The Reception Area: After
"Over the years, 10,000 people traipsed through the house—they sat on the furniture, they spilled their coffee, and it was getting very shabby. And we had no money—membership is free," says Michele R. Atkins, CEO of Gilda's Club New York.
Elaine Griffin brightened the reception area by painting the brick wall a tomato red from Lowe's and reframing the club's tapestry. She also added a Gary Buxbaum sofa and a Henredon desk and chest.
Now the room really is radiant with colors of hope!
The Activities Room: Before
Elaine Griffin's big challenge: to turn this windowless room into a place people wanted to gather.
Without a second thought, she took down the faux windows—canvases painted with fanciful landscapes—and began considering what effects she could achieve with vibrantly colored wallpaper. For the main space, Griffen decided to create four individual comfort zones.
The room transformed....
The Activities Room: After
A more welcoming activities room!
Griffin chose a yellow and red palette. She used Kimono wallpaper from Alpha Workshops, and divided the room into four comfort zones conducive to conversation, placing the seating on sisal carpets from Sanford Hall. Chairs and sofas (in Kravet fabrics), cocktail tables, and the entertainment center are all from Henredon.
Design Central
For Gilda's Club, Elaine Griffin, did most of her shopping at the New York Design Center (200 Lexington Avenue), where she's one of the decorators on call at Interior Options (212-726-9708). The service pairs consumers with a designer so that they can shop at to-the-trade-only showrooms such as Henredon, Odegard, Ann Gish, Gary Buxbaum, Kravet, Sanford Hall, Profiles, and Alpha Workshops—all of which generously donated furniture, fabrics, rugs, pillows, and artworks for this project.
