Duncan Hughes Interiors

We've been living with the results of Duncan Hughes' interior design work for about 8 months now. His team, along with our lovely contractor, and talented architect, worked hard to complete a full renovation on our Tudor style house in Weston. more

Our project consisted of redecoration of the living room, family room, and guest bedroom/office. We have previously worked with Duncan Hughes on our kitchen renovation (we never wrote a review for that, back in 2009, but we are still more than thrilled with our kitchen). The results of this recent project (almost completed as of this writing), is even more satisfying. Our living room needed an update (furniture, window treatments, paint, rugs, etc.) - but we wanted to keep some pieces, like my beloved writing desk from my great-grandmama. Duncan and his team really rolled with our initial direction, and helped us make some bold but perfect decisions. My husband most appreciated the way Duncan listened to what we wanted, both from a lifestyle perspective, as well as a taste perspective. He seems very easy-going, but also is clearly someone who makes things happen. We said many times that Duncan is equal parts talented interior designer, problem solver, and project manager. Everyone he suggested, from the painters to the electricians, were just fantastic. He also had no problem working with a plumber that we have used a few times over the years. Anyway, the living room is just so perfect for us (and, as promise, kid-friendly). The sofa and coffee table are my favorites. He obviously likes to mix old with new, which is our style too. He always gave us wonderful options to choose from. We have not had a guest yet in our second bedroom, but we are expecting praise for that from our first guest. The family room is the perfect balance between stunning and casual. It feels just very comfortable (well. the rug is not here yet, feel like we have been waiting forever for it, but hopefully soon?) We are both so happy that we have found Duncan Hughes Interiors. We could not be more pleased with the results. I'm so excited to come home from work every day now!! Thanks for all your efforts Duncan! more

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). Pros: Work style, punctuality, value for the money Cons: Took a bit longer than we thought it would more

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!) Pros: diplomatic & motivated, creative ideas more

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. Pros: Efficient, detailed, and friendly more

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 more

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. Pros: Attitude, resources more

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 more

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. Pros: Enjoyable to work with, honest more

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

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. Pros: Execution, planning Cons: none that i can think of.... more

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! Pros: Efficient, educated, professional more

I was not sure how I was going to manage it all... A new baby, a new house, and I was going back to work in a month! I knew I needed help getting the place together, so I interviewed numerous interior designers and after much internal debate (and conversations with my husband and sister) decided to hire Duncan Hughes. I am so happy to have made this decision! He came in, and I immediately started to feel better. He and his team really handled my project with great energy and focus. I really enjoyed all my meetings with Duncan, and I felt like he was very involved in all aspects of the project (I was warned that some designers pass you off to their juniors once you hire them - this was not the case). Pros: Excellent contractors, educational more

I knew working with an interior designer would be a potentialy intense experience, but I didn't count on enjoying it so much. It did take a little while until I felt that Duncan Hughes and I were on the same page in terms of what kind of style and results I was looking for, but once I was sure he knew what I was looking for I gave him a fairly long leash and am so happy with his creative results. The functionality of my home is even more than what I was looking for. I wanted a house that felt like I lived in it (if that makes any sense), not something overly decorated and ""untouchable"". The resulting style is sophisticated, worldly, intelligent, comfortable, elegant and inviting. Duncan Hughes has actually made me look forward to coming home after work! Thanks for all the hard work. Pros: great contractors and resources Cons: took a bit longer than I had wanted, but in the end that didn't matter at all more

Duncan Hughes Interiors did some work for us on our family room, bathrooms, living and dining room. We are so pleased with the results - I feel like our home is a true original that feels like it reflects our personality. The friends and family that have visited so far have all been impressed. We've already referred Duncan Hughes to one of our close friends. He chose beautiful and durable fabrics and furnishings (great for our lifestyle). All of his contractors and workmen really seemed to enjoy working with Duncan, and wanted to make him happy - the result of this made us very happy with the final workmanship (especially the very cool custom built-in unit in our family room). Looking forward to using Duncan Hughes again. Pros: Flexible, smart, organized more

We purchased a new 3 bedroom condo in the South End and hired Duncan Hughes Interiors to do the interior design and implementation. From the first meeting, we knew we made the right choice. Duncan's positive attitude and interest in our needs really impressed us. Carpenters, painters, upholsterers, electricians and flooring installers were all managed with impressive ease. The final results - including our fantastic wool and silk carpeting in the master bedroom - are a joy to behold. Thanks very much for all your efforts! Pros: Positive Attitude, listened to our needs more

Duncan Hughes Interiors was resourceful, creative, and organized. We found him through a work associate of mine who had hired Duncan Hughes for their loft in Manhattan. Ours was a large project in Newton, and at no time did I feel things were out of control. My wife is thrilled with the results. We really both felt that it was a collaborative effort between Duncan Hughes and us - and the result is a place that really feels like home. Much appreciated, and highly recommended. Pros: Detail-oriented, knowledgeable, reliable more

After a bad situation with a ""designer"" that really left us in the lurch, Duncan Hughes Interiors came in and straightened our place out. He took over and did everything (and more) that we had expected from the other person we had hired. I just wish we had hired Duncan Hughes first instead of wasting our time and money with someone else. Pros: Resources, friendliness, easy to work with more

Hiring Duncan Hughes Interiors was the best decision we made after buying our new house. We only needed some guidance on choosing paint colors, and some other furniture and carpets to go with what we had. Duncan Hughes not only helped us select all of the items we needed, but provided the painters and carpet installers and managed their work. Duncan Hughes really made it all seem easy. Pros: excellent painters, honest, efficient more

My husband resisted hiring a decorator but is now begging Duncan Hughes to review everything, including our summer camp.He turned our big vanilla box of a new house into a warm, comfortable home. I was overwhelmed by our big new house, and he transformed the aesthetic and made it inviting, warm, and functional. He's able to find a beautiful object in what looks like a pile of junk to me. I purchased some antiques two years ago on Duncan's advice. I now realize they were a steal. We learned so much in the process. Duncan was respectful of our budget, while at the same time letting us know our options - always the decision to upgrade was up to us. While he will sometimes use the very best, he will often have an excellent secret source. We totally trust Duncan's judgment and highly recommend him. Pros: Diplomatic, Budget-conscious, Fun to work with more