This project was titled “The Green House Goes Pink”, and was a designer showcase house to raise funds for a free mammogram program provided by the McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation. I was asked by the executive director the summer after my senior year of high school, to renovate the powder room and change the family television room to a family craft room and play room. Because it was a fundraiser, I had a very limited budget. Working with a local boutique for a few items, and having an underwriter, my total budget was $1,000 for both rooms. A local seamstress donated her time to create the curtains. The home we worked with was a two story 1881 Italianate.

For the powder room, I kept the old fashioned sink, and added a custom linen fabric skirt to hide the plumbing. Various antique mirrors were painted and arranged in a gallery wall style to add some dimension to the very tall, dark grey wall that I had to work with. A framed painting of the Carthage, Missouri courthouse, which can be seen from that home, was added to enhance the history of the home.

For the craft and play room, we painted the walls grey, to pop against the wall of white bookshelves. Playful colors of pink, light blue, aqua and green alongside side a floral pattern were used to create a welcoming environment for kids. A window seat pillow was recovered, some throw pillows were added, and new curtains were hung to create soft space for kids to lounge in along with a throw rug in front of a tv. A harvest table was painted with black chalk board paint to give kids a unique way to express their creativity. Paintings of the exterior of the home were done by children that I worked with at Carthage’s artCentral summer art camp, and placed throughout the room.