Cecilia Casagrande Discusses Thoughtful Design And Its Limits

Cecilia Casagrande Discusses Thoughtful Design And Its Limits

“Big box design” bothers Cecilia Casagrande and was at the top of her mind when she sat down with us in the Boiler Room to let us get to know her better. Hotels in London and holidays in the English countryside, backpacking in Europe and Africa, growing up on Long Island and Brooklyn and that one time she partied with Depeche Mode—Cecilia has had a wild, storied life. She’s a sorta fearless, ambitious go-getter who’s hung her hat in the quiet of Brookline. With a Master’s in social work, she spent years in service. The lure of design and its ability to channel this wondrous world into intimate spaces was eventually too much. She quit her job, changed her name, hung up a shingle, and hasn’t looked back. What an amazing conversation!

Cory Gans Discusses Interiors, Architecture, and His Dad’s Hammer

Designer Cory Gans approached us back in 2025 with an idea for a panel discussion that involved a focus on the service industry. It was an amazing night of discussion. We recently had him back into the Boiler but this time to talk about himself! Quickly, we learned that Cory’s father was very much like Kevin, a furniture maker, carpenter, and general contractor with a family of kids—and this is the story of Cory growing up—who would often find themselves in the shop and eventually on building sites, taking it all in. We also heard of the time that Cory had to fetch his dad’s hammer out of a harbor. All these experiences have informed Cory as he approaches both construction and design at Planeta Design Group.  As for mixtape stories, Cory is young enough where CDs were his medium, although a combination of D batteries and a very long extension cord were essentials for his lineup that ranged from Mariah Carey, Dua Lipa, Adele, and Biggie Smalls while growing up in New Jersey.

Manny Makkas Discusses The Family Business

We’ve been lucky to work with Manny Makkas of Makkas Workroom on numerous projects. He’s a supporter of and familiar face at our Boiler Room events, as well. We were excited to have Manny in to hear more of his origin story and got a full-on odyssey. His story is THE Greek American immigration story. Incredible lows, highs, love, music, and a very strong family and community that explains so much of his success. Manny is an incredible storyteller who’s not afraid to get intimate. And after this episode, you won’t be able to listen to Pearl Jam the same way again.

Steve Payne Discusses Boston’s Historical Carpentry Scene

Last year we were lucky to have Steve Payne of Payne|Buchier Builders on a panel discussion titled “Preservation Vs. Performance,” and we wanted to bring him back to the Boiler Room to revisit two moments—which we played recordings of on the boombox.  We also wanted to hear his origin story–which is amazing! In his youth, Steve hitchhiked across the country doing all sorts of jobs in pursuit of actualizing the knowledge he learned from both his father and his Hampshire College geology professor. This fellow woodworker and mountain climber proved to be a major influence on Steve. Steve’s life is also reflective of deep, life-long friendships and profound love, with an acerbic, hair-trigger wit that always brings a laugh or elevates a story. We were blown away with how much of Steve’s story IS the history of Boston’s lumber and woodworking scene. With a start at Downes Lumber, the first company to deliver with a horseless carriage, and continuing at Dixon Brothers, Steve eventually opened up Payne|Bouchier. Kevin also knew and worked with many of this generation who have long passed, so it was a welcomed and heartfelt trip down memory lane. Musically, Steve’s a blues man and has been lucky to see many of these greats live, including in Boston’s historic jazz clubs which have come and gone. Lightnin’ Hopkins, Johnny Copeland, and Delta were some of the legends he mentioned, along with the time he saw B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley live on the Common.

Jenna Talbott Discusses Panels and Going Viral

Editor in Chief of New England Home magazine, Jenna Talbott, stopped by the Boiler Room for a conversation and to sign our copies of It’s Lonely in the Modern World: The Essential Guide to Form, Function and Ennui, a book she co-authored with writer Molly Jane Quinn. Published in 2011, their book expanded on their now infamous Tumblr, Unhappy Hipsters, that struck such a nerve that within hours of the first post The New York Times took notice and made it viral. Quickly, they had a book deal on their hands. And this all started with them making up their own “imagined and irreverent” captions to the gorgeous photos in Dwell magazine. We wanted to know more about this amazing story but to also hear what Jenna had to say about Boston’s design scene and then some. Her Mixtape Story quickly morphed into a story of Boston’s music scene from the 80s to the aughts, with Kevin giving special mention to his times on stage playing at The Rat and after hours at The House of Borax and that one time he rode his scooter over the Tobin Bridge.