Chesapeake Cozy Christmas Dinner

Chesapeake Cozy Christmas Tabletop

Well, here it is, the long awaited, little bit nautical, little bit Christmas, Chesapeake Cozy Tabletop!!! We finally pulled our of our selections together. It's amazing how well it turned out!

We have used the Martini Glasses for the desert compotes and layered them up on a pure white plate on top of some silvered carved wood chargers. The florals for the table we used the most beautiful roses by each place setting in a small antique looking bottle. We used our new Coastal Wine Stems for the Sauvignon Blanc. Did you see all of the sealife handcrafted on the others on our website for sale? Go to detailsofdesign.biz to see them! The Jelley Fish is incredible!

Here is a close up of the table. We used handmade gift tags as the place cards. We took the large red bowl and filled it with a combination of shells and silvered pine cones for that festive look!

Have a great Holiday and we hope this has inspired you to be creative!

Annapolis Interior Designer STILL Doing Tabletop!!!!

Deadlines are always fun! We are still cogitating on the perfect tabletop to impress all of our loyal followers! Here are some more accessories that we are considering for the story in Annapolis Home Magazine on the three Interior Designers doing a Christmas Tabletop for the Holidays. We still haven't gotten much further. We are considering the Martini glasses with the big chunk of glass at the bottom (they are perfect for your tipsey friends!), or we are still thinking about the Coastal Wine stems (Did you see the Jelly Fish?)

Then we have the centerpiece to select! We have it down to 2 or 3 pieces. The Seasonal Basket of Hydrangeas, the Christmas Gladiola Arrangement in real live water, or the Red Centerpiece bowl.

Decisions, decisions! We just need to DO IT!!!!! We have all of these great pieces and we just need to START!!! It will all come together in the end. We want it to have that Christmas Sparkle, to incorporate our Annapolis point of view; the Chesapeke Cozy angle and to be fun and inviting. I am going to go select a table to set this up and Jennifer, Corey and I are just going to get this done. It is so busy right now, if we wait any longer we will be behind the eight ball. The next time you tune into our blog you will see the results of our brainstorming session! See you soon!       Gina Fitz

Annapolis Interior Designers Do Tabletops

A wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our design abilities has presented itself! Kymberly Taylor and Robert Haywood from Annapolis Home Magazine have asked Fitzsimmons Design Associates to design a tabletop setting for the Holidays. They are going to have the article in the November 15th Holiday issue! We will be one of three Interior Designers in Annapolis, all with the same goal in mind, to wow the readers!
What should we do? Well, we do have a whole store full of accessories and accents that we can put to use. Details of Design is chock-a-block full of new things since Corey and I got back from the International Home Furnishing Market trip. New merchandise is coming in every day.

In Details we have always presented the Chesapeake Cozy approach to Christmas. Maybe we should follow through in the same vein? The new nautical ornaments this year include jelly fish and mermaids sewn and stuffed with filling in all the right places, if you know what I mean.

Maybe we should start with a centerpiece? I should go and look around the store and see what I can use in the middle of the table and then work outwards from there. But, maybe I should decide what table we are going to use first. This is a little more complicated than I thougt. I do like the Chesapeake angle on this story and I would like to have it bright and cheery for Christmas. Maybe I should add a bit of bling!!!!

Let me bounce this off of Corey and Jennifer and see what they think we should do. I'll get back to you soon, We don't have that much time till the photo shoot.

Gina Fitzsimmons, ASID

Fall In Love With Our Design Blog!

I love Fall! All the trees are so beautiful and the leaves are cascading to the ground. The weather could not be better here in Annapolis!
If not, just wait a day.


Jen and Corey have set the scene for this month's vignette as the beginning of indoor entertainment. With the change of season we need to get creative and pull together the perfect food and wine and be a bit social. They began their display with a pub height table and barstools. Your friends will love getting together in your eat-in kitchen or your Great Room with the new pub set; it makes you feel as though you are out for the night. I'm sure it's the altitude!


The red and black color scheme is set off by the carved wood tree panels that they used as a backdrop to their grouping. The panels are easy to hang and suprisingly very light weight. If you are frozen with indecision on how to start your next project; try our ebony tree panels and go from there. Corey and Jen then accessorized with the red pottery, the hand knotted oriental rug on the floor, and the hand etched fish glasses. These glasses are for all of your friends that drink like fish! (Keep that in mind for Christmas!) Oops, Christmas,...that slipped out, it must have been my inner voice!


