Local business · Arlington, MALocal business · Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476, USA
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Eighteen ratings on Houzz, all of them five stars, and the same two names keep turning up in the write-ups: Dan Hisel and Katie Flynn. Homeowners hire this Lexington architecture practice for the hard renovations — the 100-year-old house that needs to make sense again, the mid-century modern that has to gain a room without losing its lines. The firm's own site lists its office at 17 Waltham Street in Lexington. Its Houzz profile still carries an Arlington, MA 02476 address, and a March 2025 commenter on r/ArlingtonMA squared the two: the firm used to be in Arlington and is now just over the line in Lexington. Same practice, newer address. What the reviews describe is design plus shepherding. A 2022 client with a Dutch Colonial welded to a disconnected 1990s addition wrote that Katie helped them find "a grand unified theory" for the house, walked them through a historical commission review, and recommended a contractor she then worked alongside through the build. A 2021 reviewer who remodeled a kitchen, dining room, bathrooms and rear porch said that when structural surprises appeared, Dan revised the plans with the contractor to hold down the financial damage. A 2016 client described roughly 12 weeks of design and 18 weeks of construction with both architects on top of the construction administration. Mid-century modern comes up repeatedly. A 2020 client praised their sensitivity on a mid-century addition and called them very knowledgeable about those homes, and a general contractor writing in 2019 described a mid-century addition with a master suite, bathroom, heating systems and cedar exterior that stayed true to the original house. In 2022, r/amazing_architecture featured their Peacock Farm House in Lexington, a renovation of a well-known Walter Pierce mid-century design. Two things to weigh. The written record is dated — the newest account on file is a January 2023 Google review, and most of the Houzz reviews were posted between 2015 and 2020 — so ask for references from projects finished in the last year or two. And two of those Houzz reviews come from trade partners, a general contractor in 2019 and a photographer in 2018, rather than from homeowners who paid for a renovation. Houzz also lists a Massachusetts licence number for the firm, which is Houzz's own listing and not something confirmed with the state board. The right call for an owner of an older or mid-century house in the Lexington–Arlington–Cambridge belt who wants an architect to drive the design and stay involved through construction. Confirm current registration with the Massachusetts board of architects and ask what their fee looks like against your construction budget — Houzz lists typical projects starting around $200,000.
“Hisel Flynn architects used to be in Arlington and are now just over the line in Lexington. Great firm.”
“The original Peacock Farm home designed by Walter Pierce is a well-known home from the mid-century modern period, with many examples throughout the west-Boston suburbs.”
“Hisel Flynn Architects designs Peacock Farm House in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA.”
“For architects, [Hisel Flynn](https://hiselflynn.com/) has an excellent reputation.”
They are professional, knowledgeable and dedicated to their work. Highly recommend them.
Our house was essentially two houses: a tangle of rooms in a 100-year old Dutch Colonial, and a very attractive but totally disconnected 1990s-era addition. We asked Katie and the team at Hisel Flynn to help us develop a grand unified theory - a way to make the house feel like one cohesive whole - and guide us through the execution of the work itself. From the beginning, Katie's vision and clarity about how the space could be most effectively used was exceptional, and she was both creative and responsive as we worked together to refine the plan. She and the Hisel Flynn team guided us through a historical commission review - which could have been a real stumbling block, but was instead an exciting validation that we were on the right track with our improvements. She recommended an exceptional contractor, working closely with him throughout the project to support any ongoing decision-making, and she's brought valued perspective to the hundreds of decisions, large and small, that a homeowner makes during a renovation. The result is a truly beautiful new home for our family, with spaces that feel cohesive and unified. We could not have achieved this without Hisel Flynn, and we're beyond grateful for their work.
Hiring an architect matters. It's been more than 3 years since we retained Hisel/Flynn to help us remodel our kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, and rear porch and, to this day, I smile each time I step into one of these rooms. We were familiar with Dan's work from a friend's renovation project that Dan designed and felt that his aesthetic choices would align with ours. They did, but the input Dan and Katie solicited from us ensured that the plans they devised felt like ours. They assisted us in hiring a contractor (a great choice in itself) and worked smoothly with the contractor to maintain the integrity of our design choices throughout the project. When the inevitable structural challenges surfaced, Dan worked with the contractor to revise the design plans and mitigate the financial consequences. When smaller issues surfaced, we relied on Dan to collaborate with the contractor on solutions without conflict or delay. We have not hesitated to recommend Hisel/Flynn to others and will certainly retain them when we tackle our front entrance.
We LOVED working with Katie and Dan on our mid-century modern addition. They were incredibly sensitive to all the details, which in being very simple were even more challenging to construct. Hisel Flynn bring creative energy to their design and worked hard to look at a variety of different options for us. Our addition consisted of a new modern bath, entry foyer, custom closets, new office space and a workshop. They packed alot in to a very small footprint! Dan and Katie are professional. Very responsive and very knowledgeable about their mid century modern homes.... We are extremely happy with the design of our addition!
We are a General Contractor who have worked with Hisel Flynn on multiple occasions. Not only are they talented and inspiring people, but they are great communicators to us and their clients. When we team up with Hisel Flynn, we feel like it is a collaboration we want to be a part of! Recently we completed an addition of a mid-century home that included a new master suite, new family room bathroom, heating systems and a beautiful cedar exterior. Katie Flynn was excellent in her approach of working between us and the client to ensure that the work met their expectations and stayed true to the original look of the house. The clients were happy as were we with how the project went and the results were excellent thanks to a great design-process.
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Added 13 new comments, added 24 new photos, established rating 4.0