Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all from Magnolia Designs!

Need some last minute holiday decorating tips? Just ask a professional. Send me photos of the room(s) and your dilemma at magnoliadesignstudios@comcast.net. Let me show you how we can make your home sparkle for the Holidays!

The examples below are of my home and studio in DC. This year was the first time we decided to put a tree in the Foyer. It turned out to be a nice compliment alongside our perennial décor - lit railing, garland, and antique hall tree adorned by our needlepoint stockings.  We chose traditional colors of gold/green/red. I would say that one of the most important elements is the LIGHTING!  I credit this tip to one of the best visual  display designers I know: Terri Johnson from Urban Country - "It's all in the lights". So enjoy the decorating process, put on some holiday music, be sure to have some holiday cheer, and don't forget the lights!

Highlandtown Santa House

This past Saturday the "Highlandtown Santa House", which Magnolia Designs helped design & construct, was installed in the heart of Highlandtown for all to enjoy.  The Holiday opening celebrations included a visit from our Mayor whom I had the privilege of welcoming then addressing our community. The event began at the Enoch Pratt library, which sees about 400,000 visitors each year.  The Mayor and other members of the community then visited the "Highlandtown Train Garden" at the firehouse. The crowd then visited the "Highlandtown Santa House". These are all within a block of each other.

I happily gave my time and talents to this special project.  It was so nice to see the giving spirit of so many residents and merchants coming together to create such a beautiful, festive cityscape for my hometown community!

Happy Holidays to all from Magnolia Designs! 

        

       

     

                   

Photos are courtesy of Mark Dennis, Staff Photographer at the Mayor's Office.

How Do I Find My Style?

My BFD at Dvorine Associates just blogged about how to find the designer that is right for you. I thought I'd delve a little deeper and expand upon how you can find your style. This will help ease the process when deciding on a designer.

Ask yourself some questions~

• Do I want to surround myself each day with spaces that are minimal or spaces that are layered with furniture drapery and art?
• What colors or tones are most appealing to me?
  
• Am I drawn to textured spaces or ones that are more slick and clean? Am I drawn to textured or smooth elements?
  
• What details of the architecture do I feel should be changed to reflect my style?

Bring answers to these basic questions along with any other wish list items you may have to the intial consultation with the design professional. You'll be surprised how more productive that first meeting will be.

Designing...Baking...Building

What do you get when you have an interior designer who likes to bake and wants to do something to improve her hometown community? Simple - "A Highhlandtown Santa House" inspired by the design of a gingerbread house!

This is one of my latest and greatest projects set to be completed on December 1st.  Here is a small preview but stay tuned to see how it turns out.

Hello World!

My name is Felicia Zannino-Baker.  For my ENTIRE childhood I was going to be a "Fashion Designer"; but as soon as I entered MICA that all changed and I have been involved in the Interior Design Industry ever since. Although I live in DC my heart strings are still tethered to my beloved Baltimore; so I have a studio in both my current home and my hometown.  I have tested the waters in just about every aspect of this dynamic industry; and so the intention of my blog is to share some wisdom, talk about current trends and speculate about the future.....and oh by the way, I keep my ear to the ground with what is happening in the local art scenes, so I will pass along that info too.  I invite you to come along on my journey!