Blog

Current

A Grand Celebration

10/26/2015

Our design team recently attended ASID's (American Society of Interior Designers) Gala, "A Legacy of Elegance" on October 10th at Westminster Hall.  It was an extraordinary Black Tie (optional) affair held at the historical Westminster Hall in Baltimore.  We celebrated ASID's 40th Anniversary, honored Rita St. Clair with a Lifetime Achievement Award and announced the Design Competition winners.  We were thrilled and honored to learn that we received 1st place in the Model Home/Showhouse catagory!   It was a fabulous evening for all of us as we dined on Salmon Wellington, drank speciality drinks sponsored by our vendors ...

read more

A New Sorority House is Completed

10/26/2015

For Cornell’s traditional sorority house in Ithaca, New York, we enlisted the direction of one of our senior designers, Linda Hartman. The historic house had a wonderful interior with which to work, and required little construction beyond renovating the bath facilities. The overhauled furnishings and finishings frequently used the school’s colors of red and white, as well as deep colors to impart a feeling of warmth and coziness.

Materials were considered based on their ability to withstand wear and tear and needed to be inherently flame-retardant to observe safety regulations. The house spilled over with character but was ...

read more

Our Firm is Growing!

10/26/2015

Please join us in welcoming Cindi Armacost to the Karen Renee team! 

Cynthia "Cindi" Armacost is an Allied Member ASID and attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, CA and CCBC where she earned her interior design degree.  Cindi started her Interior Design career in 1987 in Baltimore, MD.  She has worked for several Interior Design companies in MD/DE and California and also owned her own business from 1992 to 2015.  

Cindi’s experience level offers a full range of Interior Design services to both Residential and Commercial projects. Cindi welcomes working with any size Residential ...

read more

Karen Renee Wins First Place Design Award!

10/26/2015

We’re thrilled to announce that Karen Renee has won first place in the Showhouse/Model Home category in ASID's (American Society of Interior Designers) 2015 Excellence in Design Competition.

The award was given for our Governor’s Reserve model home project.  This four-bedroom model is a part of Koch Homes’ beautiful community in Davidsonville, Maryland, and touted tastefully done living spaces with bright and airy accents. Favorites of ours included the equestrian-themed girl’s room and snowboarding décor in the boy’s room.

Winners will be published in Home & Design Magazine.

read more

Las Vegas Market Finds

8/16/2015

Here's a peek at what we have been seeing at the Las Vegas Furniture Market. Gold finishes are still emerging, beautiful pillows everywhere, still lots of light wood & driftwood finishes. Gray has made it into the woodtones and accessories. Also, lots of sparkle in accessory finishes.  To see more pictures, click here!

read more

Karen Osborne Wins Smart CEO Brava! Award

8/6/2015

Recently, SmartCEO honored our very own president and interior designer, Karen Osborne, with the Brava! Award, an honor bestowed to top women business leaders.  2015 Baltimore Smart CEO Magazine "Brava! Awards" recognize female CEO's for producing tremendous growth in their businesses, mentoring up and coming leaders and giving back to the community.

For over two decades, with Karen at the helm, Karen Renee Interior Design has been an originator in the interior design market in the Baltimore area, and we were so excited to support Karen as she received this distinguished award. Congratulations to Karen!

read more

Bachelor Townhome

7/1/2015

Bachelor pad meets entertaining oasis: Stephanie Simmons recently worked on a waterfront community in Northern Anne Arundel County. With the client requesting a formal, masculine feel and a warm color palette, her design was centered around entertaining.

The bedroom boasted colors of tomato red with accents in orange, where Stephanie utilized a fun molding treatment of Tebow grasscloth for texture and nail heads for interest above the bed.

The living room was very elegant, with beautiful shapes and stunning golds, reds, and teal. The Drexel chairs used bright Clark and Clark fabric, and were arranged around a geometric cocktail table ...

read more

Elegance in Davidsonville

5/18/2015

This family-friendly four-bedroom home exudes entertainment throughout, with a combination of clean lines found in both modern and traditional décor. A horse theme is found in several areas, but special detail is paid to a room perfect for a teenage girl with its green, pink, and white tones, as well as a horse mural and trim made to look like a barn wall.

A full, completely finished basement is turned into a rec room, complete with pool table and margarita-themed bar area!  In a room right off of the rec room is an exercise area that even includes built-in ...

read more

Contemporary Home Base

5/11/2015

A four-bedroom home conveniently located near Ft. Meade, we felt this project should have a contemporary feel, starting with a lovely molding detail in the entrance and continuing into the master bedroom with its silvery grey and gold, complemented by accents of teal. The upbeat color scheme of aqua blue, lime green, and grey throughout the main portion of the house gives it a cheery vibe, whereas the basement is decorated in brown, green, and terra cotta: earthy colors that lend a more grounded feeling.

For more information on how we can help inspire your next project, please contact us.

read more

Fabrics by Kravet

Spring Installs & Hot Trends

5/5/2015

It’s finally spring! And—whew!—we’ve been busy the past few months, installing unique model homes in Maryland as well as North Carolina, each tailored to a specific clientele. Read the following blog articles for more details on each.

In like a breath of fresh air! Looking for a way to liven up your living space, using the latest colors and patterns?

  • Incorporate orange and blue together for a sunny setting, or coral and turquoise for a relaxing beach ambiance.  Another option?  Blue and gold for a crisp, clean finish.
  • Use these pairings in geometrics or ikats, still-popular ...
read more

Ultimate Courtyard Home

4/30/2015

A distinctive home geared toward the baby-boomer market, specifically the 55+ active adult, the palette includes rich tones of raspberry, plum, and red, with accents in taupe. Showcased for adults with a range of interests, including travel, photography, baking, golf, and wine tastings, the overall feel of the home was one of transitional fused with contemporary. The home also included a second-floor suite, outfitted for a live-in in-law but could be utilized as a guestroom.

A special element: Each room in the home looked out on to the central courtyard, which included a water feature, a firepit, flowers, beautiful and ...

read more

Karen Renee wins Best of Houzz!

4/15/2015

Have you heard of Houzz? It’s a fabulous online platform providing visitors with inspiration, advice, products, and professional reviews. We’re proud to share that Houzz recently announced its “Best of Houzz 2015” winners, and we’re one of them—for Customer Service!

The award, generated from an annual survey and community ratings from over 25 million monthly users, was given for a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews. “We are honored to receive this award, as it indicates we are more than interior design; we are about a positive customer service experience as ...

read more