Elms Interior Design
South End, Massachusetts
(17)
South End, Massachusetts
(17)
17 customer reviews
Alex
What do I think of Dee’s design philosophy? Bold, practical, timeless. If that’s what you are looking for, look no further than Elms ID.
Dee was able to strike the perfect balance between accommodating my vision for the project and providing guidance with her design style when necessary. There are always moments of hesitation in the design process — the uncertainty that can come with deciding between colors, finishes or furnishings — but Dee has the amazing ability to stretch the limits of your creativity, yet still make you feel comfortable and confident in your ultimate choice. I was blown away walking into my newly renovated home in the end, but Dee knew all along how amazing everything would turn out.
What completes the package is Dee’s incredible team. They are talented, efficient, thorough, and really a pleasure to work with. The whole renovation process was truly worry free because Dee’s team was able to make everything magically happen behind the scenes.
It was such fun working with Dee and her team. They have so fabulously helped make my new unit feel like home.
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Reviewed on Houzz
Anthony Miklaszewski
Awesome area rug! Great choice - (from The Rug Company), I really like that style! If you are looking for an Interior Designer, look no more. You have found Elms Interior Design! More...
Reviewed on Houzz
backofthecar
We are thrilled with our Terrat Elms transformation! Dee Elms immediately understood the look we were going for: classic but fresh. She made our South End house brighter, livelier and more functional. She has great relationships with excellent local subs and her in-house team (especially Carolyn, Stacy and Ashley) is a strong complement to her vision. It was such a pleasure working with Dee; we highly recommend Terrat Elms. More...
Reviewed on Houzz
wolkoff
I hired Dee Elms to furnish and put the finishing touches on my townhouse. Had not worked with her before. Saw her work in magazines and loved the look which I thought had a contemporary twist on the traditional look that I was seeking. The end result was just what I had hoped for. Sophisticated but not overdone. Colors are beautiful. Dee and her team are easy to work with and go the extra mile to get things right. More...
Reviewed on Houzz
Lauren Holleran
If you're looking to transform your living space, look no further than Dee Elms and the rest of her awesome team at Terrat-Elms.
We planned to do a renovation/refresh of our 1870s Victorian in Cambridge, MA. We had a sense for our general aesthetic and what we wanted to do functionally. Our very modest goals were to create a gorgeous and wildly functional space with tons of storage, to facilitate and contain the chaos of life with four small kids. We wanted contemporary elements, but didn't want to sacrifice the Victorian charm of our home. No big deal, right? Not for Dee, thank goodness. She gave equal attention to function and design - and though I took some good natured ribbing for my obsession with eeking out every last available space for storage, she came up with creative ideas that maximized utility without sacrificing design. For example, now each of our kids has their own drawer - a huge 18"x16" size that allows us to gently store all of their half baked creations, and get them off the counters. We have a technology drawer that stores all of the gadgets and has an internal charging station, which wrangles all of the cords and related paraphernalia in one place. And somehow Dee and our contractor figured out how to make it look beautiful and how to integrate all of it without taking away any of our living space. Dee and her team quickly figured out where my wife's and my preferences overlapped, and patiently and skillfully guided us toward design choices we both absolutely love. While being all business, Dee manages to also have a warm and funny approach. Everywhere we went with Dee - whether to the hardware store for drawer handles, or to the Design Center for bathroom & kitchen tile, it is clear that the strength and warmth of her relationships with various vendors makes them willing to go the extra mile for Dee, and ultimately serves to maximize Dee's effectiveness with her clients.
Once we had the hard finishes picked out, we moved on to select some furniture to complement our new living spaces. Some items were easy - by that point, Dee knew us well enough to show us three options and we were able to pick one in a matter of minutes. When we had a reasonably clear idea of what we wanted, but couldn't find the right thing (an entry table with two drawers, for example), Dee had a custom builder ready to bang out exactly what we wanted, and for about the same cost as the retail ones we considered. Once again, Dee's industry relationships serve to help her find the perfect option for us. During the project, our budget would swing from time to time from expansion to contraction. If we spent more on a light fixture than we had planned (Dee knows the one :), then she was good at finding other places where we could perhaps spend a bit less.
