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How to Use AD PRO’s Boston Designer and Architect Directory: 32 Names to Know

The AD PRO Boston roundup is a discovery list, not a ranking. Learn which practices it names, what project signals it provides, and how to verify fit, fees, availability, and experience before hiring.

By ThatPainter Team 18 October 2026
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The AD PRO directory roundup is a starting point for finding Boston- and New England-area interior designers and architects, not a ranking or a hiring recommendation. Published by Elizabeth Stamp on February 9, 2026, it brings together practices associated with renovations, historic homes, new construction, hospitality, commercial interiors, multifamily work, and adaptive reuse.

The headline and introduction call the selection 32, while an indexed version has shown 31. Hacin appears twice—once under interior design and once under architecture—so treat the number as the roundup’s label rather than an independently audited count.

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What the AD PRO Boston directory does—and does not—tell you

The roundup is designed for discovery. It gives a reader names to investigate when planning a residential renovation, a new build, an interior refresh, or a commercial project in Boston, New England, or, in some cases, farther afield. Its descriptions highlight examples of work and broad design approaches, but they do not create a standardized scorecard.

No firm is presented as “best,” and the directory does not establish comparative quality, current availability, fees, credentials, geographic coverage, or client references. Those details can change and must be confirmed with each practice before you hire.

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The list also combines two kinds of professional services. Interior designers may focus on concepts, space planning, finishes, furnishings, procurement, and coordination. Architects may lead building design, additions, code-sensitive renovations, and construction documentation. Some practices offer both disciplines or collaborate across them. The distinction matters because the professional you need depends on whether your project changes only the interior experience or also the building itself.

The names included in the roundup

These are the practices named in the AD PRO feature. The order below is not a ranking.

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Interior-design entries

  • Katie Martinez Design
  • Hacin (Interior Design)
  • Lawless Design
  • Katie Rosenfeld and Co.
  • Sarah Scales Design Studio
  • Gina Baran
  • Gary McBournie, Inc.
  • Honey Collins Interiors
  • Sashya Thind
  • Jody Fierz Interior Design, Inc.
  • Trevor Fulmer Design
  • Jess Klein Studio
  • Kathy Marshall Design
  • JN Interior Spaces
  • Nina Farmer Interiors
  • Desiree Burns Interiors
  • Vani Sayeed Studios
  • Eleven Interiors
  • Daher Interior Design
  • Nicole Hogarty Designs
  • Elms Interior Design
  • Planeta Design Group
  • Dane Austin Design
  • Lisa Tharp Design
  • Casagrande Studio
  • Liz Caan & Co.
  • Moore House Design

Architecture entries

  • Mass Architect
  • David Sharff Architect
  • ART Architects
  • Hacin (Architects)

Hacin’s two entries reflect the practice’s architecture and interior-design sides, rather than two unrelated companies. Because the published count and indexed count differ, use the names and disciplines as your working list instead of relying on the number alone.

Project signals the feature highlights

The article’s descriptions are useful as prompts for further questions. They are editorial snapshots, not independently audited records of every service a firm currently provides.

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Interdisciplinary work at Hacin

Hacin is described as an interdisciplinary Boston practice spanning architecture and interiors. The feature associates its work with residential, hospitality, multifamily, office, restaurant, and adaptive-reuse projects. If your project crosses disciplines—such as converting an older building into a mixed-use property—ask whether the relevant architecture and interior teams are both available and how responsibilities are divided.

Historic homes, detailed new builds, and custom fabrication

Kathy Marshall Design is associated in the feature with historic homes, detailed new construction, bespoke furnishings, and millwork. A homeowner considering a period property can use that description to ask about preservation constraints, compatibility between old and new elements, shop-drawing review, and who manages custom fabrication.

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Vintage furnishings and design history

Nina Farmer Interiors is described as drawing on vintage furnishings, art, and design history. That may be relevant if you want a layered interior built around collected pieces rather than a fully new furnishing package. Ask how the designer handles sourcing, condition assessment, conservation concerns, storage, and insurance for valuable or fragile objects.

Renovations, additions, new builds, and energy efficiency

Mass Architect is associated with renovations, additions, new construction, and energy-efficiency considerations. For a building project, clarify whether the practice’s proposed scope includes feasibility, permitting, technical drawings, consultant coordination, construction administration, and post-occupancy follow-up. Energy goals should be translated into measurable targets and a clear responsibility matrix.

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Other project types represented

Across the roundup, the examples span residential and commercial interiors, hospitality, historic properties, new construction, adaptive reuse, and projects beyond Boston. The feature does not provide a uniform project history for every listed practice, so do not infer a firm’s experience from its name or from another firm’s description. Request comparable, completed work directly.

How to identify the right kind of professional

Start with the physical scope

Write down what will change before contacting anyone. A furnishings and finishes refresh may be primarily an interior-design engagement. Moving walls, changing stairs, adding an extension, altering windows, or converting a building usually requires architectural services and may involve engineers, surveyors, and permitting authorities.

