Parker Station Pinot Nior 2009

Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Caymus Conundrum 2009

Day is an award-winning interior designer who has set up shop at 402 Hanover, six-or-seven blocks away from where she and her partner and husband, Rob, now live in the Boston’s North End.

www.andieday.com

Not your typical interior designer, Andie Day and her design team distinguish themselves from other designers through client-centered service and a philosophy built on the simple idea that our homes should “age” with us and accommodate to life’s many changes.

“We call this Design For Life,” Day says, sitting down in her elegant shoebox–size office. “Design For Life starts from the premise that a home should grow with us, that it should accommodate every generation in our family through each phase of our lives: a new baby, an elderly parent, retirement.”

“All of life’s changes bring on new challenges,” she notes.  “A well-designed home that focuses on functionality as well as aesthetics can help ease transitions from one phase to another.”

For many elderly people, in particular, the choices can be challenging: to remain in one’s own home safely, independently and comfortably or to move to an assisted living facility or nursing home.  And according to the National Association of Home Builders, home owners who plan to stay in their homes as they get older are one of the fastest growing segments of the residential remodeling market.

This finding, coupled with recent demographic projections, emphasize the importance of what has come to be called “aging-in-place” design strategies. Day refers to her own early experiences that helped galvanize her commitment to shaping her philosophy and approach to Design for Life.

“My mother-in-law had lived alone for many years in her waterfront cottage built by her late husband. She loved looking out the windows at the ocean in Gloucester,” she explains. “But then – slowly at first – she began to sucumb to the ravages of memory loss: she forgot to take her medications, to bathe regularly, to clean the house, and even to remember to eat. She ended up in the hospital.”

“We met with her doctors and nurses who stressed that she would most likely have to enter a nursing home,” Day said. “My husband and I sought to explore other alternatives. We pulled together a team of medical experts to identify and understand better how we could transform her home to ease tasks, reduce hazards, and introduce sustainable design features and practices.”

“For example,” she explained, “we transformed her tiny bedroom with little natural light into an airy elegant retreat with ocean views. How?  By capturing an adjacent unused den with a view to the sea, where we installed features like LED nightlights and a bedside emergency alert system. We doubled her closet space and created a discrete nook for a convenient washer and dryer from the basement, and we incorporated several other safety features.”

These included: automated medicine dispensers that reminded her to take her medications; bathroom handlebars; hands-free faucets; lower kitchen countertops; a see-through glass front refrigerator to remind her to eat; an inductive stove top that turned off automatically when not in use; and, of course, fresh, bright and pleasant wall coloring throughout the house.

When Day’s mother-in-law returned home from the hospital, she was able to resume living safely, independently and comfortably for several more years.

Day is quick to point out that not all such features are costly or even necessary. “But some features, such as curb-less showers and bathroom handle bars are of critical importance, pointing out that falls are the #1 cause of injury and death among the elderly,” she says. “Others make economic sense, such as hands-free faucets that can save a thousand gallons of water a year. An understanding of ergonomics and a team-approach are central to our effective residential design.”

“Take, for example, the transitional needs of children: how does a wheelchair-bound child recovering from an accident get into a shower, get through doorways, get up and down stairs,” she asks. “With an increase in the number of generations living within one household, there is a growing need to incorporate ‘adaptable’ design from the outset – to move away from the “universal” design approach of one-size-fits-all. Our industry is moving – albeit slowly – in this direction,” she says.

“And while in the near future it will remain all about remodeling and retrofitting, in the longer term, the stigma of universal design will give way to designing and building homes with specific short- and long-term needs in mind.”

In the interim, her team of designers, medical experts, occupational therapists and general contractors will be “pushing the envelope” of design and execution. She has even begun to expand her design frontiers to include stylish everyday objects, such as lamps and tote bags.

Which brings us back to the colorful display in Andie Day’s shop window. We look forward to seeing her design business grow. And as we said in the beginning, “Welcome home Andie Day” [because her maiden name was Pallazola]. And while she was not born here … she belongs here: Welcome home!

Mercato del Mare celebrates its third anniversary in business this June, yet it feels as if they’ve been a fixture in the North End for much longer.

Under the inspired direction of Liz Ventura and Keri Cassidy – two longtime friends and neighborhood residents – they have created an ever-evolving line of seafood products and services – including a popular, FREE Saturday afternoon “Shuck U” oyster-shucking classes!

