KCB Boiler Room Podcast

Artak “Art” Sahakyan, master craftsman, co-founder and owner of A&A Building and Remodeling, immigrated to the US from Armenia in 2002 and quickly utilized his formal training as an engineer to scale up a budding framing practice on the Cape. But then everything changed one day back in 2012 when he was asked to install just windows on a large residential project next to an even larger project rumored to have leaky defective windows. Different contractors but same architect. A lawsuit against the manufacturer was in play. The carpenters on both sites, many of whom Art knew, were warning him to walk away. Thankfully, he kept the job and not only installed the windows but confirmed that the “defect” happened during installation.

This experience gave Art the idea to specialize in installation of windows and doors. Andrea Bohmfalk, Windows and Doors Operation Manager, was brought on initially to help with billing for service, and her role grew from there to estimating, install scheduling, and eventually operations. Together, they handle over 300 projects a year, all across the country, with a focus on New England.

Art’s music story involved the gift of mixtapes featuring forte piano, cementing his love of classical. Andrea’s love started with a live performance of a Jo Dee Messina song. Since then country music is what she loves.

As per his own words, “the man with a funny name,” architect Treff LaFleche, cofounder of LDa Architecture & Interiors, grew up in Kentucky but held New England in high regard from a young age. His mother’s schooling in fashion design at RISD, along with an uncle practicing medicine in the region, helped pave the way for Treff to enroll at Dartmouth, pre-med. “You’re an idiot,” were the exact words of encouragement Treff needed from his art teacher when Treff shared that he wanted to become a doctor. Eventually, he switched to architecture and never looked back. The conversation ranged from modern styles of architecture, the evolution of materials and safety, and the power of a shoe.

His boombox story is diverse, but his take on the Beatles was profound. If you haven’t thought about whether you're more of a Paul or a John person, this tangent will be so much fun. 

Architect David Supple, founder and CEO of New England Design & Construction, is working on a book about how architects are trained, and we had him on to say more about this. “The issue with the traditional ‘design-bid-build’ model is that architects aren’t trained on how to build or what things cost,” David explains in his conversation with Kevin and Corey. Historically, “architects came from the trades…The word [‘architect’] comes from the trades. You were an apprentice; you were a journeyman; you were a master; and now you can turn around and design and direct the work. And the book that I’m designing now—its working title is ‘Rebuilding the Architect’—a lot of it is about removing false information. Because it has been made to appear that the architect and the builder were always separated. But that is erroneous.” 

The conversation moved from the book to an exploration of the build-design model and how that differs from everything else. Dave’s origin story involves a speedy transition into starting his own business and how this fueled fire in the belly for writing it all out in a book.

Dave’s Mixtape Story involved Pearl Jam and a surprise twist involving his southern drawl and country music. 

Rhode Island native and architect David Andreozzi of Andreozzi Architecture didn’t even return to collect his clothes—he had them mailed to him—after an hour-long conversation with the Dean of the Division of Architecture & Design at RISD during a Christmas break back home. He sought out this conversation after realizing his penchant for design. This is a great example story explaining David’s respect for what empowerment can do for young people; as a beneficiary of being listened to and advised, David devotes much of his life as a mentor and ambassador to causes he believes in, including CORA (Congress of Residential Architecture), CRAN (Custom Residential Architects Network), the ICAA (Institute of Classical Architecture), and Lutyens Trust America. 

David also shared with us his process when it comes to working with clients and assembling a team. Cheryl, his wife of 40 years, has been integral to his success as well, including fostering in him an addiction…to watercolor painting, a move that has been helping David get over his fear of color. A visit to his website showcases just how successful David has been in overcoming his fears. 

This was such a great conversation, including a rockin’ music story beginning with Springsteen and ending with Sir Edwin Lutyens as the Jimi Hendrix of architecture.

Architect Chandon Georgian, Principal and Founder of 111Works, is ambitious. With a little money saved up and a couch to surf on, she moved from California to Boston. Freshly graduated from UC Berkeley, she hoped that a different home address would help her land a job as an architect. Her mother also moved across country to pursue an education in interior design when Chandon was in elementary school, modeling out for Chandon that moving across country to get what you want is sometimes what you have to do. 

Her father, a carpenter and design-builder who was always sketching, equally made an impression. By middle school Chandon was designing her own dream home on her mom’s drafting table. Not long after living in Boston, she took a trip abroad and met her future husband, who was also a Boston resident. Chandon went into more details about starting her own business, strategies for meeting new partners in the trades, advertising, getting published, awards, process, and more.

We’re lucky to be currently working with Chandon on a project, the Mothership, and are already excited to have her back. 

Chandon’s Boombox Story involved a hot pink duel-cassette deck Panasonic and an actual mixtape that she brought with her—which was a first for us! DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s hit, “You Saw My Blinker,” and “Angel Baby” by Angelica, were included on this treasure of a tape.

Michael Oh is an aerospace engineer who created what eventually became TSP Smart Home Integration when he was still living on campus at MIT. He was also our first podcast guest!

This past May Michael presented at the Luxury Home Design Summit, striking a chord with the audience, as it was among the most popular presentations of the three-day affair. Titled, “Designing for the Longevity Economy: The Next Major Growth Opportunity in Luxury Residential Design,” Michael translated “demographic, economic, and behavioral insights into clear commercial opportunities for architects and design professionals.”

Aging in place has been trending for years but Michael had a very fresh take on the topic. We played a clip from his presentation, cherry picking moments for him to follow up on. 

