Nina Telesca Magnani strongly suggests that the Chinese practice of feng shui should be used more by those looking to improve their living spaces. The ancient art calls for the design and placement of buildings and the elements within them to be in harmony with the local environment to enhance the flow of positive energy and deflect negative energy. The result is a peaceful home or workplace.
"We need to look to their (the Chinese) philosophy which really is that your home is an oasis," said Ms. Magnani, an interior designer and project manager at The Palumbo Group. Ms. Magnani also cites Sir Winston Churchill for a Western thought on the subject of design.
"'Our interior is up here (in the mind). We shape our buildings, there after they shape us.' There is a direct link between Winston Churchill's philosophy and the Chinese," Ms. Magnani said. The end result is the same, she added.
"You want to look forward to going into that living space at the end of the day and I think you have to be comfortable, especially in the bedroom where you should feel like you're going into the St. Regis."
Creative background: Ms. Magnani grew up in Old Forge and now lives in Waverly with her two children, Angelina Hazzouri, 13, and David Hazzouri, 10. A graduate of Old Forge High School, Ms. Magnani received a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Penn State in 1986 and a master's degree in interior architecture from Marywood University in 2008.
Ms. Magnani's diverse background and innate sense of style helps her in creating eclectic and sophisticated residential and commercial interiors, she said. Recently, she helped to redesign the bedroom of two of her friends, Paul and Jennifer Macknosky in Dickson City. The Macknoskys had already begun an interior makeover of most of their home, but Mr. Macknosky wanted something special for the bedroom as a gift to his wife, he said.
"We hadn't touched the bedroom because, I thought, it was a good opportunity to have someone who knows what they are doing to come in," Mr. Macknosky said. The task was simple for Ms. Magnani, she said. "I worked with what they had and it was a Christmas present for (Mrs. Macknosky) and they love it. The design is topped off with a piece of artwork from one of our Marywood University students, Casey Heynen," she said.
The effort at the Macknosky home didn't cost much and no project should, Ms. Magnani said. "You could spend a lot of money to get a good design, but the real challenging part, which I like, is when you don't have a lot of money to spend," she said.
Ms. Magnani, 46, began her career in 1986 as a sales engineer for Columbia Gas Co.
From 1991 to 1993, she was a regulatory affairs representative with ANR Pipeline-Coastal Corp. before becoming the principal officer at Hazzouri Interiors in 1993.
Later, after working for 13 years as a sales engineer at Northeastern Plastics Inc., Ms. Magnani owned and operated Magnani Design until 2009 when she joined The Palumbo Group.
Ms. Magnani also has performed pro bono work for the Scranton Cultural Center and other local institutions.
Finding inspiration
"I have been studying with my mentor, William Spear, who is an educator on Eastern design and philosophy," Ms. Magnani said.
"Fourteen years ago I read Mr. Spear's book ("Feng Shui Made Easy: Designing Your Life with the Ancient Art of Placement"), which was my first introduction to feng shui," Ms. Magnani said. "I was immediately consumed and intrigued with feng shui."
According to Mr. Spear's book, integrating interior design according to the principles of feng shui harmonizes a person's external and internal environments by creating balanced, peaceful dwellings in which a person can develop health and happiness.
"Its powerful secrets have been closely guarded for centuries and what has been written tends to be mystifying and impractical," according to a passage in the book.
"Ten years after I read his book, I met Mr. Spear at a Habitat for Humanity benefit in New Jersey, where he was the keynote speaker," Ms. Magnani said. "Once again, I was captivated by his words, and I was determined to learn more."
That determination led Ms. Magnani to being accepted in 2009 to Mr. Spear's mentoring program.
Ms. Magnani is quick to note her earliest influences are not to be discounted. Her father, Donato Telesca, has also been a mentor, and Pearl Magnani Telesca, Ms. Magnani's late mother, was an inspiration, too, she said.
"My mother used to sew draperies for people when I was growing up. She was a perfectionist and I learned from her as well," she said.
When redesigning a room, Ms. Magnani said it is important to make sure that the design is functional for the client and aesthetically beautiful. To that end, Ms. Magnani offers advice to those looking to change the appearance of their interior.
"You cannot be afraid to use colors because you can always change your walls. Have fun with the colors and move things around," she said. "Most people have a lot of things in their homes, they just have to have some fun with what they have and be creative."