A Room of Her Own Finishes

We're closing in on the end of this project. It's been so rewarding to me both personally and professionally. We were able to do something that I believe will have a very direct and daily impact on many people's lives. Additionally, the fact that we put out the call for help, and so, so many people said "yes"! It's been an experience that has taken me out of myself, and made me feel better about the world in general.

Here are more pictures of finished rooms in the Room of Her Own project at Alpha House of Tampa. These rooms were designed and executed by many members of the talented design community in Tampa.


Not that this cake needs icing, but nevertheless, here it is! Here is the courtyard "before".

And here's the finished courtyard area, complete with comfortable seating for mom and appropriate areas for toddlers as well.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this project together as much as I enjoyed being a part of it. There's more projects to be done at Alpha House of Tampa, so if you've been inspired, don't hesitate to visit their web site for more information on how you can be a part. I bet you'll be glad you did!

More Rooms to View!

Last week I showed pictures of our room makeover from the Room of Her Own project at the Alpha House of Tampa. Over the next couple of weeks I thought I would show you some photos from some of the other rooms...there are too many great ideas and designs to include in one session, and they're all too good not to share.

The pictures should speak for themselves.

The facility has taken on the look of a boutique bed and breakfast! I hope you enjoy these, and will look forward to next week's!

Finally--A Room of Her Own!

We've been watching the progress at the Alpha House of Tampa on our Room of Her Own project. Last week, I showed you our own renovation in progress, and promised finished photos this week. Here comes...but first, let's take another look at what the rooms looked like when we started.

Pretty dull, and certainly not a room that would make someone feel happy. That's where we come in.

Here we are in the final stages of the project. Our wonderful artist, Jeff Monsein of Splat Paint, creates a simple motif of leaves, vines and butterflies on one wall. The butterfly is part of the Alpha House logo, and we felt it was a great design element for the residents that we hope are going through a life transformation!

I met with our room adopter early Friday morning to see what she had brought to finish the room off, then she and I did another mad shopping run that day to find the final accessories to make the room complete. Here is our completed product.

I was very satisfied with the results. The room is warm and cheerful, but still has a cozy and relaxing element about it. I hope we make the residents who will stay here feel safe and comfortable, and they will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it!

Next week, I'll give you a look at some of the other designer's finished rooms, and we'll watch the courtyard renovations in progress. More fun in store!

A Room of Her Own Progress

After months of planning, the Room of Her Own renovations are in progress at the Alpha House of Tampa. Last week the design teams assigned to rooms in the East Wing did their installations. The energy and excitement was high and infectious! When they completed their work at the end of the week, it was time to move the residents once more to allow the East Wing design teams access to their rooms.
Our room work started off with a good cleaning. Everything was taken out, and the walls, ceiling and built-in furniture was scrubbed down. Then the painting could begin. Here's my crack team of helpers!

Linda and John Day offered to help with the painting, and I enlisted the help of Doug Phillips for carpentry and general assistance. They started with the ceiling, which required two coats of paint, generously donated by Tanner Paints and Benjamin Moore. Once that was dry, they moved on to the walls above the bead board line. Look out, John and Linda get kinda crazy with those brushes and rollers! Good thing Linda was due for a haircut.

Once the walls had two coats, Doug and John could start installing the beadboard and trims.

When the carpentry was all done, I painted the laminate furniture with a countertop paint also donated by Rustoleum. The fumes were noxious, but the result was worth it!

New drawer pulls, a new ceiling fan and sconce and a wonderful Roman shade from Levelor were all installed to complete the design elements. Then, artist Jeff Monsein swooped in at the eleventh hour to do a simple treatment of vines and butterflies on one wall. I'm saving this to show you later!

Today, I meet our room "Adopter", Roxanne Simmonds with Bank of America. Roxanne will be providing bed and crib linens, towels and other elements that will soften the room and add to the comfort for the resident. Next week, I'll show you pictures of the completed, fluffed room, and I'll also share pictures from some of the other designer's rooms. Worth the wait, I promise! Meanwhile, you can check out the Room of Her Own Blog for updates at this address and you can see the latest coverage from WFLA here.

Building Blocks

Building plans are in place, permits obtained, site visits made and structure orientation confirmed...we're off and running on our pavilion project. This one has taken a long time to get off the ground, but work is going quickly now that it's begun.

The slab foundation was poured after electrical and gas was in place. Then the block work began for the walls. When these are up, all block will be filled for solid walls, which will support the roof trusses and heavy barrel tile roofing materials.

Here's what it looks like in progress. The dust was flying as concrete block was cut.

Andy is doing a great job of getting this project up!

Some excavation has already happened where a pad for one of the pergola columns will go.

And our careful contractor, Al Albrecht, is keeping the work site as neat as possible, and keeping materials under cover to try to lessen the construction impact. This helps!

Our contractor has promised a mid-December completion date on this project, to be ready for a holiday party the client gives. His feet are to the fire, but I think he's up to it. This will go fast, so stand by!