I recently had a chance to meet and spend some time with interior designer Heidi Pribell at her store/studio in Cambridge. I got to learn about Heidi’s career, from studying at the New York School of Interior Design, to starting an antiques shop on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, to starting Heidi Pribell Interiors in 1996. I also discovered that Heidi is one of the most energetic people I’ve ever met — I’d bet someone at MIT could generate electricity with how excited Heidi gets when she talks about her work!
Heidi’s work is based on a traditional design aesthetic, but she gives her spaces a contemporary twist with bright, modern fabrics, and an edited layout. In fact, for the last 3 years, she’s won Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston Home awards, this year for Restorative Design. One of her homes was also featured in Ingrid Abramovitch’s Restoring a House in the City.
One home in her portfolio stood out to me. The home belongs to a local bachelor, an academic at one of the local universities. He hired Heidi to give his home a tasteful, more masculine design, with touches of traditional English academic life.
Heidi doesn’t follow a predetermined plan for her projects. “Each commission I complete is unique,” she said, “I do not have a formulaic approach to design. My work blends a modern, contemporary aesthetic with a passion for culture and the history of fine design and decoration.” The master suite oozes comfort and coziness.
I love the library on the top floor of the home. I reminds me of an old Victorian gentlemen’s club — the type of place with lots of old books, older Scotch, and lots of cigars.
