Nichols Design Group

06/08/2026

Site visit today at our commercial project in Billerica. Full gut renovation of 10,000 +\- sf headquarters and production facility for . Scope includes adding passenger elevator, c-suite executive offices, plus spaces for IT, Engineers, Purchasing, Marketing, Customer Service, Conference Rooms, Employee Kitchen, Locker rooms, window coverings while bringing all bathrooms up to current code. Design and construction on schedule to hit a July 15 move in date.

05/29/2026

Progress shots from David’s visit to a dining room renovation in Sherborn. We are working with to create custom finishes for both the ceiling and the walls. The ceiling has been finished - using the rug for inspiration we created a custom Venetian plaster in subtle shades of coral that were troweled onto the ceiling by hand. The walls will be layers of coral, metallic gold, and light olive. Each layer being combed to reveal the layer beneath. One of the toughest moments in a project would be when the first element is installed without the context from the other elements. The client starts hyper focusing on that one element and gets cold feet. It’s normal and It happens all the time. Pleading for their continued trust when they think you’ve lost your mind is a painful moment for a designer. We dragged the new rug into the dining room so the client could see how it looks in the same space. I want the room to have a golden hour aura. Dinner at sunset. I am confident we are still on the right track. Honestly I think the room will be elegantly understated. No single element will stand out - but the synergy of all the elements will create a quietly luxurious and flattering room to spend time in. Guests will feel confident

04/20/2026

04/20/2026

Progress shot. Sunday site visit in Sherborn. There are times when an “open concept” is just dead wrong. This client’s former designer had taken down the dining room walls in hot pursuit of an open plan. Exposed in a high traffic area, the dining room now felt like a cold meeting space stuffed into the corner of a church basement. While David had been hired by the contractor for an hour to sort out exterior paint colors, he felt it would be designer malpractice to walk away from this space without offering a fix. Together he and Dewey proposed closing it off, creating an elegant arched opening from a newly created “gallery” into the dining room. We can start to feel the procession of intriguing spaces unfolding as we move through the house. The client is beyond happy. There are lots of stories to be told here, more to follow.

11/03/2025

Today our tent got a little smaller as we said Shalom to our dear, gentle friend Sue. She and her husband Al were Dewey’s very first clients in Boston. Over the years we would become an extension of family, our lives would become entwined cousins and friends. Countless times we’d be invited for dinner, or Seder, getting thrown into the mix of family and friends. Meals at Sue’s house were a living example of the loaves and fishes parable. There was ALWAYS room at the table and there was ALWAYS enough food for anyone and everyone. With each new arrival, the conversations would get louder while Sue looked on with a gentle expression of deep satisfaction. She did not need to be heard, her role was convene those she loved, feed them and let the magic happen. Heaven help the one who brought a dish or offered to clear the table. She would have none of it. Sue was in charge. Over the years her family and friends became entwined in our lives, and today are among our favorite people. After Al died we would meet her at restaurants or pick her up for a date. True to form, we could never ever pick up the check. We love you dearest Sue. You will be missed. Shalom

11/03/2025

“Award Winning”. We are delighted to announce we were recognized last week by with a award for excellence in commercial design. Our project for Holtzman Medical Group at 1180 Beacon St in Brookline was a full gut renovation in a storied prewar building. Leaning in to Dewey’s background in store design and David’s experience with luxury brands, we were able to bring Dr. Holtzman’s vision of a modern medical suite that elevated the patient experience and positioned his brand as a top tier care provider. Incorporating branded touch points in commercial work is too often overlooked by business owners and runs deeper than sticking a logo on the wall. Bringing Nichols Design Group on early, many months before the site was finalized, we got to know the client, his team and their process. The most successful parts of design work are often unseen. A good floor plan is a silent concierge guiding visitors thoughtfully through the space. Soundproofed walls and doors, acoustic ceiling tiles overhead and quality carpet under foot make patients feel safe, their privacy respected. Ample storage keeps work surfaces free of clutter and gives a sense of professional discipline and order.

11/01/2025

Developing schemes for a client’s 20x24 dining room in her Sherborn home which reflects her understated taste and passion for horses. We want the dining room to reveal her feminine glamorous side, a colorful, sparkling jewel box. An unexpected Faberge egg amidst the tailored tweeds and camel hair. Glazed walls, silk curtains, an antique rug, golden ceiling, an enormous abstract painting in sherbet colors. Friends sitting around her parents beloved dining room table set with their Limoges china.

10/23/2025

Building owners, no matter their political affiliation, blue, red or purple, would be outraged if a short term tenant at will, paying no rent tore their building down without permission. A hellscape of court orders and lawsuits would be unleashed. Survivors of even a small renovation project within an historic preservation zone know making changes to a protected building requires clearing many hurdles, and jumping through many tight hoops. Approval for trivial changes can be a logic defying, time consuming process we would all prefer to avoid or ignore. As architects and designers, we know there is a time honored and proven process to develop a coherent design for any building. Programming alone for a 90,000 square foot space would take many months with input from all stakeholders, followed by site surveys, multiple feasibility reviews and impact studies. We’d present the client (the owners) various schematic designs, absorb their feedback before a design can be developed or a bid set of construction documents created. So to witness the demolition of The White House, The People’s House - the most revered and symbolically important buildings in the world, at the whim of its current tenant is shocking and repugnant; and yet emblematic of his distruction of everything else we hold dear.

09/05/2025

A quick meeting with our friend Cynthia First in Acton. For a rug addict her showroom is a like a candy store. We fell in love with this custom designed wool Jajim beauty hanging in the entryway.

07/11/2025

I’m in love with this Gabe rug we found at - it was perfect for the space. Thank you Cynthia First ❤️👍