Meet Designer Alex MacMillan a 2026 New England Home 5 Under 40 Honoree

September 14, 2026

Text by Maria LaPiana

Designer Alexandra MacMillan wearing a black dress and standing in front of a plum geometric rug design.

Portrait by Bruce Goravin

Elegant dining room with round wood table, upholstered chairs, built-in cabinetry, chandelier, and herringbone wood floors.

Photograph by Read McKendree

Neutral sitting room with grasscloth walls, curved bouclé chairs, built-in window seat, and modern artwork.

Photograph by Read McKendree

Contemporary living room with dark paneled cabinetry, white sofas, black leather chairs, and amber glass accessories.

Photgraph by Jared Kuzia

Sophisticated pink bedroom with upholstered bed, grasscloth walls, floor-to-ceiling curtains, lounge chair, and contemporary lighting.

Photgraph by Jared Kuzia

Geometric rug design in plum, lavender, brown, and blush with intersecting linear patterns and square motifs.

Alex MacMillan grew up on the coast of Maine under slightly unusual circumstances. Her parents had a penchant for renovating properties (eleven in all, while holding down full-time jobs), so she was surrounded by creativity, vision, and hard work all her life.

Now director of design at Lisa Tharp Design in Boston, MacMillan, thirty-seven, found her footing in the design world early on. “I was always around historic homes…watching the construction process from the ground up,” she says. “I knew I loved to shape
a space.” After graduating with a degree in history and art history, she ran her family’s plumbing showroom, so she was working directly with interior designers. Her passion was percolating.

MacMillan says she took a leap of faith and moved to Boston to pursue a master of arts in interior architecture at Suffolk University as well as an internship with Webster & Company design showrooms (now shuttered). But it was being hired as an intern with Lisa Tharp Design ten years ago that sealed the deal. “She is an incredible mentor, and it was one of the best decisions I made professionally,” she says.

A classical influence is apparent in her work, which can be tricky to square with younger, modern-leaning clients: “I think it’s the juxtaposition that makes it work,” she says. “What makes a classical envelope feel appropriate is about mixing in curated pieces that feel more modern and contemporary, creating a dynamic.”

MacMillan and her husband have two young children, a boy and a girl, and live in a vintage home in Dorchester. Needless to say, they’re renovating. They’re both from coastal areas, so they love the water. But MacMillan hopes she can continue to work in the downtown Boston area because she appreciates historic preservation and being around centuries of iconic architecture.

This year’s 5 Under 40 awards ceremony will be held on September 17, 2026, at The Galleria at 333 Stuart Street in Boston. The festivities will include food, drink, and the chance to catch up with old friends while making new ones. The highlight of the evening is the auction of five unique rugs designed by our 2026 winners and produced by Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting, with all proceeds supporting SOLA (the School of Leadership, Afghanistan). Click here to purchase tickets.

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