Salon Recap: Just For You
Rain chains, secret phone booth doors, disappearing walls, and optical illusions – do you have any idea how you could have all of these magical things in your home? You would if you had attended DNE’s final fall Design Salon, “Just for You” last night at Medallion Gallery in Boston.
Our first speaker, Beth McDougal of McDougal Architects, let us in on a not-so-well-kept secret: gutters are ugly. But everyone needs them, right? Actually, no. Apparently, according to Beth, there is such a thing as a “rain chain,” which effectively drains run off storm water without compromising the aesthetic of the most important outdoor space of the home: the backyard. I have no idea how it works, but I’m sure if you call Beth she’ll tell you all about it.
Next we were lucky to be an audience to Steve Payne of Payne Bouchier Fine Builders, whose projects are many and varied and quite impressive in scope. The most interesting of all (from last night) was a North Shore home that features a secret entrance through a phonebooth! Read all about the home here.
Following Steve was Beverly Gere of Specifier Services. This fabulous speaker is certainly doing her part to let the homeowners of New England know that they don’t need walls. Well, not when they don’t want them, anyway. Beverly filled us in on the Nana Wall systems, which allow one’s home to transform into one big outdoor room, all while remaining gorgeous, perfectly functional, and weatherproof.
Finally, representing our hosting showroom, Diana James walked us through a comprehensive exploration of the trends in design that are going on now and are still to come, including the tricky technique by which a ceiling is painted in a high gloss lacquered orange, making the walls appear to go on forever. One lucky winner from last night’s audience will have the fortune to pick Diana’s brain during a free consultation. Wonder what ceiling color she’ll end up with…
An insider's look at must-have products, fresh trends, and inspired spaces from the team at Design New England magazine.
Gail Ravgiala is editor of Design New England and a fan of both the region's historic architecture and its growing inventory of modern houses and public buildings.
Danielle Ossher is associate editor at Design New England where she is on the market watch beat covering trends, new products, and green technology.
Jill Connors, Design New England's editor-at-large, is an antiques maven and design scout and will post about trends and discoveries in the field.
Bruce Irving, Design New England's contributing editor for architecture & building, is a renovation specialist who will share his insights on design and construction.
Estelle Bond Guralnick, Design New England's style & interiors editor, will post about interior design and interior designers and her favorite finds.
