and composition. Here is a small sampling of his work.