I guess I have the color of red on my brain this month. I just finished a design for a Master Bedroom for a client in downtown Annapolis. This is the grouping in front of the TV. See below:

I love taupe so much, I used to tell people it was my middle name. (No one knew what the heck I was talking about.)  So, anyway when we settled on the taupe and red color scheme it was right up my alley! We added the moldings on the ceiling and painted, reupholstered the ottoman, installed new window treatments, added a new sofa, pillows and end tables, and installed some wall units. The wall units are my favorite. They hold a lot of books and on the wall that you can not see there is a three piece wall unit for the TV.

There now you can see it! I apologize for the dark photo, I'll try and do better.


 I hope that you liked our Fall in love with our design blog issue. Please click on become a follower on the left column of this page and also feel free to contact us for your next project. Call Jen and Corey if you have a smaller project and call me if you have an out and out, design dilemma! Gina

Permanent Florals will Prolong Summer!!!


Interior Design in Annapolis has really picked up as we come to the end of summer. It is sad in a way, everything is going by the wayside. The gals in Details, Corey and Jennifer have come up with a great display to prolong summer!


The display that they tackled for this month incorporates many permanent floral arrangements to perk up your interior spaces now that the fall is fast upon us. They used a  drop leaf table that can be set up with one leaf up to give you plenty of hobby room in a tight space in your home. Over top they used these very cool galvanized tray shelves with brackets for extra storage. I love the chairs that they used. Some people call them butterfly chairs; they are really from the Bedemeier style.


We are most proud of our Permanent florals. We hunt through 15-20 different manufacturers on a regular basis to find the most realistic looking florals. We are really picky!!! We find the best pricing as well! If you get a chance please stop in and pick a fresh arrangement for your table. See below for some of our favorites!


On another note.....September 17th is the big once a year blow-out Tent Sale. We have had people call us everyday since August trying to find out the date so they will be in town. If you are not on our mailing list please give us a call or email me with your info at gina@fitzsimmonsdesign.com


And remember to stop and smell the roses before they are all gone!

            Cool, Classy Summer!

Interior Design in Annapolis, Md. has heated up!
"Not as hot as Texas!", says Juan, our office manager. But, these hundred degree days are keeping people indoors more this summer than ever before. It is making everyone take a really good look at their surroundings.


Jen and Corey have inspired us with thier design on the platform just inside our front door this month in a clean sophisticated look with punches of cool aquas and greens combined with the new neutral, GRAY. Gray is what's hot and what's happening! You wait and see if I am right. It is popping up with the most  unusual color combinations. It is really new this time and not a retread of old colors.


The girls have used a cowhide in the grouping this month. Now, you may not think that is not worth mentioning but, there is a little tale in there. When the new cowhides came in, Jennifer, our little tree hugger and recycler would not touch them because they grossed her out! Now,not only is she touching them, she is featuring them in the display this month! It's so rewarding to see people stretch themselves and grow!


I love how the two of them used the grey flannel chair with the cowhide for a lesson in black and white with the greyscale. Then they used the new teal ceramic lamps with the lucite bases on the Antique White  hand forged console. The artwork was a perfect choice because it once again has it's base in black and white. The mirrored fretwork pieces behind the chair add some glam and sparkle to the platform like the glint off of the water in the ocean.


I adore the new drink tables that are featured here as well. They are forged metal mini tables to hold just one drink! They come in one and two drink sizes. We have already had nineteen of them fly out of the store! Get them while they are hot! The last piece that I do want to draw your attention to is the small round end table on the right. When you are mixing finishes you can always revert to a spark of color in a solid. It really gives the whole grouping an updated look.


Come on in to our retail store, Details of Design in Annapolis, Md. and take a look around at the other displays. Maybe one of the groupings will inspire you to perk up the inside of your home while you are being held captive by this heat!


Our Tent Sale is coming up next month!!!! Don't forget to get on our mailing list so we will send you a postcard to let you know all of the "Details"!!!!


See you there, Gina

Interior Design in Annapolis this Summer

Interior Design in Annapolis has never been as bright and fresh before! We wanted to give you a preview of where the trends are taking the design world this summer. The "coastal look" is continuing to be the most popular style during record high heat this season. The reason coastal is on the leading edge is it's "kick back and relax" attitude. People are placing a high value on lifestyle and comfort.

