room to dream

 

The remarkable story of a 48-hour makeover that brought joy
to a girl named Precious

 

Do you remember when you were a small child how the summer sun seemed to shine more brightly?
How wildflowers reached up to the sky as if taking a big morning stretch? How butterflies floated
effortlessly in the warm breeze, and fluffy clouds above appeared as magical castles?

On July 26, 2009, during the rainiest mid-year in recent New England history, this perfect summer day became reality for a family living in Sandwich, MA.

Room to Grow
The Room to Dream Foundation of Newton, MA helps children with chronic illnesses who are often confined to their rooms. Most of their projects are in Boston and the suburbs, so when the opportunity in Sandwich arose, architect Michael Collins, also a Foundation board member, contacted Encore’s Dennisport office. President Dale Nikula responded with a resounding “yes.”

“Considering the geographic distance, the only way it could work was to bring in Encore,” says Michael. “I wouldn't have been able take on the project without Dale’s input and assistance.”

Under the auspices of the Room to Dream Foundation, Encore Construction volunteered for a much-needed redesign of two bedrooms in the home where 2-year-old Precious lives with her grandparents and her sisters Monica and Jaleesia. Dale brought Encore designer Susan Gerlach onto the project, and she first met with the family in March 2009 to learn about each girl’s personality, style and habits — favorite color, favorite hobby, favorite everything.

“The minute I stepped into their home I could see the possibilities,” says Susan. “There was lots of potential.”

By the second meeting the girls gravitated toward Susan as if they’d known her forever, wanting to hear all ideas. The goal was to give the family a healthy home with neat, organized spaces designed around simple daily routines that would be fun and easy for little girls to maintain. With sensitivity to every detail and nuance, Susan elicited feedback to be certain her direction was on target. She then proceeded with her redesign, selecting furniture, accessories and colors for the most positive impact.

Room for Two
In the two years since Precious was born, Grandmother Loreena’s bedroom has accommodated the child’s crib, a refrigerator for medications, cardboard boxes of additional medications, a large television that no longer worked, and a bulky computer system. What “Nana” needed most was a place to relax. She told Susan she found purples particularly soothing, and entrusted the designer to create a spa-like bedroom where Nana could wind down.

For Precious it was all about pink and pretty, yet medical safety was of prime importance since the child must remain connected to her medication pack at all times. Susan’s first challenge: integrate two lifestyles, two sets of desires, into one bedroom. 

She introduced textures such as a velvet comforter and pillows with subtle embossed patterns that gave the room richness and depth. She found creative ways to streamline the space, transforming the trundle bed under Loreena’s queen bed into a large hidden drawer for storing extra medications. The refrigerator, now housed within a closet, is concealed yet easy to access. Strategically placed mirrors allow Nana to keep an eye on girls at play without getting up. Finally, smart, budget-conscious furniture purchases provided for a free wall-mounted flat screen TV. The space-saving laptop to replace the desktop PC was donated by a friend of the Foundation.

A new, medically safe and self-contained sleeping environment for Precious allows her to get in and out
of bed on her own. It’s equipped with a removable gate that sounds an alarm if opened, and has a sensor light for viewing the child without waking her.

A sideboard with holes for peeking through gives a sense of privacy without making the alcove too enclosed, and is easily removed when Precious is ready to transition from a crib-style bed to a platform-style bed. The finishing touch is an inscription on the wall above the Loreena’s headboard, “We do not remember the days, we remember the moments”— a reminder that while life may be hectic at times, each moment is indeed precious.

Room for Sisters
The next challenge was to combine the unique tastes of Precious’ older sisters in a second bedroom. For four-year-old Monica, it was a hot-pink princess theme. Eight-year-year old Jaleesia opted for turquoise and polka dots. From a design perspective, finding the right bedding offered a means of uniting the girls’ preferences and provided for further theme development. A built-in desk area with adjustable shelving was added to an under-utilized closet. The primary clothes closet was quickly organized with plastic see-through storage bins labeled according to contents. Bins slide out from under the bunk beds to better organize clothing and hand-me-downs. Inscriptions above each headboard read, “Always kiss me goodnight.”

Encore’s efforts didn’t stop with the design expertise of Susan Gerlach. The company reached out to its many professional contacts, securing donations for materials and services vital to the success of the project. Painters, carpenters, electricians and photographers all went above and beyond to help celebrate a special family.

Room to Smile
Completing fast-turnaround projects successfully requires organization, flexibility and commitment, not to mention compassion and a sense of humor. Encore and its volunteer team accomplished all objectives with smiles on their faces. Solutions were found to maximize storage; creativity was employed in building custom furniture; hard work and elbow grease ensured walls were painted, new floors were laid and lighting was updated. All in 48 hours. 

“Encore’s drive, dedication, camaraderie and enthusiasm made this project a pleasure from start to finish,” says Room to Dream’s Gail O’Rourke.

From the moment Precious, Monica and Jaleesia walked into their new rooms, it was clear the project was a success. Faces glowing, fingers pointing in excitement — all reactions signaled that the clouds had indeed parted, that the sun really did shine a little brighter.

“I knew our skilled staff could design and build an environment that would transform the world for these special little girls. We were proud to be a part of that,” says Dale. And with a gentle smile he adds, “But seeing their faces when they walked in was the best part.”

With special thanks to:

Encore Construction: Dale Nikula, Susan Gerlach, Jean Butler, Barry Reopell, Kathy DeMeyer, Allison Saxton, Jonathan Lockley, Ed Peabody, John Hourihan

Donors: Smolinsky Electric, Granite City Electric, C&R Flooring, Closet Connection, Tom’s Painting, Hubbard Paint & Wallpaper, Peter Winson Photography, Mid Cape Home Center, IMedia Technology and all the friends and volunteers of the Room to Dream Foundation