Designer wins award for showcasing local artists

Nov 17, 2018

Marion-based designer Anthi Frangiadis earned a second design award on Nov. 15 for incorporating a Marion woodworker and another local artisan into a room that she designed as part of a Marion home renovation.

The Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod gave Frangiadis their Building and Remodeling Industry on Cape Cod (BRICC) award for “Best Use of Local Art/Artisan Talent” for a powder room that was part of a larger renovation project.

Frangiadis said that this category is easy for her to submit to BRICC because it fits well with how she operates as a designer. In fact, she also won the gold award in the Local Art/Artisan Talent design category in 2014.

“I collaborate with a lot of different people and try to make space unique by not having everything made in China,” Frangiadis explained.  “I feel as though that adds a lot of depth and character to a place, you know, it doesn’t end up being just like the neighbor’s house.”

For this project she incorporated local touches throughout the house, including the a kitchen table and counter by John Nadeau of JNJ Woodworking in the kitchen. She also used Ed Howland in Marion as the contractor.

She chose to submit the house’s powder room because she was able to use both JNJ Woodworking and custom wall painting by Whimsical Notions of Grey Gables in the room. Because photos are limited for submissions, she chose to focus in on that one room for her submission.

In the powder room JNJ made the vanity base from reclaimed wood. The vanity’s legs were originally from a bed, and he was able to flip them around and reuse them. For the counter and kitchen table downstairs, the client researched woods and found a mahogany that she liked, which Nadeau was able to make into a table and wet bar. 

“She was easy to work with, had a lot of good ideas,” Nadeau said.  He has also been working with Frangiadis for about five years, and speaks highly of her as well. 

“It’s been great to work with Anthi. She kind of started us out, gave the opportunity to show some pieces and it kind of grew from there.” he explained.  

Frangiadis says that the thought of incorporating artisan work like the kind that Nadeau does into their homes can make clients nervous.

“Most times people are turned off by it because of the expense, and they think that it’s custom and made to order it’s going to be too expensive,” she explained, “But it doesn’t have to be, if it’s thought out well.

She adds that as a designer she can incorporate artisan work in large or small ways.

“Someone might want to replace their backsplash, and instead of just going to the tile store you can go to the tile store and incorporate artisan work,” Frangiadis said.