He is also what he calls a “serial entrepreneur.” We started our conversation with Michael unpacking that idea of “entrepreneur,” in that his partner in both life and business, Kjerstin (KJ) Oh, is very much a part of the business. She and Michael compliment each other, and this “team” approach doesn’t get talked about enough in our “raise-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps" culture where too many are led to believe that being a successful entrepreneur means a solitary endeavor where one person does it all.

Michael also shared his boombox story that was more of a CD playlist made to woo his future wife involving the Dixie Chicks and Bjork. We wished we could have gotten into more details, but the conversation quickly went to the technical—what type of CD and mp3 players of the day. Not a surprise!

A link to the video Michael mentioned about the suit that makes you feel like an 80-year-old can be found here: https://agelab.mit.edu/methods/agnes-age-gain-now-empathy-system.

Architect Jim Cappuccino, partner at Hutker Architects, gave a lecture titled, “A Career Shaped by Place,” as part of the Cummings Schools of Architecture Events Series at his alma mater, Roger Williams University. We invited him into the Boiler Room to talk about this lecture. Jim discovered the inevitability of his career trajectory, while putting together that presentation. What became apparent was that he became a residential architect "mostly through observation of these historic homes that I was surrounded by while growing up." He adds that his parents “pushed him in that direction.” But like so many, Jim had to leave home in order to rediscover it anew. This led to years of practice in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, before returning to New England.

As always, we asked Jim about his boombox story. It begins with weekends with Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 and a cassette tape, along with WHJY, known on-air as 94HJY, Providence, Rhode Island. 

Interior Designer Laura Keeler Pierce (pronounced “purse”) lived in fourteen different houses before she graduated high school. Each move had an impact on what music was available to her—a move to Connecticut marked her introduction to the radio station Z100 and living in Montreal led to her discovery of her favorite band, Stars. A hyperfixation on her surroundings was also a “leveling up” she experienced because of this nomadic lifestyle, so to speak. New construction because of needed renovations and then the decorating that would follow formed a bedrock of experience. A somewhat circuitous career eventually led Laura to RISD—Rhode Island School of Design—where she finally found her way into interior design. While she was still a student, a friend of hers asked Laura to design a condo in Charlestown. She accepted, and with support from a studio she was interning at, she took on the project and never looked backed. 

The launch of a new line of custom furniture is what prompted a visit to the Boiler Room for interior designer Christine Tuttle. But Christine has had an entire career in the art world long before interior design. From running a gallery on Nantucket at the age of 21 to a different type of launch, the famed Four Corners Gallery in Tiverton, Rhode Island, to art appraising, Christine’s origin story is dazzling. A childhood involving her father’s sprawl of Irish pubs on the Cape and live music, tempered with the best of the British music scene—her father was of English descent—made up her fabulous music story.

On June 11th, we hosted a panel discussion titled, “Giving Back,” where we invited leaders in Boston’s build-design community to share their stunning stories on what they are doing to make the world a better place. It was so inspirational that we wanted to make it available for streaming.

Julie Arcari, of Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting, Patty Watson, of Taste Design Inc. in Middletown, RI, and Paul Reidt, of Kochman Reidt + Haigh Cabinetmakers, made up the panel, with Kevin moderating.

Julie Arcari, of Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting, shared how she and her family wanted to make sure their team could afford homes and enjoy a secure life. What she calls a “sort of extension” of this care led to a focus on girls of their weavers who were being denied an education in Afghanistan. Over the years her fundraising to support the schooling formalized into the “5 Under 40” event, with partner New England Home, raising almost $700,000 for Barakat Inc, the organization making it happen. Additional charitable partnerships with Sola: School of Leadership Afghanistan, and GoodWeave have followed.

Patty Watson, of Taste Design Inc., spoke of her team’s practice of finishing their projects with original art and how this positioned the firm to identify a unique way they could change the lives of artists: creating an artist-in-residency program within their own office space. Over the course of the year-long placement, they introduce the artist to their community, including their clients. They also get granular, covering “how to price…present…[and] frame their work.” Unexpected was the transformation of her team, where they are now very comfortable “recommending…brokering…and commissioning art and doing really custom pieces for their clients.” To date “500 clients, 75 art placements, and 35 commissioned pieces” have been made, with each commissioned piece representing at least one year of work.

Paul Reidt, of Kochman Reidt + Haigh Cabinetmakers, as well as the founder of the long-running B/A/D Talks, shared how he founded this discussion series because at the time, there wasn’t a program where builders, architects, and designers could get together in such a way. In addition, Paul mentioned building a space on his own property for people seeking medical care in the Boston area, most of whom are families seeking care for their children, with stays often lasting for months. But he opened his portion of the panel by praising North Bennet Street School, of which he is a long-time board member. He reminded the audience that the School is the oldest trade school in the country that started as a “settlement house during a period of heavy immigration…to provide the means of transitioning to a new world for people,” including not just trade skills but language instruction and a social component, too. He also spoke eloquently of how “there’s not been enough value put on what we call ‘hand trades.’” 

Kevin moderated the panel but also took some time to share his own stories of giving over the years. He began with the importance of storysharing, acknowledging the importance of how those who give need to share how they do it so they can not only inspire others but share how these programs originated and were carried out. He spoke of the work he’s done with the ICAA, Historic New England, BRAGB, IFDA, PRO New England, Boston Preservation Alliance, and more, in trying to connect them to his world. The educational outreach taking place in the Boiler Room, such as the Boiler Room Breakfast Club and Coffee & Cabinets events, are another way Cradock gives back. Pro-bono work with the Eliot School, Loring Greenough House, and the Wellesley ABC home were mentioned. He closed with the simple message: “Find something that connects with your values and contribute.”

Original date of panel: 6/11/26
Media partner: New England Home