ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE ACCLAIMED DESIGNER MARIE FLANIGAN
I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the top interior design talent in the country through my career as an Editorial Producer for national design magazines.
In keeping with our theme here of Making Your Every Day More Beautiful®, from time-to-time, I’m going to introduce you to some my “Design Friends” who truly embody the essence of my mission with Home Styling Works®.
I’m going to share one-on-one conversations with designers who have a proven track record for making people’s homes (and lives) more beautiful. Nothing formal or fancy, just “over the fence” chats about all things home and garden.
I’m so excited to launch this series with a designer whose talent I’ve long admired, and who is also a lovely friend who I’ve had the privilege of working with on many photo shoots over the years.
MEET MARIE FLANIGAN
Marie Flanigan is an expert on Making Your Every Day More Beautiful®.
She is an award-winning interior designer based in Houston, Texas, who founded her firm in 2010, after shifting from architecture to design for the closer relationship it allowed with her clients. Marie’s signature style combines refined elegance and innovative simplicity for a fresh perspective on traditional interior design. Her trademark style is evident through her sophisticated use of texture, color, and light. These components combine to create environments in which people love to live. It’s quite the combination.
I met Marie in 2015, when I produced the first of many Marie Flanigan Interiors projects that were featured in the publications I was working with at the time, including Better Homes & Gardens, Elegant Homes, Tuscan Style, Decor and Traditional Home magazines. In fact, Marie was one of a handful of designers selected by editors for Traditional Home’s prestigious “New Trad Designers” in 2015. She was recently named one of House Beautiful magazine’s “Next Wave” designers. You may also recognize her from her multiple appearances on HGTV’s “Brother vs. Brother” (Season 5). Marie has also designed her own lighting collection for Visual Comfort, sold through Circa Lighting.
“THE BEAUTY OF HOME”
In September 2020, Marie authored her first book, “The Beauty of Home: Redefining Traditional Interiors” (Gibbs Smith), with photography by the equally talented and fabulous Julie Soefer. This book is a must-have for interior design lovers, and it is destined to be a classic. I especially love the chapter on “Details” and what Marie calls “small, well-considered gestures” you can create throughout your home.
EDITORIAL FEATURES
Below are some of Marie’s projects that I produced for various magazines, all photographed by Julie Soefer:
A CHAT WITH MARIE
In my chat today with Marie, we’re going to talk about accessible ideas for making your house a home. Let’s get started!
Donna: Marie, let’s start with your own home, which we photographed a few years ago for Better Homes & Gardens “Before & After” magazine. People are curious about how designers live. What would you say is the biggest difference between how you and your family live versus the homes you design for clients?
Marie: I design homes to be both elegant and livable, elevating how our clients’ and their families experience home. My design style reflects those who live within and gives purpose to the beauty that surrounds them, down to the very last detail of where they place their coffee cups.
I live very similarly to my clients because I designed my home to be beautiful and functional, enveloped by who and what I cherish. Beauty is found in simplicity and can take many forms for many people.
Donna: A favorite memory of mine is from the photo shoot at your Houston home, when we all enjoyed a lovely, casual dinner on your front porch. As you know, outdoor living spaces have become more important in the past year. Any tips you can share about how to extend the inside living spaces to the outdoors?
Marie: That’s one of my favorite memories too! I design outdoor areas to be an extension of the home’s interior space. One way to accomplish a cohesive experience is to continue finishes from the indoors out, like a really textural limestone floor or a stunning encaustic backsplash.
In the architectural phase, I encourage our client to place the patio next to the kitchen, where you can easily carry the food from one space to another. If space allows, having a grill, fridge, and sink right at your fingertips is ideal for those desiring more space for cooking, eating, and entertaining year-round.
Donna: That makes so much sense to place the patio next to the kitchen – great advice for anyone who is building a new home!
