United Way's 50th Anniversary Estate on the Bay Designer Showcase Home has wrapped up with the gala being held on a star lit night on Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie. Michelle Finnamore of Advantage Staging was among 10 designers that were asked to redesign the 10,000 sq. ft. lakeside home to raise funds for the United Way.
It was a privilege to be part of a project that brought together the talents of many designers for a good cause that benefitted the community in a far reaching way.
Cheryl Tiegs was in attendance as the rep for Cambria Quartz which was used in the kitchen.
It turns out that we were both involved with the Live Green, Live Smart green renovation of a 50's ranch bungalow in Minnesota last year. The ranch bungalow is the first home in the world to be renovated to a Platium level of LEEDS and exceed the requirements by 17%.
I always say......it is a small world isn't it?
Kevin Frankish, host of Breakfast Television and Mary Dobson, feature designer on Cityline were our chauffeurs for the evening. Mary designed the laundry room and garage space which will be featured on Cityline October 27th.
My neighbour and good friend John Elms of Ultimate Car Rental
supplied a classic Rolls Royce for the evening as well. Along with
a few of my favourite cars like a '67 Corvette, a Maseratti and a classic
Pontiac Judge.
Here are a few of the images of the grounds that I staged to highlight the focal points of the property.
Bradford Greenhouses supplied the large urns with fall florals for the front
entrance.
UCA Branding installed window film to the cabana sliding glass doors to highlight the bar area.
Martin House Art provided 5 pieces of exterior artwork made from 65% post consumer recycled steel.
Iris in the garden was beautiful to see in the rising morning sun.
The lime green bench brought a smile to everyone when they walked up the path to the front door.
The eliptical steel ball was created specifically for the top of the 55 foot boat slip.
What a wonderful experience Michelle. Seems you and Cheryl are traveling in the same circles. Congrats on being asked to participate - it looks like you had a lot of fun. I love the arrangements by Bradford Greenhouse!
Hi Michele, it was fun to participate with all the designers on this project. I have since used Cambria quartz for one of my staging renos. Great looking product and one that I wouldn't have necessarily used without exposure to it on this project. I am now using it for a model home that I am designing. You just never know where your particiapation in a project will lead you and who you will meet.
The floral arrangements had mirrored accent pieces in them which really added some bling to the arrangements. You can't see them in this photo but it was an unexpected addition which really made them stand out at the front door.
Hi Michelle!
Congratulations for this latest achievement. Why I am not surprised? I know you and your brillinat mind and talent.
It seems you had a lot of fun, eh?
Hi Monica, it really was lovely to there by the lake on that star filled night. Five local restaurants provided the food and drink while the local military base had uniformed officers there to guide you through the extensive exterior grounds. I tried mussles for the first time as there were so many variations they said I couldn't go wrong, if I didn't like one to try another.
Three bands played throughout the night. Figure Skater Jennifer Robinson was there to hand out the bubbly. Cheryl Tiegs chatted with everyone for a quite awhile and the crew from City TV had everyone smiling from ear to ear. Everyone was in such a festive mood and gave generously to the United Way Campaign.
What a great way to give back, and having celebrities is always a big draw. I know you must have had a ball!
Hi Cindy, it certainly helped with the campaign for the United Way fundraising to have the celebreties there. Our local TV station has quite a draw as they have the best home design program going. It is so easy for the viewers to find the products featured and decide to start a design project. And yes, I did have a great time the gala night and the time spent working on the project.
Such an exciting opportunity Michelle. Good on you. I am not surprised either.
Hi Karen, thank you for stopping in to see my adventure doing my first designer showcase home. It was fairly easy to organize as everyone wanted to do something for the United Way. I even had faux rocks installed over the well heads and septic system. The landscapers who look after the property didn't even realize that they were fake rocks until they went to step on one and it didn't hold them up like a real rock! Visitors thought that they were real as they matched the existing rocks to a T.
Awesome project! Congratulations.