Elms Interior Design

I have worked with Elms Interior Design (EID) on two amazing projects in succession over the past five years. Dee and her team excel in understanding each client's personal style and lifestyle needs. EID’s mastery of balancing form and function results in spaces that not only inspire, but also improve versatility, utility and flow. Never forgetting that a home is to be lived in, EID has an innovative approach to how each carefully-chosen piece contributes to the overall scope of the project. EID’s ability to assemble and manage a team of tradesmen who execute their vision with equal parts professionalism and craftsmanship, has made each of my projects effortless. Every step of the way I felt listened to, understood and valued by the EID team and confident that the relationship and process would result in the best possible space for me.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!