OK, I see one review for Mandarina Studio here, and it's pretty stellar. Let me second that, and…read moreadd a few more things. I retained their service when my partner and I bought a house in Brookline about a year ago. We decided that we basically get rid of all the stuff we had at that point and do the whole house based on a new concept, which we weren't sure about at that point. Plus, we are super busy people, professionally, so we couldn't spare lots of time on this project and so needed someone who was cool and dependable. And here (after we interviewed a few potential candidates) comes Amanda Reid, the principal of this design firm. She was something! First of all, she has such cool, sophisticated taste on everything we need advice on: furniture, wall color, redoing the whole kitchen and bathroom etc. We were originally into the super modern, kind of cold look, but she persuaded us to introduce some eclectic elements like antique pieces into the whole mix, and the resulting space is just unique, tasteful, and functional. Whenever we throw a home party, people who visit our house for the first time usually gasp entering the door. And we tell them we did everything by ourselves (just joking: we give the studio full credit gracefully and gratefully always). There are so many other things I can say, but this is already getting too long. Just a few more things. Amanda is super organized and a crystal clear communicator. Over the course of three-four months, she probably made hundreds, possibly thousands of decisions, small and big. She always presented in her inimitable perfectly clear way what our options were and executed everything in her effortless manner (her presentation skills are something to behold). At work, I interact with some of the smartest people in the world, but rarely have I witnessed such efficiency and transparency in communication. We wanted no headache, no pain, no drama because we are so busy, and Amanda definitely made our life easy. Anyway, to sum up, if you live in this area and have some big complex project, go with her. You wont' regret.

Principal designer and owner of Mandarina Studio, Amanda Reid has designed my personal residence, a…read morenewly acquired loft in Midtown West area of Manhattan in New York City. She was also responsible for interior renovations of common areas for several of my residential income producing properties in Boston and Manhattan. Through the entire process, Amanda demonstrated ultimate taste and passion for interior design. Her vision transformed outdated properties into contemporary stylish spaces. She was very considerate to my requirements and budget constraints. She didn't replace my vision with hers, like many designers do; instead, she adapted her vision to accommodate my needs as a client, while transforming it into a design masterpiece. Amanda is the best designer I have ever worked with through my career of thirteen years as an architect and real estate developer. I highly recommend her to everyone in my professional network for a variety of projects. Max Drivin

We had finally decided to renovate our condo and had no idea what we wanted. In comes Brad and…read moreKendra to the rescue! They were very thorough and had a lot of reference material we could look at to help us narrow in on our vision. Both Brad and Kendra asked us a lot of questions of what we were looking to achieve and through our input were able to come up with a final look we were absolutely thrilled with! They were very responsive and quick to follow up and came up with multiple alternate ideas when we were unsure about something. Overall we were most happy with the design and color choices that perfectly matched what we had pictured in the back of our minds. They are very flexible whether you're a person who love every minutia of choice or want to throw caution to the wind and let them use their imagination to come up with a design! We would strongly recommend them if you want a unique design or vision that has yet to be discovered!

I was overwhelmed at the prospect of staring at paint chips and second guessing my selections…read more Brad came in and did a walk through on short notice. He accounted for the flooring, direction of light and our existing furniture and transformed our dated home with his paint selections. His picks were spot on. He followed up and communicated with us impeccably. Save yourself the headache and let his eye do the work!

I wish I could give Carey more than five stars. He was phenomenal…read more I recently became the trustee of our South End building. On my list of things to do was to clean up our front garden, which was overgrown with weeds. I reached out to several landscapers, including Potted Up, South End Gardens, and Pemberton Garden Services. I laid out what we were hoping to do: clean up the garden and replace it with something beautiful and low maintenance. To my surprise, none of the landscapers were willing or interested in taking on our project. It was too small. A couple said our budget ($1k) was too low for them; they wanted bigger projects where they could put in water systems. I was dejected by the initial responses, but then someone recommended Erdman Design. Carey to the rescue! Carey was amazing - uber responsive and professional. We arranged a time to meet that week. He was willing to work within our budget. We bounced around several ideas of what I hoped the garden would look like - colors, type of plants/trees/flowers, etc. He planted it all the following week. We could not be more thrilled with the end result! It looks amazing - a complete transformation. I highly recommend Carey for any landscaping needs you have in the South End, Back Bay, or greater Boston area!

