Good design starts with good information. Here we share honest, process-driven advice on interior design, renovation planning, and furnishing your home well. All written from the perspective of a designer who has seen every phase of the process firsthand. Principal, Margaret Nubuor, over a decade of full-service residential design experience to every project and every post, having worked on historic brownstones, gut renovations, and full furnishing projects across Boston and beyond.
Our goal is simple: the more informed you are going into the process, the better you and your home will be coming out of it. Explore our series on navigating the contractor bidding process, dive into our The Considered Home series for deep dives on the features and decisions that set exceptional homes apart, or browse the full blog below.
The Hunt for Vintage Lighting
The search for vintage lighting takes us to very different places: the curated depths of 1stDibs, the crowded booths of Brimfield, and the covered alleys of the Marché aux Puces in Paris. Here's what we look for when we get there.
What to Ask a Contractor Before You Sign
Before you sign with a contractor, there are questions worth asking that most clients never think to raise until it's too late. Who's actually showing up to your home every day? How does this person handle surprises? What happens when something goes wrong after the project is done? The answers tell you a lot more than the bid ever will.
Why Your Designer Should Set Renovation Allowances
Most homeowners don't think about allowances until the bids come in. By then, the numbers have already been set by the contractor, and they're almost never realistic for the finish level you're actually expecting. Here's why that single decision quietly drives more budget surprises than almost anything else in a renovation, and what to do about it.
Things That Make a Summer Home Worth Coming Back To
The best summer homes are designed around how people actually live in them: doors constantly opening and closing, twelve people for dinner, and and tracked in from every direction. Here's what actually makes the difference between a vacation property that works and one that falls short.
How to Read and Compare Contractor Bids
Contractor bids are confusing by nature. Every contractor formats them differently, uses different terminology, and makes different assumptions about what your project includes. By the time you line up the totals, you're often not comparing the same project at all. Here's how to actually read what you've been given and make a decision you can feel confident about.