Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/666022
RENDERING COURTESY OF THE BOSTON DESIGN CENTER. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ABIGAIL GORDEN WHERE THE PROS GO THE BOSTON DESIGN CENTER DEBUTS A FITTINGLY FABULOUS RENOVATION—AND OPENS ITS DOORS TO THE MASSES. Anchoring Seaport's Innovation and Design Building, the Boston Design Center is New England's largest concentration of luxury design resources. Traditionally, however, it's been trade-only—but no longer. Still the go-to destination for the city's top designers, the BDC, riding a wave of renovations and expansions, has now permanently opened its doors to the public. The Boston institution now houses showrooms that together offer more than 1,200 product lines that run the gamut of indoor and outdoor design, including fabrics, furniture, lighting, antiques, art, and kitchen and bath décor. Plus, designers on call are always on hand to guide guests through the BDC's 350,000 square feet. Another boon: Recent additions have bolstered the must-see Antique Market Stalls, a collection of more than 20 local vendors that is the first of its kind on the East Coast. The stalls, whose wares are sourced primarily around New England, are housed in the renovated west wing of its second floor, in a 10,000-square- foot open market that embodies the BDC's shift into a progressive, all-inclusive resource. Furthering its standing as a community destination, the BDC has transformed a parking area into a promenade, populating it with a collection of businesses housed in shipping containers. In addition to food and beverage purveyors, the promenade also hosts a general goods store, a plant nursery—even a salon and blow-dry bar. All that plus elite design add up to all in one—one place for all. One Design Center Place, 617-449-5501; bostondesign.com . Shipping container businesses—food and beverage, yes, but also home goods, plants, and haircuts!—populate the Boston Design Center's newly renovated promenade. 128 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM SPACE NOW OPEN