By Christina Wallace, Metro Boston Senior Reporter | December 16, 2005
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For interior design student Kate McCusker, the prospect of decorating a bedroom for families staying at Children's Hospital was more than just a creative project - it was personal.
McCusker had stomach cancer as a child, and her mother spent many nights sleeping on a chair in her hospital room waiting for her only daughter to recover.
"How they decorated hospital rooms wasn't cheery," said McCusker, who works for Ben Theodore, Inc. interior design firm in Beacon Hill. "Your room should be a safe haven. It wasn't uplifting being in my room."
McCusker is one of several designers who donated their time and expertise to decorate 13 bedrooms and living areas at the Devon Nicole House, a shelter at Children's Hospital where families can reside while their children are being treated.
The house, located on the fifth floor of an office building, opened in 2004 and, to date, 600 families from 22 countries have stayed there. In many cases, families spend weeks crammed in a small bedroom waiting for their child to recover in the hospital.
When the home first opened, the space was drab and uninviting with uncomfortable linens and few decorations, according to Jennifer Leach, project manager of the Devon Nicole House.
"It served a purpose, but that's it. It was barren and looked like an office building," Leach said.
After more than nine months of work by designers from Easton to Gloucester, the home will reopen to visitors today with a new look and hopefully a new feel for families who need a calming place to relax after a long day at the hospital.
"Most of the people who took on rooms know children or was a child that was sick," said Christina Oliver, an interior designer from Newton and past president of the New England Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, which spearheaded the project. "To be able to give back to the people who stay here was so nice."
Like McCusker, many of the items and fabrics Oliver used to decorate her bedroom were donated by different companies and vendors she regularly uses for her clients.
"I couldn't believe how generous people were. Everyone wanted to help," Oliver said.
Today, when Leach swings open the doors to the families who need a place to stay, she can't wait for the response.
"They spend so much time taking care of their children they forget to take care of themselves," Leach said. "I hope that when they stay here now they can really feel like they are away from it all."
Christina Wallace