In 2020, Barbara Vail Design felt the uncertainty and fear that permeated our lives. We pivoted where necessary, but overall attempted to channel our unknowing into gratitude, positive change and growth.
The year started off throughout Boston and New England, our days filled with site visits, consultations, trips to the The Design Center, and the typical craze of project management. We took on a renovation in the South End, a consultation for a Newport home, a revamp of a Charlestown navy yard condo, and a modernization of a Newton Victorian, among so many others. Additionally, we were fortunate enough to welcome new team members at the top of the year to help with this boom in projects.
Then, the shutdowns began, and with safety and health taking precedence, construction stopped. Like our local restaurants and mom-and-pop shops, we saw the support and flexibility of our amazing clients, vendors, and contractors, helping us finish our South End space at the 11th hour. Thinking back on that time early in this pandemic, it truly feels like another era - celebrating my birthday maskless and near loved ones, working in person on projects and meeting so many new people. Now, we continue to push forward and support each other, months later.
Some unique possibilities arose from the challenges of this time as well, allowing us to find new ways to center on our mission of creating warm spaces that are both functional and beautiful. We were able to expand business into Philadelphia, including creating a virtual Temple University Continuing Education course titled "Create Calm with Interior Design + Art Therapy" with therapist Michaela Herr. Partnering with Brooklyn based leadership firm Sarah Hosein coaching, BVD has also begun offering a program combining interior design and career consulting. We were able to remotely design a kitchen for a dear client, painting cabinets a warm gray, finish up our beloved Newport project, and start a new project in Nashville.
If you remember as well, in the early days of 2014, BVD had a vintage shop presence, and this element of one-of-a-kind sourced items was always central to our designs. Now, the expansion into Philly includes a revamped vintage shop presence. The shop will be by appointment only with a strong online presence, and while we are starting off small, we have the goal of expanding to more and more vendors. Barbie pots, my pottery baby featured in many of my projects, will also be making an appearance along with pottery from my parents, who actually met in college studying pottery!
Check out the preview below and more details coming soon.
The soul of this company and my work is the connection to people, stories, and the physical and mental wellness that comes from creating thoughtful spaces. While 2020 has thrown so many plans off kilter, it has also allowed for some longtime dreams to jumpstart and for our mission of community to sharpen. In 2021, we will continue to work on projects throughout New England, Philadelphia, and New York, and I look forward to helping you create spaces you love that work for you during this time and beyond.
Wow that was LONG! Thank you for reading and best wishes in 2021,
Barbara
