Landry & Arcari
Interior Design by Dane Austin Design. / Photo by Sean Litchfield If you regard rugs as artwork for the floor, Landry & Arcari is the place to acquire them. Flip through stack after pristine stack of new, vintage, and antique Tabriz, Heriz, Serapi, Soumak, Oushak, and more while the knowledgeable sales team patiently educates you on origins and styles. (Or start by clicking through the well-organized website.) If contemporary designs are more your taste, there are ombres, abstract florals, and sharp-edged geometrics, plus a custom rug-design program for bespoke creations. The showrooms also offer a selection of high-quality broadloom carpets that would convince any hardwood-floor lover to consider going wall-to-wall. 333 Stuart Street, Boston, MA 02116, landryandarcari.com.
Waterworks
The more private a space is, the more luxury it deserves. Enter Waterworks, a shrine to beautiful bathrooms whose Newbury Street shop and Boston Design Center showroom are filled with tasteful and functional bathtubs, sinks, vanities, storage units, whirlpools for two, old-fashioned footed tubs, and a collection of stylish fixtures crafted out of porcelain, metal, and glass. Soaps, delicately scented with everything from soft florals to clean citruses, are crisply packaged in perfect rows. There are more than a dozen fluffy and absorbent towel patterns to choose from, deliciously thick bathrobes and slippers, and our favorite: a firm terry-cloth—covered headrest for those times when you need to soak for a really, really long time. 103 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Crane & Co. Paper Makers
Most people don't give stationery a second thought. Then they get engaged and suddenly need an expert opinion on a forest's worth of papers—invitations, save-the-date cards, programs, thank-you notes. Dalton-based Crane, manufacturer of the most classic and elegant wedding stationery collections on the finest-quality paper, makes sense of it all. For tastes that veer toward the modern, there's a newer line of invites that don't follow the classic models. An experienced staff helps you find exactly the right paper and style to fit your budget, and even occasionally eschews tradition by letting you in on a little secret: You don't need that expensive second envelope nowadays. (Our saleswoman whispered that it was used to keep the invitation clean back when mail was carried on horseback.) Prudential Center, Boston, MA crane.com.
Tess & Carlos
No doubt the chic Cambridge salespeople at this refined boutique blanch a little every time they have to tell a prospective customer, "We're just down the street from Urban Outfitters." But it's hard to feel sorry for them—they work among some of the most luxurious threads in the city, an impeccable rainbow of lacy Jil Sander skirts, silky Collette Dinnigan slipdresses, Piazza Sempione jackets, and racy Blumarine trousers. It's all this-moment cool, but never arduously so, thanks to low-key charm, beautiful cuts, and clean, classic lines. Don't ignore the small stuff: exquisite black headbands, Petite Bateau tanks, and gorgeous cashmere socks often make an appearance on one of the idiosyncratically placed tables. 20 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA tessandcarlos.com.
Twig
Unless they're dead (or dyed), we welcome almost any flowers that come our way—which is why it takes an outstanding florist to go beyond pretty, and deliver pretty damn amazing. Winston earns points for reliably gorgeous arrangements, but just as with designer clothing, if we can tell where it came from we're already bored. Ilex is the go-to for exotic numbers, yet its over-the-top approach can feel, well, too over-the-top. By contrast, Twig composes innovative, cleanly artistic bouquets, all fresh enough to last a week. A DIY option accommodates buyers on a carnation budget, while a home decorating service will thrill those who dream of a bed of roses. 558 Tremont St., Boston, MA 2114, twigboston.com.
Bondir Concord
You could be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped back to Thoreau’s time upon sitting down to dinner inside chef Jason Bond’s cozy Concord outpost, with its roaring hearth, cream and pink tablecloths, and elegant bud vases. The kitchen’s wholehearted commitment to celebrating New England’s bounty, however, is utterly timeless. The menu changes every day, giving Bond the freedom to play with the best the season has to offer. Case in point: alate-winter lineup featuring delicate rye-flour agnolotti with favas, foraged mushrooms, and Lemon Gem marigold ricotta; decadent gnocchi gratinée with spring nettles; and perfectly done roasted beef bavette with einkorn and horseradish crème fraîche. 24 Walden St., Concord, MA 1742, bondirconcord.com.
Steve Buckley
Sports guy Steve Buckley holds down four, count'em, four jobs: ESPN2 staffer, Herald columnist, WEEI weekend man, and prodigious freelancer. A little Buckley goes a long way.
The 'Quin House
Photo by Jenny Peffley Boston’s swankiest, sexiest new hangout has plenty of James Bond–style secrets: The first-floor speakeasy, Scottie’s, features “champagne buttons” to summon bubbly, while a hidden room a few floors up is revealed by pulling on a bronze bust. But really, the best reason to finagle an invitation to lunch at Sandy and Paul Edgerley’s fresh take on the members-only club is the who’s who of power players known to walk through the doors every day. Who, you ask? That’s the biggest secret of all. 217 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02116, thequinhouse.com.
<em>Common-wealth</em>
Common-wealth copped five Sigma Delta Chi awards this year—not bad for an eighty-page, four-color magazine that grew out of a four-page newsletter. Just think what we should expect from the Globe. Boston University, Boston, MA .
Winston Flowers
Photograph by Bob O'Connor Flowers are the most fleeting of gifts, yet the breathtaking bouquets and potted plants from Winston's Hingham outpost somehow last for weeks on end. Planning an event or shower? The possibilities here are nearly limitless, thanks to the shop's talented designers, who can make something beautiful with four weeks—or four hours—notice. 8 Main St., Hingham, MA 2043, winstonflowers.com.
Galleria Italiana
By day it's a fast-food Italian eatery, but four nights a week Galleria Italiana is transformed into a trattoria, complete with background opera music and an Abruzzi-inspired menu. Try the risotto with spinach and four cheeses or the pasta with tiny mussels from New Zealand. 177 Tremont St., Boston, MA .
The Someday Cafe
Coffee drinks don't come more sublime than the Four-Binger latte at this Pacific Northwest hangout. Baristas layer four ultra-smooth espresso shots and silky steamed milk in a tall glass; no sugar needed. Close your eyes and dream of Seattle. 51 Davis Square, Somerville, MA .
Joanne Langione Dance Center
A star among dance schools for four decades, Joanne Langione raised the bar even higher last year by opening a 10,000-square-foot facility complete with four modern studios. Many alums have gone on to careers in professional dance companies. 38 Border St., Newton, MA 02465, jldancecenter.com.
Herb Richman's
When the Data General vice president and cofounder dissolved his merger with his third wife, Nanette, he bailed out with the couple's $4-million Dover farm, their Boston townhouse, his Waterville Valley real estate, his millions in DG stock and assorted assets. All Nanette got was a flat $1 million, two mink coats, and numerous four-legged creatures and four-wheeled vehicles.
Modern Pastry Shop
Cannoli should never be filled until you enter the bakery and say, "Four cannoli, please." At which point the white-smocked helper at Modern will slip into the back of the shop, return with four freshly filled pastries, give them a light dusting of powdered sugar, and warp them in one of those classic boxes tied with red-and-white string. 257 Hanover St., Boston, MA .