Now, let’s talk about your best-selling (and fabulous) book, “The Beauty of Home”. So many people think that Beauty equals Perfection. But you and I both know that’s not possible at all – especially living with children, a husband and pets. So what’s your take on “beauty at home”? And what’s an easy way non-design professionals can create beauty in their own homes?
Marie: I couldn’t agree more. Beauty at home is when you have a space that speaks to you on emotional and spiritual planes. It’s when you walk in the door and instantly feel relaxed and at peace. I believe beauty is also found in imperfections, like organic or hand-formed pieces that patina over time.
I love to find objects that people might think are ugly at first glance and make them appear beautiful again or reimagine how they’re used. I have some rusty, crusty keys that my husband and I discovered in an antique shop. They ended up in a drawer, but eventually I got around to having them matted on linen and framed, and now they’ve become a work of art that holds a special memory.
Donna: I love that you and your husband framed the keys!
My husband and I recently became grandparents to a darling little boy, and my son and daughter-in-law just bought their first home. Any advice for making a child-friendly home stylish? And how does living with your three young children influence your own design decisions?
Marie: Congratulations!! That is such an exciting time! Creating a child-friendly home is all about thoughtfully selected materials. Hide rugs, for example, are virtually indestructible, and performance fabrics can be quite lovely. Using these materials allow you to live freely in your home, without being scared about every bump or spill.
Having three young children greatly influences my design decisions because they naturally add a sense of practicality to any design. It encourages you to think through how a piece will function in your space and if it’s necessary, which I think ultimately leads to a better overall design.
Donna: What is your favorite room in the home to design, and why?
Marie: My favorite room to design is the kitchen because it is truly the heart of every home, and sentimental in nature. It’s where meals are shared, homework is done, dance parties are had, and everything in between. The creation of the kitchen also encompasses all of my favorite design elements, including, architecture, light, functionality, and finishes. I love the challenge of mixing unexpected materials, like a really fine metal with textural stone, and then a custom stain.
Donna: The kitchen really is the heart of the home. And I saw that one of your gorgeous kitchens just made the cover of the new issue of Traditional Home magazine – well deserved!
So let’s talk a little about design dilemmas. From a styling perspective, open shelves to me are a constant design conundrum that I hear about over and over. What would you say is the most common “Design Dilemma” that you encounter in your work?
Marie: The TV over the fireplace is always a design dilemma. We are constantly trying to come up with creative ways to disguise the television, and recently completed a project where we installed an antique mirror with transparent glass over the tv, which turned out really beautifully.
Donna: The antique mirror idea is such a creative and beautiful solution to a common design dilemma. Many people are under the impression that you need a king’s ransom to have a beautiful home and that an interior designer is too expensive. I happen to believe that interior designers are worth their weight in gold for their creative ideas and long-term, cost-saving solutions (like your antique mirror/TV solution). That being said, do you have a favorite budget-friendly idea you can share (without giving away your secrets)?
Marie: Natural fiber rugs add a sense of warmth and texture to any space, and can be found in an affordable price range. You can let them stand alone, or layer an antique Oushak rug on top!
Donna: Any exciting new things on the horizon for you that you can share with us?
Marie: My second collection with Visual Comfort is coming out in the fall. We also recently moved office spaces and I’m really excited to reveal the new MFI Headquarters soon!
Donna: Complete this sentence: A house isn’t a home without __________.
Marie: Love.
Donna: What a beautiful sentiment. Thank you, Marie, for so graciously being my guest today and sharing your wonderful ideas with my readers. I can’t wait to see more of what you have in store for the interior design world! #onetowatch
MARIE’S LINKS
To see more of Marie’s work, visit her website here.
And follow her on Instagram @marieflaniganinteriors and on Facebook Marie Flanigan Interiors.
To order your copy of Marie’s book, “The Beauty of Home: Redefining Traditional Interiors”, here’s the link.
To view Marie’s lighting collection for Visual Comfort, click here.
THANK YOU!
Thanks to Marie for sharing her tips and ideas. I hope this post has inspired all of you to Make Your Every Day More Beautiful® by sharing your home with friends!