In 1995 the women met socially at a Manhasset Mothers Group meeting where Kerith Flynn was speaking on aspects of decorating. Garden City resident Christine Ranieri was impressed and hired her to help her with her first house and the friendship began. A short 10 years later their design firm, Margali and Flynn Designs, Ltd., was invited by Mansions and Millionaires, a firm that runs designer's showcases, to decorate the butler's pantry at the showcase recently held at the Bailey Arboretum in Lattingtown from Oct. 29 through Dec. 4.

The seeds of their partnership were sown when Ranieri went to school for her own design training and completed the program around 1999 yet the two women continued to work individually for the next six years.

Ranieri found herself getting busier and busier and when she landed several large jobs she needed assistance and Flynn stepped in and the partnership worked. In the spring of 2005 they began collaborating on all projects, leading to the grand opening of their design office located at 666 Willis Avenue in Williston Park in August of 2005.

The designers enjoy working with each other and have an interesting variety of projects: Paris Match, a New York city restaurant; a 6,000 square foot law firm in Garden City; many homes in the central section of Garden City and numerous homes in Manhasset. Some of the homes, in both towns, have been selected for holiday tours. Ranieri said they "do comprehensive design to provide a complete visual story--that's what we seek and enjoy doing." The team can be reached at 294-2757.

Ranieri lives in Garden City and has two daughters, aged 14 and 11 years old. Flynn is the mother of three children aged 11, seven and three years old. The two oldest attend Munsey Park Elementary School.

Ranieri said one of their formulas for success is their strong relationship with their tradesmen. "It becomes a symbiotic relationship that works for us, the tradesmen and most important of all, the client. The bottom line is our relationship with tradesmen benefits the client--it makes the upheaval of redecorating less stressful. It's the same principal as 'happy mommy, happy children.'"

Flynn said "within the industry we were pleased because as the new kids on the block at the designer's showcase we received many nods of approval from the more renowned designers in the field."

Interests outside the office couldn't be more different. Ranieri enjoys gourmet cooking (helps in kitchen design, too) and even went to cooking school. She collects art, in particular antique oils, and enjoys herb gardening.

At the opposite end of the spectrum Flynn avoids the kitchen preferring instead the sports arena. She is one of the highest ranked paddle tennis players on the East Coast, is a four handicap in golf and an excellent tennis player. Flynn won both the golf and tennis championships at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove in 2003 and 2004. She only won the golf in 2005 because a broken thumb kept her off the tennis court.

The women say they are compatible professionally because Ranieri is a Type A personality and detail oriented while Flynn is calm and sees the overall picture.

Flynn said, "We laugh a lot. It's great having a partner-it's a lot more fun."