Intellectually I knew all along that Dee had many clients and projects in the works, but she always made us feel like we were her #1 client - she is fast on email and text, and she has an excellent support team to handle invoicing and other administrative details.
Literally (and I mean that in the literal sense), every day we say to each other how lucky we feel to live in our house. It is more beautiful and more functional than we even could have imagined, thanks largely to Dee and her team!
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jillpenna
After interviewing many design firms, my husband and I hired Dee Elms from Terrat Elms to help us renovate our condo in Boston. We worked with Dee and her team for well over a year. She was wonderful to work with and she and her team (Thank you Heather Herndon!) managed our project seamlessly. The subs and vendors TE brought into our home were all very professional . Upon completion, we couldn't be happier with our home! I can't recommend Terrat Elms highly enough and would encourage anyone contemplating hiring a designer to contact Dee Elms. Believe me, you won't be disappointed! More...
Reviewed on Houzz
katewnicholson
We highly recommend the team at Terrat Elms! My husband and I have different styles and TE worked so hard to help merge our tastes, guide us in selecting smart updates to our space and in the end provide us with an amazing home. They took a generic contractor renovated space and turned it into something extremely special and very "us". They came to us with unique ideas and seamlessly handled all aspects while we lived off site. Dee and team have impeccable taste and I completely trust their judgement. All of their subs and vendors were top notch as well. The finished product well exceeded our expectations and we couldn't be happier. More...
Reviewed on Houzz
frady
Going from a traditional home to something more urban was a challenge for me but Dee, Andrew and Jen made it a pleasure.
Our new place in boston was done in a very timely pace with gentle encouragement and a push when I needed it. True professionals in every sense. We sold all our furniture that I was emotionally attached to so they kept a few pieces and incorporated them beautifully. I appreciated that.
I was traveling a lot with a lot going on and they made it seamless for me.
I would hire them again anytime.
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Reviewed on Houzz
saconesset
We have worked with Terrat Elms three times. The first was an apartment in Boston over ten years ago. The second was a "refresh" of our Boston apartment about two years ago.
Our most recent project with them was a home on the Cape. The Cape house was started from scratch and they participated from the beginning. This included the interior design with the architect and contractor. and the design of many of the built-ins.
We have been happy with their work each time. They spent enough time up front to understand us, what we liked, and what we wanted the final product to be like. They listened well and were willing to offer alternatives.
They made parts of the process that could have been painful (like picking tile, plumbing, fabrics, and paint colors) relatively painless. They also will mix moderately priced furniture with higher end furniture when it will make a difference. Dee, Andrew and their team effectively work together with each other. They have a great vision that becomes clear when you see the final product coming together.
They worked well as a team with our contractors. Our contractor and architect both loved them and appreciated their willingness to listen. It turned out to be a very effective team.
The process is fun and you will get value from a great final product.
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Reviewed on Houzz
lgoodstein
We worked with Dee, Andrew and Sarah on a renovation of our 90-year old Cambridge home. We are delighted with the contributions they made to our sophisticated and tranquil new space. They did a wonderful job of interpreting our vague and unclear ideas in to a plan of stone and tile, fixtures, colors, furnishings and window coverings that suited us perfectly. Their design sense is impeccable. More...
Reviewed on Houzz
debspielman
I have had the pleasure of working with Terrat Elms on several projects over the past 5 years. I am a project manager representing a client that has hired Dee and Andrew to decorate multiple residences. They are wonderful to work with! I find them to be very focused on detail; they are flexible and creative designers. We have had many design challenges over the years and they always follow thru and come up with wonderful ideas. Our client recently moved to a beautiful home where Dee and Andrew were asked to blend new and existing furniture. They met the challenge and created a fantastic home! I'm looking forward to working with them on the next project! More...
