Ronald McDonald House ‘Project Design 2016’ donations sought
Southwest Florida’s top interior designers have stepped up to claim a space in the Ronald McDonald House redesign with the help of Home & Design Magazine, Kravet Inc., International Design Source, and generous sponsors.
The three-week Project Design 2016 SWFL initiative began Feb. 10.
When complete, all of the guest bedrooms of the House as well as the kitchen, dining room, common areas, restrooms, laundry room, and all of the original flooring, will be completely redone just in time to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Myers – 20 designers, 20 spaces for 20 years!
Design Chair Suzanne Costa of Suzanne Costa Interiors is leading the project that will help provide even more comforting accommodations to the 135-plus families served by RMHCSWFL each year and improve the family-centered care they provide through their programs.
Participating designers include Closet Factory, Constance A. Trutwin Interiors, Dwayne Bergmann, Elliott Design & Interiors, Ficarra Design Associates, Interiors by Design West, J.A. Willy Gallery, Jeffrey Fisher Home, Jett & Company, Inc., Jett Thompson Antiques and Interiors, Kahn Design Group, KW Development & Design, KVS Interiors, Mercedes Courland Interiors, Noris Adina Design, Pure Design of Naples, Roz Travis Interiors, Schlegel Design Group, Soho Kitchens & Design, Suzanne Costa Interiors, Vanessa DeLeon, Wright Interior Group, and Weglarz Design.
For many, it’s a project of the heart.
“Four years ago I welcomed a sweet little baby girl into the world, unexpectedly 5 weeks before she was due,” said Southwest Florida interior designer Stephanie Schlegel, of Schlegel Design Group, in a prepared statement. “She had to spend some time in the Health Park Hospital NICU. That period of time is etched very clearly in my mind as one of the most emotional and challenging experiences of my life. My husband and I were fortunate to stay with family that lived very close to the hospital so we could be by our daughter’s side. We met several families in the NICU that utilized this very same Ronald McDonald House during their child’s stay.”
‘As an interior designer, I understand immensely the way our surroundings can affect our energy, comfort, and our ability to cope with what’s happening in our lives,” she added. “I am thrilled to participate in this project for the simple hope that this one bedroom space could help provide some of that comfort and support to a family that is giving everything they have emotionally to their child – the same comfort that I at one time so desperately needed.”
The designers have been allocated specific spaces or rooms.
Jett Segal, Jett & Company, Inc. is working on the laundry room.
“This past fall, I was honored to be selected to design one of the rooms in the Ronald McDonald House located adjacent to the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers…” Segal said. “Annually the home supports hundreds of families of the children being treated for severe illnesses. I am joining a select group of area interior designers and vendors who have made a pro-bono commitment to update the rooms with an eye towards making the space more functional and comfortable for those using it every day.
“One of the key areas of the house that is highly functional by both the families and the Ronald McDonald staff and volunteers is the Laundry Room, which I am directly responsible to complete.”
Goods and services in the thousands have been donated but additional funds are still needed. To make a donation to the Project Design 2016 initiative visit www.rmhcswfl.org/events-2/project-design-2016-swfl/
Upon completion, the volunteer effort will be showcased in a “Grand Reveal” set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 3.
Along with Costa, acclaimed interior designer and television star Thom Filicia is serving as Honorary Design Chair for the project and will appear at the open-to-the-public transformation. Meet the designers, tour the newly redesigned House and enjoy cocktails and light bites as supporters celebrate “this generous gift just in time for the 20th Anniversary of our Southwest Florida Ronald McDonald House.”
Grand Reveal tickets, which are $175, are on sale now.
VIP and sponsorship opportunities are also available to the event, which benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida.
For more information, call Jennifer at 239-437-0202 or visit rmhcswfl.org .