Duncan Hughes Interiors

01/07/2008 Posted by oceans99

It was a long time coming, but we finally decided to hire an interior designer. My mother and my husband were unsure of the value of such a thing, but having used interior designers before I knew a good one could be a lifesaver. Now that the job(s) are complete everyone in my family are converts (including my husband and mom). It took a little while for us to get on Duncan's schedule, but once we did we felt like we were important clients. We started out by hiring Duncan Hughes to convert our teenager's room (who is now off at college) into a proper guest room. This involved not only carpeting, furniture, and window treatments, but some changes to the electrical in the room to allow for recessed lighting and power / cable outlets for a remote office. Most all of Duncan Hughes' recommendations were just perfect. Not always what we would have dared pick out, but ultimately the best choice for the room and our lifestyle. I always felt very involved in the process - he explained himself well, and made sure we were comfortable with the choices he was presenting us before we made any decisions. He was respectful of our budget (although we did go over budget a bit, there were some shipping charges that we did not plan on). We are about to call Duncan Hughes back to (finally) upgrade our kitchen, master bedroom and master bathroom. I am really looking forward to working with Duncan and his team again! Thanks for everything. Amy, Bob, Matthew and Zoe, Boston.

Pros: Work style, punctuality, value for the money

Cons: Took a bit longer than we thought it would

09/05/2007 Posted by rachaelmo

We had been using the same designer for 18 years, he moved away and we were scrambling for a replacement. Duncan Hughes was suggested to us by a family friend. What set Duncan Hughes apart -- besides his sophisticated interior design concepts -- was his project management skills. Every time we met he was so organized and always seemed to "see the big picture". His rates were competitive with other high-end designers in Boston -- and my husband has commented on the value of his work (my husband does not always say things like that!) We are almost finished with our new apartment in Boston, and I can't wait to stretch out on the gorgeous chaise lounge we chose for the study and just enjoy my surroundings.... Duncan Hughes Interiors really did do a fantastic job, and we are happy to have a new interior designer we can depend on.

Pros: diplomatic & motivated, creative ideas

06/18/2007 Posted by mrobby

Duncan Hughes was recommended by a close friend of my husband's, and I am so thankful that we received this recommendation. Over the past 8 months we have renovated our kitchen and one of our bathrooms, as well as completed the interior design and decor of our family room and living room. Duncan asked us lots of questions at the start of our relationship, then seemed to know what would appeal to us in terms of interior design from that point on. We found Duncan Hughes and his team to be organized, professional, and very focused on the aesthetic appeal as well as the functionality of the final desgin. We learned alot about the complexities of the interior design process along the way. We liked the way that Duncan always gave us choices - we always felt like we were in control of the process. Our expectations were always set ahead of time (and in most cases the results exceeded our expectations). I would recommend Duncan Hughes Interiors to anyone.

Pros: Efficient, detailed, and friendly

Cons: None

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/12/2007 Posted by toriandjon

After a bit of a slow start (both of our schedules encountered some snags), we were off and running. From concept all the way through demolition, construction, furniture selection, drapes, and the final installation Duncan was a complete pleasure to work with. We stayed very close to the budget I had in mind and I couldn't be more pleased with the way things look now. I plan to hire Duncan Hughes Interiors again to reinvigorate our master suite and bathroom. -- Victoria and Jon, Brookline, MA

Pros: Creative thinking

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/17/2007 Posted by levisyes

I went into this with some apprehension. Truthfully, I wasn't even sure at first if I even needed an interior designer. My girlfriend suggested that I look into my options in regards to some upgrades I needed in my condo. The bathroom was stuck in the 80's - the kitchen was newer, but done by the previous owner and highly impractical. I also need some furniture and color advice and had no idea where to begin. I called Duncan Hughes Interiors after searching around on the web, and asking a few friends for suggestions. I met with a couple other designers, but Duncan Hughes really stood out as someone that I could work with on a collaborative basis (my girlfriend had some opinions on how the place should look and Duncan was happy to take her input and run with it). We took some chances as far as I am concerned in regards to some of the tiles, fixtures and colors but now that I see it all together I can't really remember why I was apprehensive. My place is now somewhere that I am psyched to bring my guy friends to when we want to hang out on weekends or watch a game. My girlfriend is also very happy with the results and loves to show it off to her girlfriends and family. Overall, the services, input, professionalism, and positive attitute we experienced were much more than we expected. David B., South End

