

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dennis Duffy.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dennis. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I discovered interior design by happenstance, after completing my degree in Chemistry and deciding not to go to medical school. I moved to New York and was hired by an Italian furnishings importer, working in a showroom in the D & D Building. I was fascinated by the combination of artistic and scientific components that go into building a space and creating a complete environment. I had been trained in science my whole life, but come from a family of creative professionals. I enrolled in a certificate program at Parsons School of Design and eventually took a grunt position in a residential design firm in midtown NY. A few years later, having completed my curriculum, I opened my first small office in Chelsea.
As a consequence of the recession of 1989, I started working in San Juan, Puerto Rico – first for clients that I had worked with in NY, then with some retail operations in the hotels. The joke was that I moved there by UPS over the course of the next couple of years.
In 1997, I decided that I needed to be more engaged in a design community and I moved to Boston, first working for another designer, before striking back out on my own in late 1999. Since then, I have focused on both residential, commercial and hospitality projects. I completed both my NCIDQ certification and my LEED Professional accreditation. I’ve been active in the local chapter of IIDA and collaborated on many pro-bono design projects for the community.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have been some challenges. Certainly, two economic recessions were among them. Also, marketing was not something that I learned in school and is not instinctive to me. Lastly, managing employees has sometimes proven challenging.
Please tell us about Duffy Design Group, Inc..
I started in the residential arena, focusing on renovation projects in NY. But, I always tried to mix in commercial work with it. Because we’ve always been a relatively small firm, I feel that we take a more singular and customized approach to each project. I never forget that we are providing a service to our clients and that it’s not just about our “design”.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have studied interior architecture from the onset. But, I don’t regret my path. I think that it ultimately led me to my passion and all of the skills that I learned along the way have proved useful.
I also would have spent more time understanding and learning about marketing a business.
Pricing:
- Our design time is billed at $200.00/hour for me and $150.00/hour for an associate designer.
Contact Info:
- Address: 455 East 1st Street
Suite 202
South Boston, MA 02127 - Website: www.duffydesigngroup.com
- Phone: (617) 765-8175
- Email: dennis@duffydesigngroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duffydesigngroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DuffyDesignGroup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dennisduffy_ddg
Image Credit:
Sam Gray
Richard Mandlekorn
Trent Bell
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.