The introduction at the International Home Furnishings Show of the "Driftwood" finishes were across the board. The casegood manufacturers had some beautiful textures and finishes on their wood pieces and the accessory manufacturer's went crazy with all sorts of creative accents as shown below

on the left. The factories have been designing
ease and comfort into their product lines to suit the American public's desire of a simpler life. The trend away from having  to get all dressed up to go out to dinner is having it's effect on the furnishing market.

We are providing you the inspiration to update your spaces at home with the latest in trends. Reframe a few of your favorite photographs on the end table in the living room with a wood in a new finish. Change out a lamp in the Family room, you never liked that one your Mom gave you anyway!

What we like about trends is that you can take from it what you like and what you feel comfortable with. There is no need to do an entire room in matching driftwood pieces!!! That would be entirely too much. Come into Details and look at how we accessorized our vignettes to tie in the freshened coastal summer breezes!

Details of Design
918 Bay Ridge Rd.
Annapolis, Md. 21403
410-269-1965

Spring has Sprung!


Details of Design, voted one of the top Furniture stores in Annapolis, Md. has revamped their floor with springey ideas for your home.

The weather is just beautiful and if you have to be inside then, lighten up! Get the cob webs out!

Design can be fun when  you take your existing sofa and change the pillows for a different look. Details also has great inexpensive indoor/ outdoor rugs and samples available to alternate with that heavy oriental rug that has been down all winter. "They are really good looking rugs and you would never guess by looking at them that you can use them on a screened in porch!" says
Jennifer Naperlaski, Details Store Manager. "We also have some perky spring florals in to spruce up the center of your breakfast table." Jennifer added.

Do not let the change of seasons boggle your mind on how to lighten up your spaces. Snap a couple of photos and bring them in to Jennifer and she can make some suggestions for you to implement in your home.

Baltimore Sun Covers the Baltimore Symphony Showhouse at Ritz Carlton!

Dennis Hockman from the Baltimore Sun Newspaper covered the Baltimore Symphony Showhouse and it hit the stands today on the first day it was open to the public. He wrote a wonderful story highlighting the same floorplan of the 2 Living Rooms in the show house on the front page of the Style section. Fitzsimmons Design had the half page from the crease in the paper, up. It was great coverage.

Jennifer Naperlaski from Fitzsimmons Design said, " It was so wonderful to work the room today. A number of people came to see the show house because they saw the story in the Style section this morning as they were eating their breakfast. We have sold several pieces in our room to benefit the Symphony today." Many people may not know this but, everything in the Show House is for sale. A Homeowner can literally drive down to the showhouse and pick out a room and buy it! Jennifer also reported in that we  had great traffic. I hope that you will come to the showhouse tomorrow on Mother's day. I will be in the room personally and will be able to chit chat about the features of our room. I look for ward to meeting you!

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID

Baltimore Symphony Showhouse is now Open at the Ritz Carlton!

Here is a sneak peek of one half of the Living Room. It is a very open floor plan and this is our grouping for that after dinner brandy when you get up from the table. We have hung a 5ft. Oil Painting
with a narrow drink ledge running down one wall. The loveseats that we used are slipcovered for ease of care.

Please come and attend the Show House because it is for a very good cause. The Symphony appreciates your support.

Open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 to 8 p.m., Monday, May 30th from 10 to 5 p.m.

Ritz Carlton Inner Harbor

801 Key Highway, Baltimore, MD 21230

Well, it has been a long week. We got the draperies installed yesterday just before the Residents Party Last Night. No, I did not see Tom Clancy! I got the DVD running at the last minute with our portfolio playing. Then I finished up with the little baby white stickers on the furnishings in the room. All of the contents of all the rooms in the showhouse are for sale. If you are going through the house and you see something that you like there will be a Master List where you can look up the price of that item. If you would like to purchase that item you can pay for it and then pick it up at the end of the show.

This has been the best group of designers and symphony volunteers that I have worked with to date. Things went pretty smoothly except for the redesign of my window treatments at the last minute and the glass shelves not fitting.

Yesterday Dennis Hockman  from the Baltimore Sun was due at the house at 9:30 AM. As I was laying in bed and thinking that if I really hurried I could get there when he arrived. Then I had an idea! It would be easier to email him from bed and then I would not have to get up!

There are two units that comprise the show house. While walking through the condo next door, I was taken with the contrast between Victor's Living Room being sooo...contemporary and my space being more traditional. I emailed Dennis that I thought that it would make a great story for the Baltimore Sun Paper, same unit - two different ways. He emailed me back that he thought that was a great idea and he may just use it. Later in the afternoon he emailed me again and said that he loved our Livnig room and

 he was indeed going to write the story! How exciting is that?