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If the scope is mixed, look for a practice that can provide both services or explain how it collaborates with an outside architect. Put the division of responsibility in writing so that design decisions, drawings, specifications, and site questions do not fall between teams.

Match the project type and scale

A single-room renovation, a whole-house restoration, a ground-up residence, a restaurant, and a multifamily redevelopment have different schedules, consultant needs, procurement workloads, and construction risks. Ask each candidate for two or three completed projects close to yours in size, complexity, building type, and location. A polished portfolio alone does not prove that the firm has managed your project category.

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Test the design approach with evidence

Describe the atmosphere, materials, and level of customization you want, then ask the designer to show relevant completed work. For a historic house, discuss how original details are documented and protected. For a new build, ask how architecture, interiors, lighting, cabinetry, and landscape decisions are coordinated. If you want vintage or collected interiors, ask how sourcing and authentication work. The goal is to test working compatibility, not to assign a style label.

Confirm geography and travel expectations

Some practices described in the roundup work outside Boston or New England. Confirm the service area for your address, whether the team makes regular site visits, how travel is billed, and whether local consultants or contractors are already part of the practice’s network. A firm’s willingness to take a project is not the same as its ability to staff it effectively.

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A practical shortlisting process

  1. Define the brief. Record the property type, location, approximate size, desired completion date, required construction, and the decisions you want the professional to own.
  2. Separate must-haves from preferences. Note preservation requirements, accessibility goals, energy targets, sustainability priorities, technology needs, and any furnishings or art that must remain.
  3. Choose a broad first list. Select several names from the directory whose described project experience appears relevant. Keep architecture and interior-design needs separate until you know whether one practice can cover both.
  4. Review comparable work. Ask for recently completed projects similar in scope and budget. Look for evidence of the full process, not only finished photographs.
  5. Hold focused consultations. Give each candidate the same brief and ask how they would investigate, schedule, coordinate, and communicate. Consistent questions make differences easier to see.
  6. Request a written proposal. It should identify services, deliverables, exclusions, schedule assumptions, fee structure, reimbursable expenses, procurement terms, and the people assigned to the project.
  7. Check references before signing. Speak with clients whose projects are complete or substantially complete. Ask about communication, budget changes, site issues, purchasing, and how disagreements were resolved.
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Questions to ask during consultations

  • Have you completed a project with the same building type and level of intervention?
  • Who will be my day-to-day contact, and who will make senior-level decisions?
  • What services are included from concept through construction or installation?
  • Which tasks are handled by outside architects, engineers, contractors, or specialty consultants?
  • How do you document existing conditions in an older building?
  • How do you develop and track the project budget?
  • How are furnishings, artwork, and custom millwork selected, purchased, stored, inspected, and installed?
  • How often will we meet, and what decisions must I make at each phase?
  • What is your current availability, and how many projects will the proposed team handle simultaneously?
  • Can you provide references for comparable completed work?

Costs, contracts, and scope: what to verify

The roundup does not publish a standardized fee schedule, and it does not establish that any listed practice uses a particular pricing model. A proposal may use a fixed fee, hourly billing, a percentage of construction cost, procurement fees, or a combination. Ask the firm to explain exactly when each charge applies.

Check whether the proposal covers programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, site visits, installation, and closeout. For architecture, verify who is responsible for permit submissions and construction administration. For interiors, verify whether product sourcing, receiving, warehousing, damage claims, and returns are included or billed separately.

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Make sure the contract explains how revisions are handled, what happens if the schedule changes, how either party can terminate, and who owns drawings, specifications, and photographs. If your project involves a condominium, historic district, or commercial lease, identify approval requirements before design work begins.

Common mistakes when using a directory

Treating visibility as a ranking

Being included in a design publication does not establish that a practice is the best choice for your budget, timeline, property, or communication style. Use the feature to build a candidate list, then evaluate evidence specific to your project.

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Assuming a portfolio image represents the whole service

Photographs may show a finished room but not the drawings, permitting, procurement, site coordination, or problem-solving behind it. Ask what the firm actually handled and which collaborators were involved.

Skipping operational checks

Availability, current staffing, service area, fees, credentials, and references are not consistently established in the roundup. Verify each item directly, in writing where possible, before you commit a deposit or release a design package.

Choosing by style alone

Aesthetic alignment matters, but so do documentation, communication, budget control, and construction experience. A designer whose images appeal to you may still be a poor fit if the practice does not take your project type or cannot provide the level of oversight you need.

What a strong final shortlist looks like

Keep two or three serious candidates rather than sending the same brief to every name in the directory. Your shortlist should include evidence of comparable work, a clearly defined scope, a realistic service area, a workable schedule, transparent fees, and references you can contact. For projects that combine architecture and interiors, confirm whether one integrated team or a coordinated pair will produce the clearest accountability.

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The AD PRO roundup is most useful when treated as the first filter in that process. It broadens your awareness of practices serving Boston and New England; your own brief, interviews, proposals, and reference checks determine which one is appropriate.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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