meet francessa

Francessa Wakem Cox, Founder

As a child growing up in West Hartford, Connecticut, Francessa would excuse herself from the table at restaurants to check out the features of the bathroom. “I should have known then that my true love was design,” she says. Francessa spent the first half of her career in development and adheres to strong business practices. She brings a solid project management background to her clients utilizing timelines to streamline each project. She believes that extensive communication with her clients is the key to a successful outcome. Francessa founded Tasteful Dwellings to create beautiful, personalized spaces that her home and business owners love and ensures every design reflects their unique style and needs.

meet jennifer

Jennifer Marie Mannelli, ASID

While studying at Florida State University, Jennifer lived in Italy and traveled throughout Europe, which provided the foundation of her future life pursuits – chasing vintage objects, savoring special moments, and recognizing that pleasure is essential to a well-lived life. Jennifer obtained her MFA in Interior Design from the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington DC. After receiving her MFA, Jennifer had a successful career in furniture at Design Within Reach for a decade. That career gave her great insight into modern furniture and expanded her reach. After leaving Design Within Reach, Jennifer worked for two boutique interior design firms in the Washington DC area where she further developed her design skills. Jennifer brings a strong technical background and a unique, fresh style and perspective that perfectly complements every project.

"I highly recommend Fran from Tasteful Dwellings. She was great to work with and had creative ideas for some of our difficult design issues. She was great about recommending furniture and rugs at all price points for our project. Our home definitely looks amazing because of Fran's expertise."

"Fran at Tasteful Dwellings redesigned my formal family room from a dark and dated decor, to a fresh, clean, and modern room. She had the vision to install windows flanking my fireplace which brought in an incredible amount of natural light. New furniture, lighting, and the most amazing rug selection rounded out the refresh of the room. Fran's creativity, vision, good taste, industry connections, project management, and willingness to go the extra mile are second to none."

"Tasteful Dwellings did an amazing job redesigning my living and dinning rooms.I had no idea how to arrange furniture in a long very large room. There was also very little light. They came in with great ideas on structure (adding new windows), beautiful textures, fabrics, furniture and decorations. I love these rooms now!"