Darien has been a team member at Hacin, an interdisciplinary architecture and design studio based in Boston's South End, since 2011 after graduating from Northeastern University. Prior to Hacin, she gained experience at KPF in Manhattan, Jensen Fey in Seattle, and Daniel Contelmo Architects in the Hudson Valley. Her experience ranges across project types, with focus on custom residential and creative workplace design.

In addition to her design work, Darien has made a lasting impact on the values and operations of the firm, acting as a mentor to other Hacin team members and playing a crucial role in the development of the communications team, the Co-Op program, and the collaborative studio culture. She designed the firm's website in 2013 and the firm’s studio in in 2017. In 2019, she became an Associate and was promoted to Senior Associate in 2022. Currently, she acts as Co-Chair of Hacin’s Associate + Senior Associate Group.

Darien has always been a multifaceted creative. She believes that design thinking, problem-solving, execution skills, and craftsmanship are some of the most empowering tools available, and she dedicates much of her work to exploring their boundaries and helping others harness their potential.

Her professional focus has been in residential design, where she approaches long-term projects with an interdisciplinary mindset. Darien collaborates closely with clients, fabricators, and Hacin’s internal disciplines— architecture, interior design and visual identity—to deliver thoughtful, richly detailed, conceptually thorough.

Darien’s design ethos aligns with Hacin’s values: it’s not tied to a specific style but is instead contextual, excellence-driven, and contemporary. She also brings a deeply personal, empathetic approach to her projects, valuing time spent building strong relationships to ultimately, striving to create personalized, highly valued and high-performing homes that families treasure for generations.

Darien is also an active leader in the creative community. In 2013, she co-founded Boston Makers, Inc., a nonprofit makerspace in Jamaica Plain that provides access to digital and manual fabrication tools and skill-building resources. As Creative Director, she played a pivotal role in shaping the brand, messaging, community engagement, and organizational structure. In 2018, she founded an entrepreneurial meetup group for aspiring creatives, and in 2020, she helped organize a city-wide maker effort that produced tens of thousands of masks for underserved communities during the pandemic.

Darien occasionally takes on small-scale residential freelance projects and, in 2018, launched a handmade jewelry and goods line. leveraging digital design and fabrication tools at Boston Makers. You will find her on the weekends out in nature or frequenting local craft fairs and farmers markets, seeking inspiration and collaborative opportunities! Read more about her thoughts in “Learning From Other Disciplines” and “Why Makers Matter” in H+ Magazine.