Wednesday, November 9, 2011 | by L’Oreal Thompson | Photography by Jen Rynda

Face to Face with Gina Fitzsimmons

Interior designer and business owner Gina Fitzsimmons has a keen eye for detail

It all began with a walk down the street. When Gina Fitzsimmons, ASID was a preteen growing up in Laurel, Maryland, she would often gaze into her neighbors’ apartments while walking home after her babysitting jobs. “The rooms were all the same layout, but they were designed differently. It was just amazing to me,” Fitzsimmons says. “I went home and rearranged the furniture in my bedroom about 20 times.”

In 1991, Fitzsimmons opened her own full-service interior design firm, Fitzsimmons Design Associates, Inc. in Annapolis. “Back then, there was a recession, which was actually a good time to open a business because vendors were more willing to try to help you get started,” she says.

Fitzsimmons, who also owns and operates Details of Design, a home furnishings boutique, begins the relationship with her clients with an “Initial Consultation Package.” “Some people want their whole house designed from top to bottom, while other people just want me to design the living room,” she says. “We discuss what to keep and what to get rid of. We talk about their needs, preferences, and budget. Then the design process starts from there.”

How did you get started as an interior designer?

I started as a junior designer for Montgomery Ward when I was 19. The company sold furniture, tapestries, upholstery, and that sort of thing. I just loved it, and I decided to go back to school at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I worked full-time and went to school at night. Eventually, I passed the NCIDQ [National Council for Interior Design Qualifications] exam and became certified.

What do you love most about your job?

I love that “TV moment” when the client walks in and it’s all finished. It’s very rewarding. I also love when my clients become lifelong friends. It’s really fantastic.

If you could change one thing about your industry what would it be?

I would change it at the college level. Some of the people I’ve interviewed for positions have no idea how to measure, order, and price. I’ve asked them how many inches are in a yard and they don’t know.

What accomplishment of yours makes you the most proud?

That I was able to go into business for myself, and I just paid off the building. I own it 100 percent.

Who in your life was most instrumental in helping you get started with your career?

Walt Quinn. He was one of my first bosses, and he taught me a lot about business in general. He was very customer-oriented.

What did you want to be when you were 5 years old?

When I was 5 years old, I wanted to be a schoolteacher. I taught math classes in my neighborhood. I guess I liked it because I got to be in charge. My husband tells me I’m a control freak.

If you could do anything other than what you are doing, what would it be?

I’d be either a psychiatrist or an attorney. I like getting into people’s minds and as far as being an attorney, I like the fact that you can fight for what’s right.

What are three things you absolutely cannot live without?

Of course, I can’t live without my husband, Terry. We’re a duo. And I’d also include my close friends and my fantastic employees. Of course, some of those close friends are also employees and vice versa.

At the end of your career, what do you hope to have accomplished?

I hope to have inspired junior designers and help them further their careers. It’s hard to say because I don’t really plan on retiring. I’ll probably work less and take more vacations, but I truly enjoy my work.

L’Oreal Thompson is the Assistant Editor of Chesapeake Home + Living.

Trophy Rooms

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 | by L’Oreal Thompson | Photo by Morgan Howarth and Derek Jones

AWARD-WINNING INTERIOR DESIGN

What inspires you? Is it a quiet place to relax and catch up with friends online, a fashionable and functional kitchen to cook family meals, or an entertainment room to cheer on your favorite team during the Big Game? Whatever the case may be, the design of these spaces must be carefully and artfully planned. Great design goes beyond simply being beautiful. It becomes an expression of your personality. It’s a visual statement of who you are and what makes you happy. Above all else, design accommodates the essential needs of the homeowner both functionally and aesthetically.

Each year, Chesapeake Home + Living teams up with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) to award exceptional design, and we are proud to showcase this year’s residential winners. For gallery of past winners, please visit the Awards section of ChesapeakeHomeandLiving.com.

By choosing a rich, neutral color for the walls, the designer ensured that the cream and brown tones in all the materials would appear dominant, unifying those elements and giving the room a warm, relaxed feel.

As part of the Baltimore Symphony Show House at the Ritz Carlton in Baltimore, Maryland, the goal of this project was to design a space that was traditional and classy, contemporary, yet comfortable—a space that would appeal to a variety of people.

The 2,400-square-foot condo did not have a family room, so the designer incorporated a television into the living room, as well as a reading space with good lighting, and an area suitable for both intimate and large parties.

To give the living room area a more dramatic look, the designer used Mystic Gold, a deep tone paint that is one of Benjamin Moore’s Historic Colors. Drapery panels that blended into the wall color were used as not to detract from the view of the water. Meanwhile, the driftwood table between the sofa and chaise reinforce the regional Chesapeake flavor of the room.