I met Cary several months ago at a BNI meeting in Boston. He happened to be giving a short power…read morepoint presentation that day , and I was extremely impressed with the photos of his body of work! I was drawn into his enthusiasm while he described the projects and his obvious love, for what he so skillfully does. His designs range from initial advice and working with you ....through finishing touches with interior design/exterior design. He has a very keen eye. He's also incredible at floral arranging for holidays occasions and for weddings. As well as outside gardens, entrance ways and natural landscape garden focal points. I must also add Holiday decorating both interior and exterior. But book in advance I'd say for the holiday designs. Though I know he does his best to never turn business away. He will try to squeeze you in if he can. Overall his designs are smart, varied, and beautifully unique. So what has he done for me? I inquired about some landscaping my husband was doing, looking for tips and ideas to carry out our plan. Cary is not a pushy salesperson in the slightest and he came to our house to view our plans- which was not huge job. He listened respectfully to the plans my husband was very excited about and then gave us his ideas. At first we were reluctant to change our designs plans but as my husband and I discussed it further we realized he really had a knack for knowing about plant and shrub placement. We ultimately decided to go forward with his plan. Best decision we made!!!!!!. The trees he put in look absolutely fabulous and he staggered them for a full front privacy look, yet it has dimension- not a straight line. We asked him to purchase the Plantings... Junipers, andromedas azaleas. The specimens he picked are fresh healthy and gorgeous. He purchased, delivered, did placement and planted. Then have us directions for caring for them. I can't recommend Cary enough. He is thorough, fair in pricing, and very easy to work with. He also does window treatments something which I am about to call him and inquire about. 5 Stars!

Dane has one of the best eyes for detail I have ever encountered. He has impeccable taste, a…read morefabulous sense of leadership, well-developed organizational skills, and excels at project management. His proven Signature Process guarantees each and every project has a positive outcome and happy clients. We whole-heartedly recommend him and his friendly team. The overall experience is easy, enjoyable, and efficient!

Dane Austin is a wonderful, conscientious, hard-working designer with a wonderful eye for detail…read morethat is eclipsed only by his knowledge of how to use light, space and color to make even the most challenging space into a work of art. Whether you're looking for someone to help you complete your own home decor ideas or come into a project with encyclopedic knowledge for you to use to make your space perfect, Dane Austin Design is the service you're looking for. A+ service, professionalism and attitude!

Great design. Exceptional follow up. Couldn't be more happy with results.. Thank you!read more

From the owner: Madison Matthew Interiors is a small commercial and residential interior design firm founded with…read morepassion, decades of experience, and excitement for sharing innovations in materials and design. We will tailor custom designs and use innovative materials to express your intensity, capture the strength of your business to enhance your brand, effectively making your space a far cry from the norm. Our unwavering enthusiasm and unparalleled responsiveness allowed us to build some of the most successful relationships in our field. Our reputation is built on creativity, reliability, and integrity. Don't be afraid to stand out!

