Charles Spada is the reigning Francophile of the Boston Design Center. He has loved all things French since childhood and had long wanted to buy a house in France. A serendipitous late night internet connection with an online real estate site delivered him, a week later, to a house in a quaint Norman hamlet that was to become his home in France and the outpost for his collecting inclinations.

He fell instantly in love with a 1652 hunting lodge (mostly one reads about this kind of story in fiction) with giant sequoia trees, enormous handsome iron gates, an allee of old apple trees, light filled rooms, warm oak floors and squeaky doors. The house was grand, elegant and timeless and in desperate need of Charles’ tireless ambition to bring it up to 20th century standards while retaining the basically untouched interiors. There was a kitchen dumbwaiter to deliver food, candle lit dining with great French wine and beautiful grounds. It took three years, but this  grand old house became a destination for friends from all over the world.

Sadly, the house has just been sold, but Charles continues his search for beautiful treasures both antiques and merely vintage for his shop.  I had a fabulous time imagining the setting for countless items including mirrors, prints and ceramics on my last visit. My focus was on items for the bath, but his unerring eye for the beautiful and the quirky keeps clients coming back to the 2nd floor of the Boston Design Center hoping to be the first to uncover his latest discoveries.