Like other aspects of interior design, custom furniture and cabinetry occur on a spectrum. There are terrific bespoke examples made by thoughtful craftsmen, and then, there are not-so-good ones. Rook Fine Furniture, founded by three craftsmen—Ken Stahl, Cory Herweck and Shawn Hoven—falls under the former category. They boast a passion for elevating furniture design and construction that zeros in on the nitty gritty details while producing work that runs the gamut of all kinds of fine furniture to custom kitchen cabinetry and other built-ins.

Artist, painter and occasional illustrator, Terri Shay isn’t afraid to herald in dramatic color. In fact, her artwork revels in it. Her paintings feature radiant swirls of colors bent to form exquisite odes to nature’s beauty. “I see patterns and rhythm in nature,” she explains of her muses. But not content to simply paint exactly what she sees, Shay will take a tree or flower and modify them, playing with their size, hue and shapes. “I like to rearrange what I see and heighten the color—I like the freedom of experimenting and using my imagination,” she says.

Sometimes all it takes is great art to enliven a space. No one knows that better than artist and creative director Sharon Marie Hayes, recognized for her vibrant contemporary figurative and abstract oil paintings. Her impressive client roster as a creative director includes The Coca-Cola Company, The Kellogg Company, Hasbro and HBO Television, to mention a few.

From weekend adventures to work and special occasions, leather bags can be worn and enjoyed just about anywhere, making them the true workhorses of any wardrobe. But perhaps no one knows this better than artist and leather worker Kristin McDonough, who owns Hollis Leather, a local leather goods company that makes specialty leather bags and other products.  

Landscapes are some of the most beautiful works of art. When Jen Hahn of Jen Hahn Studio decides on a landscape view to paint “it’s usually because of the light,” she says. “Or the way it breaks through the clouds or changes the colors of the ground.” She sees her work in landscape art as an invitation to the viewer to share with her in noticing these details that make the landscape so beautiful in her eyes.

These days when so much is mass produced, unique stationery and prints can be hard to come by. It’s partly why, in 2017, Madeleine Wiering and her dad, Vernon Wiering, decided to co-own and co-found Papillon Press, a maker of distinctive prints, stationery and other goods. They wanted to revive old designs using traditional printmaking techniques. Several of the brand’s items are amazingly informed by designs from the past, approximately the period between 1790 and 1910.