Matthew Boland, 45, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Raised in Paradise Valley, Matthew attended Brophy College Preparatory before studying Historic Preservation at Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Matthew went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at University of Idaho in Interior Architecture. Now based in Scottsdale, Matthew has been providing a broad-spectrum of design services to a national and international profile of residential and commercial clients for over 15 years. In October 2004, House Beautiful Magazine named him one of “America’s Top Young Designers”, inspiring him to open his own design firm.
Since the beginning of his career, Matthew’s work has been profiled in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and other trade publications. He has a passion for architecture, design, and contemporary art that has taken him on countless, international excursions. This curiosity and exposure provides him with a broader understanding of other cultures, styles, and customs; inspiring a deeper repertoire of innovative ideas.
Opening in 2005, MMB Studio, Inc. has experienced steady growth and retained a diverse clientele, seeking an all-encompassing, interior design firm. MMB Studio specializes in residential design, but is also involved with select commercial design, private aircrafts and luxury yachts. MMB Studio currently has work all over the United States.
Another passion project of Matthew’s is his business Main Dish Launched in 2013, Main Dish has quickly become the go-to resource for all things tabletop, including dinnerware, flatware, stemware, barware, linens (napkins, towels and bedding) and more. Main Dish is part store and part showroom. Customers can shop for an array of unique items for the home, including gleaming bar carts, sumptuous cashmere throws, bathroom accessories, cut crystal vases, aromatic candles, serving trays. With more than 80 lines displayed, many exclusive to Main Dish, there is truly something for every style, every occasion and every budget. We are different from most other tabletop retailers in the sense that we don’t show anything by a typical 5-piece place setting; Matthew believes your tabletop should be as unique as you.
Q
What’s your wakeup and go to bed rituals?
A.
3:45am wake up, feed my two Border Terriers Liza and Asher, stretching & workout, coffee & breakfast (I have the same thing everyday) shower & dressing, in the studio by 7:15am.
Evening is the opposite, when I finally get home, I undress first into comfortable nightware, dinner, Netflix for an hour with the dogs and my husband Chris and I’m in bed and asleep before 9pm.
Q
First investment piece of furniture you purchased?
A.
(4) John Saladino Tejas Chairs, they follow me to every house and have been recovered a
million times.
Q
Best way to take a rest/decompress?
A.
Q
Best gift you’ve ever received?
A.
Friendship, you can’t buy it you can only gift it and you have to work to maintain it and take
care of it.
Q
Best compliment you’ve ever received?
A.
The house finally look and feels like me and my family.
Q
If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be?
A.
I love my life, so no, but it is fun to have new experiences with new people or artisans.
Q
Are there qualities in potential clients that you identify that make you know you have to run away?
A.
Dismissive personalities; Copycats – Clients that only want a home that someone else had created for themselves, rather than exploring their own wants and needs and experience.
Q
How did you get started in this field?
A.
I started in Historic Preservation and transitioned to Interior Architecture at school. I joined a small firm when I was 18 interning at first and was hired after graduating with my degree. I opened my studio about a decade later the year that I was turning 30.
Q
What was the first project you worked on?
A.
The first project that I ever worked on, I am still working on today. They have been amazing Patron clients and we have had many adventures and continue to push the envelope.
Q
Who is your role model and why?
A.
My grandmother on my father’s side. She lived to be 101 and never let any one or anything hold her back.
Q
Best advice you’d give your teenage self?
A.
Don’t be in such a hurry! And calm down!
Q
How do you define beauty?
A.
The ability to exude a feeling in another individual without them consciously knowing you are
doing so.
Q
What do you consider to be your career highlight?
A.
Having a team that respects me, clients that ask me to continue to work with them long after our first project and they ability to honestly say that I love what I do.
Q
What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had?
A.
How fast my life is going. We dream of what we will be when we grow up, we just don’t expect the time to fly by! Enjoy every second of every day and always do what you love with those that you truly respect and care for.
