Marni Elyse Katz is a Boston-based freelance writer who covers style, art, and design for a variety of publications, including the Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Home and her own blog, www.stylecarrot.com.

Boston-based interior designer Kristine Mullaney of Kristine Mullaney Design, is drawn to pieces that are ultra-sophisticated but with an approachable (read: livable) edge. Known for their understated elegance, the rooms she curates are luxurious, sharp and layered with pieces from a variety of time periods. Her philosophy is that the design process should be fun for the client, so she tries to make it as collaborative as possible.

Mullaney began her career in San Francisco as the manager of the flagship showroom of well-known interior designer Michael Taylor, who himself is credited with inventing the “California Look,” a now-familiar style that incorporates over-scaled sumptuous furniture and organic accessories into white-walled, light-filled rooms, and which blurs the lines between indoors and out. She also cites her time spent working at Foster Gwin, a gallery specializing in 16th, 17th, and 18th century Continental furniture, as influential on her work.

Currently, Mullaney is keeping busy on a slew of projects in the New England area, including a safari-themed nursery in Boston, a traditional new home in Concord, and a Nantucket residence, which is getting a casual Americana treatment. The one that sparked our interest most is what Mullaney dubs a “very glamorous boudoir,” complete with the requisite over-the-top closet, in Boston’s hip South End neighborhood. Mullaney confides, “The room will done in mix of very French glam mixed with a clean industrial look. We’re using a taupe and pewter damask wallpaper and a huge crystal chandelier with a custom pewter shade. The closet will be very slick, lacquered in a matching shiny taupe with modern silver hardware.”

Keying off that project, we asked Mullaney to curate furnishings from eBay for a glamorous bedroom that’s still comfortable and functional. Behold, her picks.

 

Kristine Mullaney’s Picks for a Glam Boudoir