Thanks, Dennis! Sometimes it just pays to stay in bed!



Baltimore Symphony Show House- Move in Day!

It's move in day at last! We had a truck rented and a helper to move all of the furniture from our retail store Details of Design in Annapolis, Md. and then the whole plan fell apart! The helper could not make it and we had to cancel the truck and pay for a delivery company to pick up and deliver the furniture to the show house in Baltimore. Luckily, it all got done.

                    I took a load of accessoreis in my car and went in through the front door of the Ritz Carlton Condominiums. They have these bellhop rolling carts that I was able to use. However, you do feel obliged to tip rather heavily since the bellhops are so very nice. The bellhop and I started rolling down the endless hallway to the next building. The hallways in the Ritz are very well designed. The flooring is a patterned carpet with marble rectangular panels inserted every so often to break up the long hallway. It is very attractive. As we started down the hallway though the cart would roll, roll, roll, then bump as it hit the edge of the marble insert in the floor. After about ten of these bumps  a lamp literally jumped off the cart and smashed on the floor! I was in shock! I did not have another lamp to replace it! When I got back to the store Jennifer helped me glue it all back together like a jigsaw puzzle. It really doesn't look too bad. I bet no one will notice (famous last words!).

                We have hung up the artwork. We have a couple of original oil paintings that have been stopping people in their tracks as they take their preview walks of the designers rooms. The art has been complimented a lot. The rugs are down in the space. I understand that one of the Ritz Carlton managers has walked through and said that he had been most of the units in the buildings there and he had not seen any other tennants in the building use the Living Room space as we had with the secondary grouping off to the side. He really liked the spaceplanning.

                  I picked up the glass for the shelves in the recesses by the fireplace and went to slide them in. They of course did not fit! I had asked my assistant to order the shelves and to look up my notes on a yellow pad to order them and I was in such a hurry, I neglected to tell her that we needed to take a clearance allowance off of my dimensions. I got 4 of the 6 shelves in, but I have to go back to the glass company to get the two cut down. nothing is ever easy. The drywall of the recess is crooked on one side. Just my luck!

                    We are down to the last few days! I also received a call from Ron at the drapery workroom yesterday. The first words out of his mouth were, "We can't use this fabric on the crown molding of your treatment. It won't work!" I told him that I would be right down and he and I would figure it out. You really have to remain calm through all of the trials and tribulations. There is no sense in getting an ulcer.You definitely have to be a good problem solver to be a good designer. Well, during my last minute visit to the workroom in DC we worked out the application of the glue so it would not penetrate the fabric. The workroom has 75 top treatments in work in front of my job for a nursing home project. So, as long as they get done, I will get my draperies somehow at the last minute and just in time. Let us pray!

                      Sometimes I forget why I love being an Interior Designer! I am sure when the room is all pulled together my amnesia will have disapated and I will really enjoy meeting the public and discussing the space in person. The first unveiling is a private party next Thursday evening for the residents of the Ritz Carlton. Maybe someone will love the room so much that they will just say, "Can you please just move this whole room up to my condo, I love it just the way it is!" Let us pray!

                     The grand opening is on May 7th to the public and runs until May 30th. If you are there and one of our designers is working the room, please let us know that you have been following our blog!

                     We will see you there!

Coverage of the Baltimore Symphony Showhouse

Paint Coverage,  that is! It's been an exciting week at the Baltimore Symphony Showhouse!

 Fitzsimmons Design is the only design firm representing Annapolis, Md. in the Baltimore Showhouse. We are honored to participate and have been assigned the Living Room.

We are slowly but surely making progress. We have gotten the room painted in Benjamin Moore, Historic Color, Mystic Gold, Thanks to my trusty painter Wayne and his crew. "It's like wrapping yourself in caramel!" said Corey Hamby when she saw the photo.    

  The floors have  been done also, but, as you can see in the photo, they are under wraps. I took a peek and the Ritz Carlton finished the hardwood floors in a Brazilian Cherry. Thank goodness that we did not have to pay to do the floors! In a showhouse situation the designer is responsible for paying for all of the designwork to the room.

