WELCOME to Nest by Tamara blog

WELCOME to Nest by Tamara blog
Hi- It's Tamara. I'm happy you've stopped by, and since 2010 I've been sharing my passion for interior design, history, art, entertaining, travel & fashion. I am an interior designer, textile designer and writer living and working in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island. My musings have taken me to international design, art, antique and epicurean events and I have lots to share. I'm grateful to have been listed as the #1 top design blog, blogs to watch, top design blogs and named and awarded Rising Star of Design by the IFDA NY industry organization. Please feel free to reach out to our team for an interior design consultation at NestbyTamara.com -Tamara

The beautiful Work of Interior Designer, William Hodgins

What We Love Today Column:
Let's Talk About The Talented,
Boston Interior Designer,
William Hodgins
photos via Architectural Digest--
Hodgin's home Manchester-by-the-Sea and Back Bay Home
I just returned from a visit to Boston where I was invited to speak on a design panel at the Market Stalls in the newly renovated Boston Design Center on the stylish waterfront enclave of Boston.  I joined my good friend, the talented Toma Clark Haines of the Antiques Diva, and interior designer Steven Favreau (owner to a newly opened fabulous designer showroom space in the neighborhood) to host a lively chat.  We talked for well over an hour to an enthusiastic crowd about all things “antiques”. The topic meandered and bounced between the three of us while we offered different perspectives on this topic of how to bring antiques into the modern home.  This visit to Boston got me thinking about one of my favorite designers in the area-- William Hodgins.

This took me back--way back to 1986 (which was the year I actually moved to Boston after graduating from college).  I headed to "Bean Town" for a new job fresh faced and excited. Boston was my first home away from home and it will forever remain a special place in my heart.  Heck, I met my husband on Lewis Wharf, which changed my life. Time went on and six years after living in Boston, I moved to New York City, studied interior design at Parsons School of Design and since then I have worked in the industry-- as an interior, author of this blog and other editorials, and my newest endeavor since 2015, the co-owner and creator of fabric and wallpaper company, root cellar designs.  It feels rewarding to go back to the place where my love for design was realized and talk about it to the community.

All this reminiscing got me thinking about William Hodgins, and those creamy, well edited interiors he created with great style, grace and yes, he infused with beautiful antiques.  He set the tone for interior design in Boston. Back then I was obsessed with shelter magazines and voraciously tore pages of beautiful interiors keeping them in overflowing folders.  I remember seeing and loving the work of William Hodgins, so in essence he was my first design crush really. His very Boston Brahim-feeling interiors graced the pages of magazines on a regular basis (I think it was a House Beautiful article in 1990 that first caught my eye, and it was a feature of his Back Bay home and weekend retreat on the North Shore of Boston).  He epitomized to me the quintessential New England style I have come to love. Hodgin's notable clients took his travels and designs from Virginia to Palm Beach but his unique, style could be seen woven into all his work.

Now, all these years later, Boston has a bustle of growth and feels vibrant.  The city knows itself well, it has always known itself, residing confidently, deeply rooted in history that takes us back to the inception of our country. Designers like William Hodgins have set the tone for the next wave of designers coming through in New England to put their stamp on classic design, Boston style.

Hodgins led an interesting life.  Born in Peru, raised in Canada, he moved to New York City and was a graduate of Parsons School of Design.  He cut his teeth in the world of interiors under the tutelage of the great Sister Parish and Albert Hadley.  In 1968, he left New York and opened the doors of his design firm in Boston and the rest is history. His beautiful work was showcased in a book a few years back which will forever remind us that classic design stands the test of time-- beauty and quality do not go out of style.  So, cheers to the talented William Hodgins.
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
I remember looking at this magazine spread 
and thinking this is beautiful living...
this is the feeling I want to evoke in my work. 
a 350-page archive of this designer's work and 
span of his career written by Stephen M. Salny,
forward by Margaret Russell  


these two photos credit, 
Michael J. Lee