KitchenVisions
Photo by Michael P. Lefebvre If your design dreams are lacking inspiration, one peek at this Natick firm’s sophisticated kitchen projects should do the trick. You’ll find cocktail hour–ready bar areas, oversize islands for prepping and entertaining, mahogany pantries with storage galore, and majestic marble backsplashes — all of which, combined with the team’s thoughtful layout decisions, come together to make the heart of your home anything but cookie-cutter. kitchenvisions.com.
FBN Construction
Photo by Michael J. Lee Specializing in custom building — from sprawling suburban manses to more-compact city condos — for more than 45 years, this construction company advocates for better buildings and is committed to transparency in its process. The knowledgeable team focuses on customer needs through exceptional communication and collaboration every step of the way. fbnconstruction.com.
Systems Design & Integration
Whether texting, shopping, or trying out the newest dating app, you’re already living your life in a series of button taps. Why not invite that kind of efficiency into your humble abode? These West Roxbury–based pros can hook you up with all sorts of time-saving technology, seamlessly wiring your home to do everything from enable your alarm system and lower your shades at night to adjust the lighting in your kitchen while you cook. 5230 Washington St., West Roxbury, MA sdiboston.com.
Barleymalt & Vine
Quality ingredients, a full line of equipment, and expert (if sometimes grumpy) advice have made BM&V the preferred training ground for hordes of thirsty home-brewers. A tiny commercial brewery and a winery specializing in mead will open sometime next year. 26 Elliot St., Newton, MA .
Hi Rise Bread Co.
One step inside this Cambridge bakery and you know you're in a serious place for serious bread. Half of the shop is an open baking area where workers mix, cut, shape, and bake loaves in an oven the size of a station wagon. A heady, yeasty aroma wafts through the air. Owner René Becker uses handmilled wheat for his classic whole-wheat loaves, and rye and corn breads. The daily specials are equally alluring: walnut- or olive-studded rounds, sesame and sunflower seed-coated ficelle, potato boules, or cheddar-pepper loaves. The extra care and craftsmanship comes at a slightly higher price than at many other bakeries, but after one bite, you'll happily hand over your cash. 208 Concord Ave., Cambridge, MA hi-risebread.com.
Smolak Farms
You and your little ones can spend a whole day enjoying this family-run farm, whether it’s feeding deer and admiring peacocks in the animal pens, picking your own fruit, or joining in on story and craft times. Mark your calendars for the Fall Festival in mid-October — it’s jam-packed with hayrides, live music, baked treats, and pumpkins. What’s that we hear? Ah, the sound of no complaining. 315 South Bradford St., North Andover, MA 01845, smolakfarms.com.
House of Blues
A GA ticket to House of Blues means A) you’re seeing one of your favorite acts, and B) you’re about to move. We love House of Blues for the energy on the floor, whether you’re dropping it low with Lizzo, moshing with August Burns Red, or crying as you hold an iPhone in flashlight mode aloft with Jenny Lewis. Hey, however the music moves you is cool with us. 15 Lansdowne St., Boston, MA houseofblues.com/boston.
Sabon
In the world of cosmetics—full of synthetic chemicals you can't pronounce and futuristic plastic packaging you can't dispose of with a clear conscience—the soaps, scrubs, and other skin-care products from Sabon are a welcome change. And a fairly appetizing one, at that, since many of the ingredients (brown sugar, honey) are as at home in the pantry as they are atop the vanity. Much of the line comes in recyclable glass jars, and nothing is tested on animals. Human testing, on the other hand, is something else entirely: Customers are encouraged to sample liberally to find their favorites. 129 Newbury St., Boston, MA sabonnyc.com.
EcoClean Boston
We love the aptly named EcoClean in part because its proprietary supplies are made from sustainable materials, keeping things green, safe, and pleasantly unscented. But we also love them because they arrive on time and get to work in a whirlwind of efficiency. They might even surprise you—one day we came home to find our balcony swept of a winter’s worth of debris. Nice touch. ecocleanboston.com.
Hi-Rise Bread Company
Photo by Anthony Tieuli Choosing just one of Hi-Rise's cookies is a little like being forced to choose between your children. The almond macaroons taste like an intense nutty cloud. The oatmeal coconut, studded with whole pecans, are as chewy as can be. But it's the deep, dark chocolate sandwich cookies—more brownielike than crunchy and double-stuffed with an extra scoop of vanilla cream—that truly take the, er, cake. 208 Concord Ave., Cambridge, MA 2138, hi-risebread.com.
The Burren
When it comes to evaluating a neighborhood pub, there's only one criterion: You want to hang out there every day. For 14 years, the Burren has been meeting this requirement for hundreds of regulars. They don't return again and again for the standard Irish fare (bangers and mash, fish and chips), though this is as solid as it comes. They return because the back room features weekly music and comedy, because the bar isn't dominated by flat-screens, and because the lived-in comfort feels like home, only better. 247 Elm St., Somerville, MA 2144, burren.com.
Aquascutum
There are certain advantages to Boston's lingering Anglophilia. Aquascutum is one of them. The sole American outpost of the venerable British chain carries trim tailored suits, broad-collared dress shirts, and vibrantly hued ties, as well as the clothier's signature line of elegant raincoats. The slickers are debonair enough to fit into even the dandiest wardrobe—and utterly inspirational here in our puddle-prone city. 450 Boylston St., Boston, MA aquascutum.co.uk.
Geoffrey Harvey
Harvey is the head teaching professional at one of the city's most exclusive clubs, the Badminton and Tennis Club, in the Fenway. A native Aussie, he's the man racquet aficionados like the Globe's Bud Collins and PBS's Kim Prince turn to for friendly advice when their backhands get rusty. "Tennis is a good form of stress management," offers Harvey. "I look at the individual and bring him into the learning problem. It involves his whole being. The actual physical movements are the simplest part." Boston, MA
Andre Dubus III
Released this winter, Dubus's Townie was a rarity: a Bay State memoir entirely lacking in Oirish flavah and Whitey Bulger references. Instead, Dubus chronicled his days growing up in the Merrimack Valley of the 1970s, broke and in a broken home, and learning to fistfight out his frustration. When redemption comes, it's a devastating punch to the gut, making Townie one of the best books of the year. andredubus.com.