Pros: Attitude, resources

Cons: None

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/09/2006 Posted by applewayfarm

My husband Robert and I feel that we have really benefitted from the services of Duncan Hughes. We waited a long time to finally hire an interior designer. The kids are all out of the house now, and instead of moving into a smaller home we decided to renovate and decorate our current home in Harvard Square. It was a very exciting process and although our lives were in a bit of chaos for a short time during the kitchen renovation, it was a very linear, organized process. Duncan Hughes and the contractors were all very professional and detail oriented. The way the cabinets, countertops, flooring, furniture, fabrics and accessories all work together is really amazing. Not "over-decorated", very serene and beautiful. I also feel much more organized since the last piece of furniture was installed. We'd use Duncan Hughes Interiors again in a heartbeat!

Pros: Good listener, helped us see the big picture

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

11/16/2006 Posted by bowling15

Well, we selected Duncan Hughes Interiors from a list of potential candidates, and I have not regretted it for a second. We really thought we could do it all ourselves, but we realized soon enough that this was not really true - that's when we met with Duncan Hughes. I am embarrased to say really, but we made some bad purchases before we hired Duncan Hughes (both the wrong size for the room, and the wrong material for our growing family). We had to take the loss of getting rid of one of the purchases that we originally made, but they made the rest of the purchases work (even though my wife's chosen end-table ended up doing double-duty in my den instead). The process started with choosing an appropriate color pallete for our house, then moved into bathroom renovation and furniture selection, window treatments and "stuff". The place looks and feels great and we all feel more at home in our new house. - Albert and Lucinda

Pros: Enjoyable to work with, honest

11/06/2006 Posted by jillsev23

Our project with Duncan Hughes Interiors went very well. I think we may have driven everyone crazy with our multitude of constant questions, and our indecision at times...but Duncan was always patient with us, leading us to make the right decisions for us but never forcing his ideas. We all really loved his ideas and the personal attention he gave. The painters, installers, and carpenters he found for us were all really great - we are so happy with the interior design process, and with our resulting new rooms. Truly a wonderful experience. Duncan Hughes Interiors is highly recommended by us. -Jill, Martin, Susan and Amy

Pros: Service with a smile, focused on details and troubleshooting

10/31/2006 Posted by vivianeast

My sister and her husband recommended Duncan Hughes Interiors after some work had been completed at their home. The project was not complete yet, but I could see from the plans that Duncan Hughes had put together some really well thought out ideas. Based on that I hired Duncan Hughes for a "re-do" of our living room/dining area. He really helped us push our boundaries of what we would have normally chosen, but left us with a home that is timeless (not trendy), and one that we will not need to redecorate for many years to come. We couldn't be more pleased with the results. Even though my project was started after my sister's, it turned out that they were both finished at almost the same time. We all love our "new" place. -Vivian, Manuel, and family...

Pros: Execution, planning

Cons: none that i can think of....

10/25/2006 Posted by marilynree

After Duncan Hughes Interiors finished our kitchen renovation last month, I feel like I have been transformed from the 1980's to the future! Our old junky kitchen just did not live up to the work Duncan Hughes had done in the rest of our Newton home. But after the project was completed, I feel like I have a new lease on the culinary world! The workspaces are well-thought-out, the functionality and design and overall appearance of our kitchen is just everything we dreamed of! We all just love the new kitchen. The idea of renovation was worrysome to me, but it turned out any disruption to our lives was well worth it. Thanks Duncan Hughes for a job well done! - Marilyn and Bob, Newton, MA

Pros: Efficient, educated, professional

Cons: None