A Visit with Charles Spada in Boston

Charles Spada in his new SoWa Art + Design District showroom.

A grisaille painting on canvas alongside eighteenth-century Dutch oil paintings on board.

A pair of taxidermy frizzle chickens from France mingle among a mélange of unique decorative accessories and lighting.

A collection of exquisite salts harvested from the French island of Île de Ré are displayed on a painted English pine pewter rack.

An assortment of lampshades in various sizes features Fermoie fabrics.

Designer, showroom owner, and all-around arbiter of style Charles Spada is taking a moment to reflect. But only a moment. He’s got a lot on his
agenda these days, most notably his recent move to a new showroom in Boston’s SoWa Art + Design District, which has become a magnet for
design-oriented businesses and creatives. Having Spada’s imprimatur only solidifies the area as a nexus of where to find what’s new and next in design.

“We’re finally like ninety-eight-and-nine-tenths percent settled in,” says Spada with a laugh shortly after the showroom’s big move. “I was at the Boston Design Center for exactly twenty-five years. I really, really love the change. It’s fresh. It’s a new neighborhood. I’m happy here, and
I have a wonderful crew.”

Spada established his eponymous interiors firm in 1980, after an accomplished career in fashion in Boston and New York. He was inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Boston Design Week Awards named him its Mentor of the Year earlier this year. Longtime fans will find Spada 2.0 a bastion of the signature good taste for which he and the showroom have long been known, only more curated and distilled. “We had 5,000 square feet, and now we’ve got a little under 3,000, so lots had to be changed,” admits the designer.

That change included parting with a number of the showroom’s one-of-a-kind objects and collectables—400 pieces were sold at auction alone. And while antiques will continue to be part of the repertoire, Spada is more focused on concentrated groupings of items, instead of an amalgamation of objects. At the time of our conversation, a large collection of burled tables was in transit from Europe. (Many of which are already accounted for, if you were wondering.)

Another showroom change can be found with textiles and wallpapers. “We’ve taken on some really wonderful new lines,” says Spada. And if upholstery—and lead times—is top of mind, look no further than Spada’s new regional exclusive with the venerable George Smith furniture company. “They have a guaranteed ship of three months, where most manufacturers are eight, nine, ten months,” says Spada. “They’re also very accommodating. You can do anything.” Speaking of doing anything—and everything—Spada seems to be mastering the art of doing it all, and with his signature aplomb. charlesspada.com