Update 11/8/20: see comments on my personal Facebook page…read more(Maureen Holmes) for comments on Robin Boyce after posting my review there. Unfortunately I am not the only one who has endured a bad experience with her. MH I warn anyone who will listen away from this unethical business and owner Robin Boyce. I had the misfortune to be her client and endure her careless, unprofessional, dishonest and ultimately abusive and vulgar treatment. My "custom kitchen" arrived without the custom elements and with a grossly oversized refrigerator. The kitchen designer blames someone else for a major kitchen error and refuses to fix it! (See photos) I had the exact same experience with the shutters and the custom stair-runner I ordered from her. They were both delivered with errors and missing parts, and Design West has done NOTHING to correct its errors. This is the worst experience I've ever had with another human being, period. I never received an apology on any mistake I swear to God. That's when I realized too late I had hired the wrong person. Robin Boyce/Design Center West scammed me by promising professional results and delivering dirt. Robin Boyce then turned verbally abusive when confronted with her easily disproved lies. (I have all documentation to prove my charges.) This last point deserves special mention. When I expressed my dismay at the errors, delays and lack of accountability, her demeanor shifted immediately from friendly to combative and borderline violent. It was a shock to learn the owner wasn't just a sleaze but mentally unhinged too. When I confronted her in her store after she ignored my contractor's emails and texts, she began screaming profanities at me while hurling insults about my appearance and character, which I presumed was an intimidation tactic. That felt sickening, but it worsened when she came at me with her arm pulled back as if to throw a punch, but thankfully she stopped herself before landing her fist in my face. I feel certain the only thing that stopped her was a possible assault charge. I would feel sorry for Ms Boyce if she wasn't a thief, and if her emotional instability didn't manifest in such an ugly manner. But no mental state excuses her dishonesty, mentally healthy or not. Not a word of this review is hyperbole. I lost thousands of dollars and was blindsided by a venomous verbal assault because I had the temerity to call out Robin Boyce on her mendacity and fraud. I could provide a colorful litany of her actions, but suffice it to say that it involved a lot of obscene finger, hip and hand gestures. Incidentally, her staff just sat there like dummies the entire time and let it all happen. Apparently they don't have an issue working for such a repulsive woman. Prior to my dealings with her, Robin was verbally abusive to my contractor on multiple occasions as well when he asked her about delayed deliverables. Following is an example of one the few correspondences between him and Robin that isn't littered with her F-bombs: "Shut up. Stop talking. Don't tell me what to do. Its not Maureen... its you. I'm surprised guys take your mouth, and the way you talk down to others; I suspect you've been punched a few times." This is the first---and I hope last--bad review I ever had to write. Let this brutally honest review serve as a public service announcement to warn others away from this troublemaker. Do not hire Design Center West. You will pay a premium for sloppy, mediocre results, and the owner will curse you when you express your dissatisfaction. This has been a yearlong nightmare that only ended after I hired someone else to fix all of her mistakes. Caveat emptor!

Robin helped me from start to finish with my new house build. She has done everything from the…read morekitchen (appliances, cabinets) to the tile for all bathrooms, to the stone veneer for the patio. Even during the pandemic she has been on top of things and instructing me to get things ordered prior to shipment delays. She and her team have been responsible, proactive, and truly professional. They are communicating with my contractor and his team and his cabinet installer told me it was such a pleasure working with them he would like to do more jobs with them. Any mistakes (Fedex dropped a vanity and it cracked) were handled quickly and replaced at no cost to me. Her attention to detail is incredible. Additionally, she was very focused on saving me money and making sure I was not buying things I did not need. It has been a true pleasure working with Robin and her team again. I cannot say enough good things about them!

Eliana is wonderful! She is super talented, professional, friendly and easy to work with…read more She has done many projects for me over the past five year including custom curtains, pillows, seat cushions and also custom inserts for my cat's condo with Marimekko fabric! She didn't flinch at my wacky request and the result is amazing. She actually goes above and beyond what I ask for and I am always thrilled with the results. She is so creative and can visualize anything no matter how poor my descriptions are. Eliana has given my home such a unique feeling through all her custom work. She is a true gem! I am so glad I found her.

From the owner: EDesign offers a full range of design services that will complement and cheer your entire home or…read moreoffice. Our ultimate goal is to offer a service that is truly personalized, stylish and useful. Our services include pillows and custom bench covers/pillows , tablecloths, napkins, and much more.

I wish I could give more than five stars. My husband kissed the garage wall with the car. Both the…read moregarage and dining room walls had to be replaced. They did great work, arrived on time, and kept us informed every step of the way. All at a fair price.

Raphael was super professional and responsive and his team did great work, on the time line that…read morewas agreed. I gave him a pretty large and complicated job and he executed it beautifully with attention to all the small details that I had pointed out in the walk through. Will definitely seek them out again.