A Note From Jason

My two sons were excited for the start of the school year!

Hi everyone,

Now that Labor Day Weekend has passed and pumpkin spice season has arrived, we’re ready to dive into fall! My sons started first and third grades last week. It’s crazy how they always seem to grow older on the first day of school.

As the kids return to their academic endeavors and a new routine, you may have more peace and quiet at home to consider renovations or improvements. Have you ever struggled with the process of compromising with your partner on design styles? This common conundrum led us to coordinate an event with speakers who will dig into this spicy topic.

On September 29, we’re excited to partner with New England Home Magazine to host a Boston Design Week panel presentation about exactly this at our Watertown showroom (and via Facebook Live if you’d like to attend virtually) — A Marriage of Styles. The line-up features power couple Jenny Johnson and Robert Cocuzzo and esteemed interior designer Kate Maloney Albiani (this month’s guest blogger) for a fun and informative talk on all things home.

Johnson (TV host) and Cocuzzo (author and editor) recently renovated and decorated their new home, collaborating with Maloney Albiani on the design details. Hear their insights on how they combined “his and her” tastes to create an inviting and on-trend home for their growing family. The panel will be moderated by New England Home’s Editor at Large Clinton Smith, and the lively discussion is sure to entertain and inspire you.

If you feel like coming in person, the event is free and open to the public at our showroom in Watertown. We are asking everyone to register in advance here and directions for accessing the event virtually will be sent to all registered attendees

And now, on to our guest blogger of the month (and host of our panel on September 29!): Kate Maloney Albiani, Principal and Lead Designer at Kate Maloney Interior Design (KMID). 

Kate believes that good design is an organic process between the designer and the clients who know what they love.

Kate has mastered the art of combining antique and modern pieces with wonderfully unexpected details. After practicing interior design in New England for over a decade, Kate is known for her textural interiors and her ability to handily balance form with function. Her goal is to design rooms that are just as beautiful to look at, as they are comfortable to live in.

Below are Kate’s picks from our showrooms — we can’t wait to hear more of her insights at our event on September 29.

Best,

Jason Sevinor
President

Generally speaking, with our projects, we try to weigh the architecture of the house we’re working in with the personal style of the family who lives there. Our job is to bridge the gap between the two.

I think about bathrooms as a selection of timeless classics. For example, details like paint, light fixtures, and art can change with your taste — but I find plumbing fixtures and vanities, items that are going to have longer lifespans in your home, need to match the architecture of the house and fall on the more classic and timeliness end of the scale.

STONE FOREST CALMA BATHTUB

This one is a show-stopper. When I walked into the showroom, it immediately took my breath away — I couldn’t get my hands on it fast enough. It is just SO beautiful. I love the sense of nature that it brings to the idea of bathing — so organic and grounding.

THE FURNITURE GUILD HAYDEN VANITY IN CERUSED OAK

To me, this is one of the strongest vanity pieces on the floor at the showroom. It strikes a nice balance between traditional/classic and the hardware injecting a little bit of glamour. It hits a lot of notes: organic quality with the finish, traditional leg, and glamourous hardware.

CALIFORNIA FAUCETS DESCANSO PULL-DOWN KITCHEN FAUCET WITH SQUEEZE HANDLE SPRAYER IN POLISHED BRASS

This one was cool — it was really a beautiful thing. I love a plumbing fixture where you can really appreciate how it works. The handle has a great texture. I love the bolt-looking connection piece between the neck and the arm. I felt there was a sturdy sense to the sprayer. It’s a little more modern than I usually lean, but something about this felt elevated.

PERRIN & ROWE EDWARDIAN THERMOSTATIC SHOWER PACKAGE IN POLISHED NICKEL

I’m a sucker for an old school plumbing fixture. I think there’s such a beautiful sensibility to seeing how these pieces come together. I love an exposed shower system like this. There’s something so traditional and beautiful and also new and clean at the same time. I love that it hits all those notes so successfully.

STONE FOREST BORDEAUX VANITY TOP

This is such a grounded, classic, traditional piece. I think it would be a beautiful statement piece in a bathroom or powder room. It feels so high-end and so timeless that I was attracted to it immediately when I saw it.