I love to make hearty and flavorful meat dishes in the winter. Here is one of my favorite recipes to take off the winter chill. Enjoy with a hearty bottle of your favorite red wine and some good friends!

Tomato Braised Veal Shank with Pumpkin Risotto

Our Services

At TBA, our goal is simple - we want you to love everything about your home.  The way it looks, the way it feels, the way it meets the changing needs of your family.  For those new to us -- the projects we work on include:

Should you or someone you know require our services, contact us at 978-263-3850.

Many people take the opportunity at this time of year to think about cleaning and organizing.  I know I do.  Perhaps it is getting paperwork organized for taxes, making room for the latest batch of holiday toys or just starting off the new year with the refreshing feeling that only "organizing" can bring.  I've visited many homes where the owners profess the need for "more space".  I look around these same homes and find piles of boxes, papers and stacked odds and ends.  Many people don't not need MORE space -- they simply need significant help designing a framework for "organizing" the space they already have.

Do you have untapped space? One client, a couple of years ago, with a newly blended home of two households full of belongings requested a room addition at our meeting. What they were asking for could be achieved by carefully providing the home with various built-in storage, closet organizers and converting a room into an office.  I even discussed with them the possibility of shifting a freestanding stair that took up too much space and crowded a perfectly nice sitting area that the owners claimed was the nicest spot in the house -- just too small.  This project was not a case of forging ahead on a room addition but, instead, working and designing a space with organizing as the main objective.

There are plenty of small Architectural changes that can be designed around the house to capture that feeling of freedom and new space.  [There is much meaning behind the old adage -- "having everything in it's place and a place for everything".]  Have you ever taken a hard look at how your garage and basement are set up?  Closet organizer companies in recent years have developed garage lines specially designed with space for recycling, trash storage, tools, garden equipment, all of sporting gear, etc.  Many finished basements we build include outfitting an unfinished area with several layers of deep, heavy duty, plywood shelves for off-season bins of holiday decorations, sporting goods and toys -- all of those things that are in basements or spread out through the house.

Then there is the mudroom -- another fabulously popular room for today's families. These spaces can have spots for each member of the family to put seasonal and daily items, shoe storage, mail sorting, pet gear, pet feeding stations and more! 

In a typical house, there's space waiting to be tapped behind knee walls where a roof cuts through a room, above appliances and underneath cathedral ceilings. Even a standard stud cavity inside a wall is 3 1/2 in. deep - enough space for toiletries, canned goods and some office supplies.  One of my favorite tricks - building drawers and shelves beneath a staircase.

Architecture is certainly something to solve big housing issues but architecture can also be a great thing to turn to when your home begins to feel too cluttered and you need help bringing order to domestic chaos.  Does this speak to you?  Now, let's take a fresh look at your home.  That's why we're here.  If you, a friend or relative need help with organizing -- give us the opportunity to throw out new ideas and perhaps untap the space that is already in your home.

It's an old-fashioned notion that works better for some of us than overhead cabinets. Today, there are pantry-style cupboards available from most cabinet manufacturers. Better yet, design a separate walk-in space, as homeowners Thomas Buckborough and Cynthia First did. Often a part of so-called universal designs, which accommodate users with disabilities, a pantry keeps food, dishes, utensils, and pots and pans within easy reach. Shelves should be no more than 14 inches deep and adjustable. Another space-saving trick is to put shelves on the back of the pantry doors. They can be as much as 6 inches deep and be made with a lip to hold items in place.