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ASID show house featured work by four local talents
  
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By T.L. Hamilton
A show house designed by members of The American Society of Interior Designers, Texas Gulf Coast Chapter, drew large crowds during its open house run Nov. 8-23.
“I would say about 8,000 to 10,000 people walked through that house,” said Garlaine Kelly, an interior designer from the Conroe area.
Of all 25 designers who tackled one room each in the $2.6 million home in the Garden District of the community, Kelly and four designers, including herself, were from Montgomery County.
Reflecting increasingly more eco-friendly times, all the designers were tasked with using green methods on their rooms.
The home, built by Post Homes Ltd., was equipped with energy-efficient appliances as well.
Kelly designed the wine room, and rather than paying to have things shipped in she used local goods which helps reduce greenhouse gases emitted in shipping.
She had local artist James Storey hand-paint the walls and ceiling with decorative designs using eco-friendly paint.
The wood floor for the wine room was reclaimed from an old house in Houston, and a candelabra made of recycled tin stood next to an antique bench from a store in Montgomery.
“We also added some wrought iron doors that were custom made locally,” she said.
To make the wine room appear fully stocked, she asked a local restaurant to hold onto their used wine bottles for her, and her assistant Marisa Padilla, painstakingly dripped wax onto the end of each bottle and stamped the top to make them appear unopened.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Padilla, who plans to graduate Sam Houston State University in May 2009. “The room was awesome to work on. I learned a lot about staying on top of things to meet your deadlines.”
The deadline to set up – two days – are a lot shorter than what designers would normally get.
“It’s a hoot – you should see us move in,” Kelly said of the time the designers take over. “In two days we have everything up from draperies to the tiniest accessory. Everything is done.”
After the home has been open for three weekends, the designers clear out as quickly as they set up.
“We leave the draperies for the builder to sell with house but everything’s else is out,” Kelly said.
Carla Aston, who joined the project after another designer dropped out had an even tighter deadline to finish the butler’s pantry, a small room off the dining room and entry hall.
Still, Aston said she was very excited to tackle the project.
“When I looked at the space I saw this window that brought in a lot of light,” she said. “That helped inspire me. It looked detached from rest of the house.”
Aston said seeing the gardens in the neighborhood and the lush greenery outside the window in the pantry made her want to decorate the room like an extension of a garden.
“I reached that effect by installing an indoor/outdoor style lantern, placing an enlarged trellis design on the ceiling and having botanical wallpaper painted by an artist on the walls,” she said.
Aston said her room fits in with a growing trend she sees to design highly functional spaces.
“A butler’s pantry is used to serve the dining room,” she said. “It’s a good place to leave dishes and collect dishware as you set the table. What I’ve seen lately is that people want to multitask in their spaces.”
A percentage of the admission cost, $15 per person, was donated to the Gastro Esophageal Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Other designers from the county who were involved in the project include Minda Harris and Jane S. Brown.
“I would say about 8,000 to 10,000 people walked through that house,” said Garlaine Kelly, an interior designer from the Conroe area.
Of all 25 designers who tackled one room each in the $2.6 million home in the Garden District of the community, Kelly and four designers, including herself, were from Montgomery County.
Reflecting increasingly more eco-friendly times, all the designers were tasked with using green methods on their rooms.
The home, built by Post Homes Ltd., was equipped with energy-efficient appliances as well.
Kelly designed the wine room, and rather than paying to have things shipped in she used local goods which helps reduce greenhouse gases emitted in shipping.
She had local artist James Storey hand-paint the walls and ceiling with decorative designs using eco-friendly paint.
The wood floor for the wine room was reclaimed from an old house in Houston, and a candelabra made of recycled tin stood next to an antique bench from a store in Montgomery.
“We also added some wrought iron doors that were custom made locally,” she said.
To make the wine room appear fully stocked, she asked a local restaurant to hold onto their used wine bottles for her, and her assistant Marisa Padilla, painstakingly dripped wax onto the end of each bottle and stamped the top to make them appear unopened.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Padilla, who plans to graduate Sam Houston State University in May 2009. “The room was awesome to work on. I learned a lot about staying on top of things to meet your deadlines.”
The deadline to set up – two days – are a lot shorter than what designers would normally get.
“It’s a hoot – you should see us move in,” Kelly said of the time the designers take over. “In two days we have everything up from draperies to the tiniest accessory. Everything is done.”
After the home has been open for three weekends, the designers clear out as quickly as they set up.
“We leave the draperies for the builder to sell with house but everything’s else is out,” Kelly said.
Carla Aston, who joined the project after another designer dropped out had an even tighter deadline to finish the butler’s pantry, a small room off the dining room and entry hall.
Still, Aston said she was very excited to tackle the project.
“When I looked at the space I saw this window that brought in a lot of light,” she said. “That helped inspire me. It looked detached from rest of the house.”
Aston said seeing the gardens in the neighborhood and the lush greenery outside the window in the pantry made her want to decorate the room like an extension of a garden.
“I reached that effect by installing an indoor/outdoor style lantern, placing an enlarged trellis design on the ceiling and having botanical wallpaper painted by an artist on the walls,” she said.
Aston said her room fits in with a growing trend she sees to design highly functional spaces.
“A butler’s pantry is used to serve the dining room,” she said. “It’s a good place to leave dishes and collect dishware as you set the table. What I’ve seen lately is that people want to multitask in their spaces.”
A percentage of the admission cost, $15 per person, was donated to the Gastro Esophageal Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Other designers from the county who were involved in the project include Minda Harris and Jane S. Brown.
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