Cecilia Casagrande Discusses Thoughtful Design And Its Limits

“Big box design” bothers Cecilia Casagrande and was at the top of her mind when she sat down with us in the Boiler Room to let us get to know her better. Hotels in London and holidays in the English countryside, backpacking in Europe and Africa, growing up on Long Island and Brooklyn and that one time she partied with Depeche Mode—Cecilia has had a wild, storied life. She’s a sorta fearless, ambitious go-getter who’s hung her hat in the quiet of Brookline. With a Master’s in social work, she spent years in service. The lure of design and its ability to channel this wondrous world into intimate spaces was eventually too much. She quit her job, changed her name, hung up a shingle, and hasn’t looked back. What an amazing conversation!