Boston Exclusive

Meet your driver and private vehicle and enjoy an insider’s look at the dazzling art studios and fascinating pieces of work that these talented studio owners have created. Begin your walking tour at The South End area, home to a superb group of collections, which you will meet and tour first hand. Best of Boston will select three of the studios from the below for you to visit:

Joyce Roessler / Roessler Glass: Joyce has been working with hot glass since 1978, and since 1992 has focused on bead making and glass jewelry design. In the jewelry line she uses only her own beads, sterling silver or gold findings and goldleaf to accentuate the glass.

Michele Mercaldo Contemporary Jewelry Design: Michele’s jewelry studio and showroom is active with three different types of work: production jewelry, wedding band commissions and custom work. When designing, simplicity and clarity are of the utmost importance. Michelle’s work has become more refined and delicate through the use of marriage of metals and the introduction of finer materials such as 18k gold, platinum, pearls and diamonds.

Peggy Russell / IRO Design: Iro Design has been creating beautiful and unusual handpainted silk accessories for the home and body since 1986. Bold patterns and colorful images are the hallmark of their products. They produce each and every piece by hand, working with hand mixed dyes on silk fabric and cotton denim dropcloth.

Linda Cordner / Encaustic Painting: Working in the ancient technique of encaustic - which means to paint with heated wax - Linda takes advantage of the translucent nature of wax to create paintings that are luminous and have a depth to them not achieved in other mediums.

Marie Galvin / Galvanized Headwear: Marie’s mission is to create unique handcrafted headwear, providing multiple expressions for the women who wear them. The Collections are original and hand constructed, employing the use of wool, felts, opulent fabrics and exotic feather trims.

Meet your driver and private vehicle and depart for your comprehensive day of "flower" tours, focusing on art, history and design of different types of flowers through a visit and private floral demonstration and tour by Winston Flowers. You will have the chance to view an informative and contemporary floral demonstration with professional floral designers, after touring the 100,000 square foot design studio, the largest privately held florist in the country. Along the way, you  will learn about the art of floral design, which flowers are used during which season and how it all comes together at the home of one of Boston’s leading florists. Winston Flowers was just voted the “Country’s Best Florist”!  Designers will make a specialty arrangement in front of you and go through each step of this intricate process. You can partake in a question and answer session at the end of the demonstration this intricate process.

Today, meet your driver for your private tour to some of the country's most historic residences in Beacon Hill. Select residences and gardens in Beacon Hill have been made available for a personal visit. These tours are presented by members of the such residences, who graciously open their private homes. Visitors come from around the world to appreciate fine architecture and furnishings in this historical setting. Tours include a narrated walk through the tree-lined streets and past the important landmarks of the area. Knowledgeable guides will share with you the history of ‘The Hill’ and escort you on a personal tour of three private homes.

Special arrangements have been made to visit three private homes, whose owners will offer their own perspective of life on the "Hill". At the last stop, guests will be spoiled with delicious hot tea. Further discussion of the homes is welcomed as guests will have an intimate opportunity to ask questions.

Meet your driver and depart for your half day hand-bag design and shopping tour. You will have so much fun at a 1154 LILL handbag-design party in their charming boutiques on the famed and fashionable Newbury Street in Boston. You will mix and mingle while you mix and match handbag styles and fabric combinations to create one-of-a-kind LILL bag designs. Once your order is placed, your custom creation is individually crafted in the Chicago headquarters and ready in approximately 3 weeks. Limited edition ready-made LILL Bags are available off the rack for instant gratification. Following your handbag making, venture out onto the famed Newbury Street where the shopping is endless.

Amount of time for shopping depends when the group is done at LILL Studio.

Meet your professional driver for a private airport transfer.