Our Living Room Area adjoins the Dining Area. Jim from Elegant Decor has wallpapered the walls in a bamboo pattern. Jim and I were showhouse neighbors at Arden House. We had a phone conversation about the bump out columns between the two rooms. We agreed that instead of just wallpapering the columns that he could use the same trim molding on the columns and insert the paper inside the panel and I would have my painter paint the color of my walls around the panels to help the flow between the two areas. When I arrived to check my paint job, I was very surprised  that the columns had not been painted in the Mystic Gold . I called  later that day to find out that they had indeed been painted . It's a mystery, they are white now. I have a load of last minute details to attend to and just do not have time to worry myself about this. If you ask ten different Designers how they would treat it, you would probably get ten different solutions!

In the hub bub of everything else that is going on I went to Market in North Carolina last week. We were there 5 days and really enjoyed ourselves. The state of North Carolina has the best people! After you have been there for 5 days you definitely come home with a little twang in your accent. This market the manufacturer's had all sorts of new product. Six months ago they were relying on their existing inventory and showing previously introduced merchandise because of the economy. I found all sorts of goodies this time that I purchased for our retail store in Annapolis, Details of Design. I also took my clients fabric swatches with me so I would have good accessories in stock in the store when it comes time to put the finishing touches on the load of installs that I have coming up in the next month. Take a look at my new best friend at market below! He is a Big Boy. I know one of my clients will want to adopt him! He doesn't eat much and you don't have to walk him!

The Baltimore Showhouse Pallet of Fabrics

Well time is rushing ahead and we are getting all of the furniture ordered for theBaltimore Symphony  Showhouse Living Room at the Ritz Carlton in the inner harbor. We have pulled a warm pallet together and are using Benjamin Moore Mystic Gold HC-37 on our walls. The fabrics range from amber toned chenilles for elegance and durability to a bit of animal pattern for a fun accent with sophitication. We love the natural linens for our neutrals in the room.

Here is the floorplan that we have developed. The open area is attached to the dining area. We have set up the Living room to have two seperate groupings. One grouping is around the fireplace and the other is an intimate grouping at the other end of the room for two couples to sit and chat and maybe enjoy a beverage or two.

The above sketch shows an oversized oil painting of a scene on the Eastern Shore as our focal point for the two loveseat grouping. The cocktail table in this group is gold leaf and Mother of Pearl. It's precious!

Unfortunately the oriental rug that we selected is "Discontinued" This  is a designer's least favorite word in the English Language! We will have to find a replacement in the sage green and ambertones of the original selection.

I have to get in touch with my painter Wayne and set up a time when he can get in to paint the room. The scheduling is important since other people live in the same building full time. I think the organizers of the Showhouse have their hands full with all of the different sub contractors coming and going.

Follow along and we will update you on the 35th Baltimore Symphony Showhouse at the Ritz as we progress to the completion of this Living Room.

Fitzsimmons Design awarded the Living Room at the Ritz Carlton!!!!

Fitzsimmons Design has been chosen to design the Living Room at the Baltimore Symphony Showhouse this year at the Ritz Carlton Condominiums at the Inner Harbour in Baltimore! Above you can see that the room is in it's raw state with the cement floors. This showhouse is out of the ordinary because usually the designer has to repair plaster or deal with surfaces that have been painted 28 times over the last 50 years. This year they are giving all of the designers a break- brand new walls!!!


The elongated Living Room adjoins the Dining Room which will be designed by Jim Ryan from Belair, Md. It will be quite challenging to bring the open areas together in a cohesive design. Follow along in our blog and you will see how we pull the whole project together over the next 8 weeks. This years showhouse also has a tighter time frame in which to accomplish the magic that we are known for!

We will keep you posted, wish us luck!!!

Cozy Chic!

There is something to be said for that Cozy Winter Night cuddled up in front of the fire!

It is especially pleasing to have big thick wooly socks and a warm throw over you as you watch American Idol. This homey feeling has turned into the big design style of "Shabby Chic." It includes all of the distressed wood finishes, the chenille fabrics, the time worn comfortable furniture that you will never part with as long as you live. What a wonderful stressless approach to design, one does feel right at home!

In our retail store, Details of Design, Jen and Corey have gathered the elements needed in the store to make a display to show you the way to pull the look together. They have used a nifty drop leaf table that does double duty as a console table against the wall or as a dining table when the leaves are up. On the floor they have used a new upbeat version of a braided rug. This one is woven with a chenille yarn to give us a warm fuzzy feel! Some of the artwork they used is framed pressed botanicals. They included accent tables and pottery pieces with unique finishes and lamps with a bit of whimsey. 

So, as you can see, real "Luxury" stems from real "Comfort"!