Reviewed on Houzz
BklynBoritaliano M.
Andrew and Dee are two of the most talented individuals out. I found out about them through This Old House on TV. They did a beautiful job that exceeded my expectations on my home. They are not only talented but competent. WOW! I could not be happier. They are well worth the money spent. I've done much shopping around and found there are almost no design firms worth their paint that would take a job for less than 50k, and if they did it would be pro bono. I can't recommend them enough. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
fas6
We worked with Terrat Elms on a complete revision of our Back Bay condo (new at the time). They were wonderful to work with, got the project done on time, and had fantastic ideas which they carried out to a level that exceeded our expectations. I highly recommend them!
Reviewed on Houzz
Saminda Cooray
Dee and Alicia did a wonderful interior design job at our apartment in Boston. It has been transformed in to a warm and welcoming house for us. Their ability to understand our ideas and turn it in to reality was remarkable. Sketches were all done and presented with every other detail and practical suggestions including costing before the project initiates. They are a team of professionals and considerate of their client’s time and budget. We highly recommend working with them on any design project. More...
Reviewed on Houzz
newbritainhulda
Our house was gut renovated by the television show This Old House so it was a complicated project with many players. From the beginning I was impressed by the ability of everyone on the Terrat Elms team to work well with the other partners including architects, the kitchen designer, tilers, painters, television crew, etc.
With so many partners there were times when big egos were clashing but that was never the case with Terrat Elms. Dee and Andrew, the two principals at Terrat Elms, are the consummate professionals.
One of the things that most impressed us about Dee and Andrew was how organized they were. They and their staff did an incredible job of keeping track of the infinite details that go along with renovating a house. Initially, I was a bit of a sceptic about hiring designers because I had a clear design vision going into the project, but I discovered that for the organizational piece alone it was well worth it. I think that having Terrat Elms involved saved us money because no one was ever kept waiting for an answer. They were always available and had the answers at the ready.
The thing that most impressed us about Dee and Andrew, and in many ways the most lasting since we are now living in the house they helped us design, was their ability to connect us with products and people we would not have known about otherwise. Our favorite items in our home, a felted wool rug from FilzFelt in South Boston and a custom, hand-blown glass lighting fixture designed and fabricated by glass artist Carrie Gustafsson, were both introduced to us by Terrat Elms. Dee and Andrew have deep and wide relationships throughout the Boston design world including with woodworkers, artists, and up-and-coming designers of many products. I think this appreciation for the artists and artisans in the community really sets Terrat Elms apart from their competition.
I would highly recommend that anyone looking to renovate a room, a whole house or anything in between contact Terrat Elms. They are a delight to work with and the results speak for themselves!
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Reviewed on Houzz
ajp58
Andrew & Dee(& Alicia) did an amazing job for my family when living in Boston! They were so wonderful to work with, always presented EVERY penny upfront so there was never,ever a last minute fee or surprise charge we didn't expect.
They were kind & patient. And def became friends after the design process was over. My daughter's nursery was def my favorite project with them, when We walked into her amazing room for the first Time after it was competed I literally cried. Friends still ask to see pictures of that nursery & we haven't lived in the home in over 2 years! I am attaching a picture! I recommend them 1000000%, you will be disappointed if you chose someone else ;) i❤TEID!
PS- def just chose the $1000 & under bc I'm not comfortable
Putting how much we paid on here, but they were worth every penny spent!
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Reviewed on Houzz
jessicareardon
The team at Terrat Elms is terrific. They listened carefully and really understood our style. They worked well within the parameters we gave them and presented a lot of great, original ideas. We especially loved their recommendations for wall color, wall coverings, and tile. Our experiences purchasing furniture, rugs, and bedding with them were very positive as well. People who visit our house always comment on how beautiful it is and how much it seems like "us." More...
Reviewed on Houzz
