Interior Designer Creates Coastal Christmas Tabletop

                                                                                                                                                                                    Bring the Beach home this Christmas! It's always fun to create a tabletop for your Holiday Meal with your existing accessories. In the midst of winter pull out all of your shells, candles and anything else that you may have to remind everyone of those warm days at the ocean.                                                                                                 Add Agapanthus in white, for a fresh Christmas floral arrangement by each table setting. Use a water bottle or whatever you have for the container. Think Beachy! As you can see, even the wine is Coastal appropriate!

                                                                          Here I have pulled out my Martini Glasses to bring out the colors of the Ocean.  It's fun to use antique mismatched Silverware for a more casual vibe as well!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Herons on the table make a great centerpiece with the low tray of shell balls and votives. Pull out all the accents that you are not using right now and you would be surprised what you can pull together.

 I have used a 12"  runner down the center of the table in a teal mesh with glitter from the ribbon department, at the local craft store. I've even had it drop to the floor on each side for a more dramatic look!                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Don't forget to do a display on your sideboard! Here I have used those new battery operated flicker candles from Details, they look so real from a distance! I have reused some French Wire wide ribbon from last year and threaded it through a collection of Christmas balls and berry stems.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

It is so satisfying when you have finished and you have used what you have on hand. The colors are refreshing and will be well received by your Guests this Holiday!

...and remember, if you don't have anything to work with for this fabulous Christmas Dinner Display, come in and see Marie at Details of Design and show her what you do have and I'm sure she can turn your drab into fab!

Gina Fitzsimmons, ASID

Annapolis Designers Love Chocolate!

As Autumn rolls into Annapolis and the trees begin to change their colors, our focus once again returns to our personal environments. Annapolis Design Firm, Fitzsimmons Design and their affiliated Design store "Details" begin to introduce the warm chocolate tones into their store displays. " Chocolate is the new black!" says the brand new store manager, Marie O'Rourke!  (Marie comes to the firm from Calico Corners. her experience there in window treatments will be invaluable as she expands her horizons by joining a full service design firm.  Welcome aboard, Marie!)

The dark rich brown tones can be used to enrich a room or make it more dramatic. Here in the Fall vignette, the gorgeous chocolates that the designers selected for the entry display of the store are indeed dramatic. The stretched canvas is an impressionistic piece in browns and whites. The bay birds soaring over the Chesapeake  make it relevant to our area. Large over scaled pieces like this can really finish off a room, they demand your attention!

Also, very noteworthy in the vignette are the metallic finishes. The driftwood finish on the round accent table has a silver leaf finish that adds a certain patina . The interplay of metallics when using darker colors like black , eggplant or chocolates is very important to the success of the project. The classically shaped lamp in the back left corner is a wonderful bronzey finish. The bronze tone is also on the trio of mirrors down the left hand wall.  Keep in mind that the reflective quality of mirrors can add sparkle to any of your richer colored rooms.,

Details of Design is a great source to find the rug that you have been looking for. The rug in this display is a Transitional Scrolled Damask in white on Chocolate. The creator of this rug has used a very traditional pattern and over scaled it to be more contemporary. You can update a tired room with a new look, like this rug! Keep that in mind when you are designing the next space in your home.

Please come in and see our new Fall merchandise and say "Hello" to our new recruit, Marie. It's time to get your "Details Fix"!

Annapolis Interior Designers Go to The Beach!

Our Beach Vignette

It's that time of Year when we go to the Beach for the Annual Beach and Bay Cottage Tour. You can tell that it is getting near because we have redone the front Vignette in the store in a beach motif.

 Megan started the display with a fantastic hand painted beach scene on a grass cloth texture. It's very three dimensional when you look at it. It makes me feel like I am there! She added some woven sea grass tables and the perfect pillows in the beach glass color.

I love the lamp with the rope woven over the glass like a sea float; very nautical. The great arrangement that Pam did is a large glass urn filled with sand and dried hydrangeas completes the beachy look perfectly.

I hope everyone gets to attend the Cottage tour this year. It is on the 24th and 25th of July in Bethany Beach and it is so much fun to see what people have done with their  beach houses. Usually people are more adventurous with their interior design when doing a second home than if they were at home. That's exactly what makes this tour so special!

We hope to see you there and if you can't make it, be sure and come into our store, Details of Design in Annapolis and see what our Interior Designers have done to the store to get you into that Summer Vibe! Come in and get your Details Fix!

