If the mark of successful interior design is a blend of styles and personalities, why not seek the same in a designer? On the job, Susan Orpin is a serious aesthete with an extensive résumé. But catch her off-hours, and you might meet someone else entirely: “She is Latin, her name is Sue Ellen, and she has a morning talk show in Salem, Oregon, called Despierta con Sue Ellen,” Orpin explains.

“I was railroaded into the alter ego by two friends. It’s great fun—she says lots of things I would never!” What Orpin herself will tell you is the truth. “Bostonians are very frank people,” she says. “[They] want to know that the design is a good investment.” To illustrate its value, Orpin begins any project with meticulous drawings, whether it is a renovation or new construction.