Design Under Pressure: A Celadon-Soaked Spa Refresh for the Mandarin Oriental Boston
This past (late) July, right in the heart of summer, we received an email that instantly made us pause, reread, and then grin ear to ear. The Marketing Director of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Boston had reached out to let us know we were one of her top five shortlisted designers for an upcoming project. The ask? To interview for the opportunity to refresh a very special space within their recently Forbe's award winning spa, the Couple's Treatment room.
As if that alone wasn’t exciting enough, the Mandarin Oriental had just partnered with Pantone and officially licensed their color Celadon Green for a global marketing campaign. That color would become the foundation of the refresh. Flattered doesn’t even begin to cover it. We immediately rolled up our sleeves and dove headfirst into concept development—mood boards, inspiration imagery, and design storytelling all coming together at lightning speed. A few short days later, we received the news: we were selected as the design firm to breathe new life into their beloved spa room.
Cue celebration… followed quickly by reality.
The photoshoot was scheduled for the first week of October, giving us a very tight window to source and fabricate custom upholstered pieces—all while juggling active client projects and an upcoming vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. Oh, and then there was the budget. Let’s just say it was extremely modest, especially considering the Mandarin Oriental’s global reputation and discerning clientele. But if there’s one thing we love, it’s a good challenge. Once the contract was finalized by mid-August, Kendra and I wasted no time getting to work.
We immediately mapped out a plan, identifying the items with the longest lead times and prioritizing those orders. Thankfully, there were only three: the Roman shades, the built-in bench seat cushion with four matching pillows, and—much to our surprise—the pedicure bath bowls, which needed to be just the right shade of perfection.
For the Roman shades, we sourced a beautiful two-toned woven textile called Shoreline in Jade from The Shade Store. When it came time to select fabric for the bench cushion and pillows, we headed straight to our longtime favorite resource, Zimman’s in Lynn, Massachusetts. We knew they’d deliver both variety and value. And sure enough, the universe showed up big time. With thousands of fabrics to choose from, the one we ultimately selected was positioned front and center at the showroom entrance. The colors, the Asian-inspired key pattern—it was pure kismet. To make it even better, it was a Sunbrella fabric, making it ideal for a high-traffic spa environment where oils and scrubs are part of daily life.
We did our due diligence (thank you, Laura Strowman, for your patience), but we kept circling back to that very first fabric. Sometimes, you just know. Love at first sight is real—even in fabric form.
To stretch the budget further, we sourced more utilitarian items—those that needed to function beautifully but didn’t require a big personality—from retailers like Wayfair and Amazon. Pillows for the daybed, blankets for the massage tables, amazonite crushed stones, Capiz shell trays, faux feathers in white and celadon green—all smart, budget-friendly finds. Framed artwork for above the daybed came from Art.com. Everything that was ordered from an online retailer was delivered to a holding area at the hotel with a few weeks to spare before the photoshoot.
Next came our favorite part: vintage tabletop décor.
Authenticity matters deeply to us, and we knew this was where we could really shine—and where the Mandarin Oriental would see exactly why they hired us. Vintage sourcing is our happy place. Give us a car, a coffee, and a destination in the middle of nowhere, and we are thrilled. Over a twelve day period in September, seven of which were consecutive, we visited eight antique malls / vintage shops (resource list provided following the article) and two flea markets, including the legendary Brimfield Flea Market.
If you’ve ever been to Brimfield, you know it’s impossible to follow a plan. You have to trust your instincts. Brimfiled is the largest flea market in the U.S., with 20 individual fields, covering an astounding 150 acres. Many experienced Brimfield enthusiasts will spend the entire six days of the fair to ensure that they see every vendor. Kendra and I had just six hours. After three hours, all we had found was a single woven basket for hand towels which we would place next to the soaking tub. Beautiful celadon pottery was everywhere—but wildly out of budget. Hunger and defeat began creeping in. Then came a shared turkey club sandwich, a second wind, and one pivotal question from Kendra: “What does your gut say?”
Despite a massive field of untapped vendors straight ahead, something told me to cross the street. Within five minutes, we struck gold. One incredible vendor after another. A specific item that stood out amongst the rest, was a Victorian period porcelain umbrella stand, priced at $250 and after a friendly negotiation, we paid $180. We would repurpose this umbrella stand to become a planter for a Bamboo Palm. In the final 90 minutes, we found eight to ten perfect pieces. Exhausted? Yes. Victorious? Absolutely.
The Todd Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Ma. followed a similar pattern—slow start, mounting doubt, and then… magic. We stumbled upon a vendor specializing exclusively in Asian antiques, all at unbelievable prices. Among our finds was a circa 1900 ceramic head pillow from an opium den. We paid $50 for it. Later, we found nearly the same piece listed on 1stDibs for $268. As much as I loved that oddity (and trust me, I did), it found its rightful place in the project.
The photoshoot took place on October 6th, with an 7:00 a.m. call time. We pulled our vehicle up to the hotel's loading dock, unloaded several heavy boxes filled with fragile antique ceramics and live plants, and navigated our way through what seemed to be a never ending labyrinth of service hallways and an elevator. We would have to repeat this process four times due to having just one moving dolly and luggage cart. Over the years we have grown accustomed to relying on professional movers for our design installations, so this task proved to be a major challenge, and one that was costing valuable time. Once we completed the task of getting our items to the Couple's Treatment room, it was also our first opportunity to physically install the room, as the spa remained fully operational until that morning. We had exactly one hour to unwrap the ceramics and execute the entire setup before shooting began at 9:00 a.m. Did we pull it off? Of course we did. After 17 years as business partners—and 26 years together— Kendra and I can communicate without words. A nod here, a glance there, and we were in sync, each playing to our strengths.
Following the shoot, the Mandarin Oriental leveraged their marketing platforms to showcase the project across social media and editorial channels. The response was overwhelming. These posts became the most-viewed content our small business has ever received, with one Instagram post alone surpassing 77,000 views (not likes—views).
Looking back, considering the tight timeline, the humble budget, and the 606 miles we logged across New England, we couldn’t be prouder of what we accomplished together. It was an absolute honor and privilege to have been awarded with such a project, and one that we will forever cherish. Thank you to Danielle, Markus, Heather, and Martha at the Mandarin Oriental Boston for trusting us with such a special space. Let’s do it again!
Resource for the 8 visited Antique Malls / Vintage Shops:
Downstairs at Felton Antiques, Waltham, Ma.
Jeffrey's Antique Co-Op Mall, Lunenburg, Ma.
Mark's Random Stuff, Lunenburg, Ma.
Under the Bed Vintage, Stoughton, Ma.
Canal Street Antique Mall, Lawrence, Ma.
