When this Brookline Village client with three young children invited me to work on their gorgeous Victorian style home, I knew it was going to be a special project. In a stellar location and with custom quarter sawn oak cabinets decking the kitchen, the home was an absolute gem, albeit in serious need of a cohesive style. But beyond an upgraded look, this client was seeking greater functionality: their vibrant family of five imagined a home that could serve their many needs,

Following Netflix's release of Marie Kondo's wildly popular show Tidying Up, Facebook feeds immediately flooded with mountains of T-shirts atop beds or silly satires of leaving only that which "sparks joy," Kondo's famous catchphrase. The recent craze of self-care has taken over in the home department, as people are confronted with their bad, and often emotionally damaging, habits. Our homes can reflect our mental states, and the KonMari method shows us that they also can ins

Rosemary came to me hoping to transition to her new space in Cambridge, having just moved from New York to start teaching at a local university. With her, she brought artwork and collectibles, each with its own history and memories. I knew that for Rosemary, making her Cambridge home feel uniquely her own would mean wrapping her collection into the plan for her new space. So much of my design deals with not only making a home look its absolute best, but using design as a way

In Part I of this series, I gave my definition of holistic design, curated from various articles and my own creative process at Barbara Vail Design. This week, I want to touch on how my view of holistic design applies to clients as they move through life's inevitable transitions: a new home, a new school year, a big move after divorce, a downsize, a recovery from illness, and all the other curve-balls of life. Throughout my work, I have found that my role is to not only be a