August 10, 2022

Anna Maria Mannarino, Allied ASID and past president of ASID NJ, of Mannarino Designs Inc. in Holmdel, N.J., received four Design Excellence Awards from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID NJ). The awards were announced during a gala evening at the Clubhouse at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth where George Oliphant of TV’s “George to the Rescue” served as host. 

Seventeen interior designers won a total of 40 awards in 17 categories. Mannarino won in all the categories she entered in. She won in the Healthcare Spaces, 3,000 square feet or less, category for her work on the Trū Birth Center in Lakewood, N.J., the first female-owned birthing center in New Jersey, in which she created luxe, spa-like interiors in the data- and science-driven facility. Her work on the facility also captured a 2022 Chrysalis Award sponsored by Qualified Remodeler and Kitchen & Bath Design News.

On the residential side, Mannarino won three awards — in the Specialty and Unique Spaces category for a music lover’s bachelor pad, in the Show House Spaces category for an art-filled showhouse living room and in the Outdoor Living Spaces category for an elegant, tiered patio and garage. This project was a novel concept. The clients needed a third garage and wished they had more outdoor living space, so Mannarino proposed the idea of chipping away the mountain of granite at the top of their driveway, building a third garage into the bedrock and adding a rooftop deck and a tiered space off the back that would lead to a new outdoor kitchen. She also redesigned a paved driveway and walkway complete with a snow-melt system.

Judges included past award-winning ASID members from around the country and followed strict criteria in their judging. The criteria, which varied somewhat from category to category, had one constant, however. Entrants in all the categories were judged on “Positive impact on life and the human experience.”

Mannarino was also presented with a special award bestowed by ASID, the Medalist Award, which recognizes those members nationwide who have demonstrated outstanding service to ASID, have provided significant contributions to the interior design profession and have made significant contributions that have enriched the human experience. Mannarino certainly fits the bill as a guiding force in the ASID NJ Chapter and for her work during the height of the pandemic supplying PPEs and design services on charge to front-line medical professionals responding to COVID-19, among other humanitarian initiatives.

“I am truly passionate about my work and am very honored to receive these awards and recognition,” said Mannarino.