Gina

Annapolis Designers Get Crabby!

What fun! Crab season is almost here! Megan and Corey have put together a great vignette for the beginning of Spring and it is not floral! The driftwood  finish wicker chairs are just perfect for a grouping in your great room across from your sofa.  Another place to use them would be as host and hostess chairs in your dining room. It would be nice to make the dining room a bit more casual, you know, the way you actually live!







These original Oil paintings are so perfect for a den or anywhere in your Chesapeake Home. They are nicely  framed in wood frames and at $688.00 each, you can afford two of them!


























 Our boathouse red and white picture frame is perfect for that picture of your Dad out on the water in his yacht or the shot of your niece at the beach. We are "Coastal Ready" at Details!

If you need a wedding gift this Spring, keep in mind our silver and gold leaf platter for the lucky couple! It's a nice size to display on a bookshelf with a plate stand.

If you need a lamp to shed some light on the subject, this lamp in the background is like a crusty old piling from the local dock. The shade is in a tan burlap with a very smart bright white piping around the bottom edge of the shade. Very reasonable in price, it is $323.00.

Our Starfish on Stand is a unique little accessory for a tabletop

grouping or on a wall of books on your bookcase. The Starfish is a mere $37.00.

The large red Charger really adds that splash of color to our display. Take a look around your home and if you are suffering from the beige blahs.... come in and pick up some color!

At $75.00 our driftwood lantern with glass insert can hold a large pillar candle for a dinner 

al fresco out on the deck. The glass will keep the candle from blowing out. What a great piece to add a little bit of that Chesapeake cozy to your evening at home!

Our new woven vinyl mats (on the left) are perfect for your wood floors in the kitchen. When you drip water on them, they  will  protect your floor finish. They are very easy to wipe up with a sponge. We have several sizes and patterns. Check it out!

Details of Design on Forest Drive (extended towards Bay Ridge) is brimming with new accents to punch up your drab interior spaces. We invite you to stop in and take a peek at what is new in  the design market. We will guide you through accessorizing that dull corner, that bland mantle or that newspaper covered cocktail table. Bring in your photo of your room and Megan can suggest a couple of solutions for your design dilemma!

Interior Designer Selects Driftwood in Annapolis

It's new, it's hot, it's what's happening!
The casual finishes that are distressed and carefree like the Driftwood finish, pictured here in our Vignette this month, are gaining in popularity. Whether it be an upholstery company or casegoods manufacturer the new finish is Driftwood.

There are not many people that want to be a slave to protecting every surface anytime they have visitors. The distressed finishes already have the patina of a lifetime of living, so, what's a few more dings?

In our area the driftwood finish fits in with our  Comfortable Chesapeake Cozy way of life. The ambiance that it adds to a room encourages putting your feet up and relaxing.

See the close up on your right------
The arm of the chair has one of the new finishes as well as the skinny depth console in the background!

The mixing of different finishes is effortless! As you can see in this photo the light bleached finish on the frame of the handmade paper art works well in this eclectic grouping.

Driftwood can be a color as well as a finish. This rug is very attractive with it's steel

 blue and driftwood colored bamboo leaves.

Please continue to follow our blogs on our website:
www.fitzsimmonsdesign.com and on
detailsofdesign.biz or you can subscribe by clicking on the box in the side column at the top right of this page and filling in your email address. If you fill it out the new posts will go directly to you when we get new merchandise in our store! Easy Peasey!

Annapolis Interior Designer wins Best of Houzz.com Portfolio Award for 2012

Gina Fitzsimmon's portfolio was voted most popular!

 Best of Houzz.com 2012 award

Now, how great is that???? I didn't even know that they did that!

 I should explain what Houzz.com is all about. If you are into decorating, you will love this website! All you have to do is sign in with the site and it allows you to view endless photos of interiors and related items. You can search for your favorite Interior designer, architect, or landscaper. You can also get more detailed and search for rooms with blue walls!

Take a look at my portfolio on Houzz.com and enter Gina Fitzsimmons in the search box on the upper right hand corner. You will be able to see over 100 of my favorite shots of my design career.

I do appreciate all of the support from all of the viewers that voted for my portfolio! Everytime someone likes a shot it helps my rating.
I can sit and look at Houzz for hours.

Be careful,once you start, it is addictive!!!!