For those of us who’ve lived in the North End for decades, the del Mare  seafood “boutique” is a godsend; a unique blend of quality and convenience. Ever since Giuffre’s Fish Market on Salem Street closed and Bay State Lobster Co. fled to Saugus in ’96, honestly, you had to make the trek over to Southie to get fresh fish.

What I discovered upon visiting with Liz and Keri recently is that Mercato del Mare is a veritable abbondanza of seafood and sushi wrapped in savvy. So, how did it all begin, how has it evolved, and where is it headed?

“We started with the basics just to be safe,” said Liz, who admitted freely that she and Keri had little prior knowledge about the fish business at the outset. They researched local fish markets and interviewed suppliers and distributors with one goal in mind: “Selling fresh, reasonably-priced, highest quality seafood – both wild-caught and local fish – in a friendly, welcoming environment. That’s our goal,” explained Keri, “As simple as that.”

Their decision to locate on Salem Street was both purposeful and providential. “This street has served as the market basket of the North End for centuries,” explained Liz. “Even to this day, we have Polcari’s Coffee next door, Sulmona Meat Market and Albi’s greengrocer around the corner, the Wild Duck across the street, the DiPaolo & Rossi Meat Market at one end of Salem, Monica’s Mercato at the other, and Bova and Parziale bakeries just around the corner on Prince Street. It was a natural choice!”

What made that choice providential was that Calore Fruit shop at 99 Salem Street had just closed.  Giovanni Lavita, the shop and building owner, had decided to retire and was looking for another business to move into his location – a shop about the size of a children’s shoebox.

With a few handshakes, Liz and Keri were in business!

As you approach Mercato del Mare, your eyes are first drawn to a colorful array of freshly-rolled sushi displayed in the window. You step down to enter the store into a world literally swimming with seafood: a tank of live lobsters; a display case filled with cod, sole, tilapia and other fresh fish-of-the-day; and another case chock-full of Alaskan king crab, frozen shrimp, lobster casserole and, yes, even lobster mac-n-cheese.

The walls of the boutique are lined with a tasty collection of culinary delights: smoked bluefish, smoked salmon, escargots, pates, marinades, spice rubs, Japanese Panko breadcrumbs, jars of homemade seafood stuffing. And then there is the bookcase crammed with ten or so well-used cookbooks.

“Fish are so easy to cook”, says Liz, “yet many younger customers are oftentimes intimidated. Instead of asking them how many ounces or pounds [of fish] they want, we ask how many servings they need. We try to make people more comfortable.” “And the same is true for fish recipes,” adds Keri. “There are so many – often three or four – recipes for the same fish dish. Our clients are free to thumb through these recipe books and also ask our advice.”

“So what kinds of fish are favorites?” I inquire.

“Well, cod is always a favorite. Bostonians have an historic affinity for cod,” explained Liz. “But sole, haddock, mild tilapia and fresh-caught Atlantic salmon filets are favorites. As well as swordfish and tuna in the summer season.”

Mercate del Mare also carries a burgeoning array of freshly-prepared dishes –  from homemade shrimp egg rolls, fish cakes, crab cakes and seafood pot pies to shrimp arancini, Thai-style salmon with brown rice, and a new spring & summer favorite special – the lobster roll & clam chowder combo. “Our carryout business has grown exponentially since we first opened,” says Keri. “A reflection, I’m sure, of the increasing number of young professionals who now live in the North End and have busy schedules.”

But also a reflection of Liz and Keri’s catholic tastes when it comes to comfort food with or without a fin. Which bring us back to lobster mac-n-cheese. Why? Well, as it turns out, a growing number of restaurants all across the country, including the chefs at Grafton Street in Cambridge and Tremont 647 in Boston, for example, are combining lobster with various pastas and cheeses and featuring them on their menus. “Word has gotten out. And our lobster mac-n-cheese has become a pretty popular indulgence,” notes Liz, “just like our sushi.”

Sushi’s arrival at Mercato del Mare is a story in and of itself. “Initially we bought our sushi retail after we first opened,” says Keri, “but we were disappointed with the quality of the rice, so we discontinued offering sushi.”

Then, through some fortuitous contacts on Nantucket, Keri and Liz were introduced to Paul, who had been “rolling” for eight years.  Once Paul was installed in del Mare and began fashioning his eye-catching creations, word spread quickly across the neighborhood about his smart, delicious, wonderfully fresh sushi delights.  And his two savvy fishmongers couldn’t be happier.

Mercato del Mare
by Guild Nichols