Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/61746
VIEW FROM THE TOP "Consumers are much more active in home design than they ever have been. " continued from page 51 fashion and design. "When I was 10, I got my first sewing machine," she remembers. "My favorite thing was to go into a fabric store and wrap myself in all the fabrics, the colors, the textures." Shortly after nabbing the consulting gig, Merchandise Mart Properties bought the BDC and promoted her to director of leasing. Five years later, she assumed her present role. Now, Rogowski seems totally at home inside the BDC. The center's modern vibe in an indus- trial space with a backstory echoes in Rogowski's own home, a 200-year-old farmhouse that's had a celebrity designers who visit BDC. Rogowski collects books signed by The BDC was built in 1917 as a government building, and Rogowski's office sits within one of its "bridges," formerly used as a ramp to load tanks onto carriers at what is now the Black Falcon cruise ship terminal. PIECE OF MIND gut renovation and is surprisingly contemporary inside. "People expect an old farmhouse to have antiques in it, but that is not my style," she says. "Right now, I have my eye on a huge, dark wood dining table in BDC To Go that's a mix of modern and rustic." Rogowski's bookshelf features a mug her son made for Mother's Day. Her secret weapon for succeeding in such a fast-paced environ- ment comes from lessons gleaned from being mom to five kids, ages 13 to 20. "Nothing goes as planned," she says. "You learn to be flexi- ble, because the minute you look at someone else's kids and judge them for something their child has done, your child does the same thing." Rogowski has mastered the balancing act, letting things unfold and fluidly handling the onslaught of invoices and renovation requests flooding her way. "I thought this job would be draining, but I find that if I bob and weave, things just move forward." Her approach has been working, because the center has never been more popular. Case in point: Rogowski's "taxi test." "The BDC has always been influential, but one of our goals was to make it a true des- tination," she says. "Ten years ago, if you got into a cab at Logan and said, 'Take me to the Boston Design Center,' the driver would have no idea where that was. Now he'll know exactly where to go." BC Quick takes from Julie Rogowski the power of color "What inspires me the most in the vignetting at the BDC is sophisticated pops of color in a neutral space. This year, you see a lot of orange and purple accents, which really personalize the room." most admired "My parents—married 50-plus years, raised five children, and now travel wherever their whim takes them." best advice "From my grandmother, a great lover of life: Catch up on your sleep when you are dead." can't live without "Black New Balance sneakers with a purple N that I wear every morning to the gym at 5 AM." family art "On my walls you'll find photos taken and art painted by my daughters. On my shelves I have pottery made by my son. I decided A showroom at BDC, where over 10,000 designers and architects visited last year. that the best artists in the world are my children, and putting their creations in my office is a great way to showcase their artistic ability." 52 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM