Flow Design - Architects

Flow Design is a Salem, Massachusetts architecture and design studio that Darguin Fortuna and Marcos Severino run as a self-described 100% MBE-owned and operated business, handling architectural plans, interior design, and the permit paperwork that comes with a renovation or addition. On Google it has built up 121 ratings averaging 4.9 stars, with reviews stretching back to 2021 across eight different sites. The last six months tell a clean story: eight reviews, every one of them five stars, and not just the vague kind. One client credits Marcos and Stephany with streamlining an attic renovation through the city's permitting process; another describes Darguin's team pushing a stalled multi-family renovation - one that had been tangled in a receivership dispute with the state since it started back in 2019, and slowed further by COVID - through every ZBA hoop needed to finally get the project moving again. That kind of persistence with permit offices and local boards is the thread running through years of Google history, not just the recent batch. Not every source agrees on how good the fit is. Houzz shows only 2 reviews averaging 3.0 stars, well below Google's 4.9, which is worth raising directly rather than assuming it's noise. The Better Business Bureau lists the company at an A+ grade but is explicit that the business is not actually BBB accredited, so that grade isn't a membership seal. Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor license (#196851) is listed as active. For a project that needs someone to turn an idea into buildable plans and get it past a city board, the Google track record and active license back that up. Given the Houzz gap, it's worth asking about a project similar in scope to yours before signing, and confirming directly what license and insurance paperwork they'll hand over for your job.