Blog
Posted Apr 17 at 6:57 PM in by Sandy Giardi
Thanks to landscape design and maintenance firm a Blade of Grass, the backyard of a Boston residence went from an untapped wasteland to a multipurpose urban eden, tailor-made for entertaining. This multi-tiered courtyard is every inch an extension of the South End home—an open-air living room, really—in large part because every inch was used to its advantage.
What we find to be most impressive...
Posted Apr 16 at 11:13 AM in by Andrea Mingels
First impressions matter, especially when it comes to the front entrance of the home. The entry is the focal point of an exterior, as it draws the eye towards the front door and welcomes visitors inside the home. It contributes to the identity of the property and the initial experience shared by guests. What impression does your home entry make? Is it welcoming and warm or extraordinary and...
Posted Apr 15 at 9:52 AM in by Sandy Giardi
Now that we’ve all been sheltering in place for quite some time, what we love most about our living spaces—and what we don’t—has suddenly become crystal clear. We know it from our own experiences, and it’s also what President Mark Haddad of Interiology Design Co. has found in speaking with clients of his Watertown, Mass., interior design studio. “As we're forced to be home for this length of time...
Posted Apr 13 at 2:31 PM in by Sandy Giardi
When people think of skylights, often age-old concerns come to mind, even though skylights today are light years away from those of the past. Nearly ten years ago, VELUX, the ahead-of-its-time market leader in the manufacturing of skylights and roof windows, completely redesigned the skylight, with a mission to bring “confidence back into the category.” The resulting product is glorious, issue-...
Posted Apr 10 at 2:41 PM in by Sandy Giardi
While our Easter and Passover gatherings are certainly more intimate than in years past, we are all for making an event of it. Now more than ever, you have good reason to use your dining room. Not only does it get you to spend time in a fresh—and different—setting, it also brings festivity and formality to your springtime celebrations. So break out the silver, the crystal and table linens and...
Posted Apr 9 at 1:35 PM in by Andrea Mingels
After a long, dreary winter in New England, spring revitalizes us as it reconnects us with nature, boosts our mood, and rewards us with extra sunlight throughout the day. While we all wish every springtime day could be an ideal, warm and sunny 60 degrees with birds chirping and flowers blooming, New England always seems to be iffy about gifting us warm weather on time. Instead of patiently...
Posted Apr 8 at 12:49 PM in by Sandy Giardi
Area builders have banded together to help those in the medical industry and on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. Sitting idle didn’t sit well with Ken Vona of KVC Builders and others in the construction business, so instead they’ve joined forces to help the health care community while honoring the governor’s stop-work order.
The Maybe We Can Help Initiative was conceived as a result of an...
Posted Apr 7 at 1:48 PM in by Sandy Giardi
The Portland Group, a multigenerational, family-owned plumbing, heating and air-conditioning company, is partnering with local restaurants to donate and deliver meals to first responders in New England.
Each day, a Portland Group wholesale location or retailer, including Splash in Newton, and Spritzo showrooms in Worcester, Providence, Clinton and Middletown, Conn., and Saco, Maine, orders from a...
Posted Apr 3 at 4:55 PM in by Sandy Giardi
Come April, the mudroom is the hardest working room in the home. Mudrooms not only serve as the bridge between the outdoor and indoor realms, supporting our comings and goings, they are also the catchall for the family’s gear and the grit of the great outdoors. A well-designed mudroom helps tame the clutter and keeps the rest of your home spotless, and is a must if you’re building or renovating a...
Posted Apr 1 at 1:20 PM in by Sandy Giardi
Larry DiFoggio, President and Electrical Consultant of DiFoggio Electric, the full-service electrical contracting company that, in large part, has kept Boston running for over 40 years, wishes he could do what he and his colleagues usually do right now: fix things. It’s unsettling to be grappling with something that is real but unseen. “That’s my biggest problem,” says DiFoggio. “I can’t fix...
