Recently Villa Maria College was offered an opportunity to design and complete a guest room in the Ronald McDonald House located in Buffalo, New York.  The invitation came from the Interior Design Association of Western New York (IDA). The room was to be completed in memory of Julie Roberts, a young Buffalo woman.  The students and faculty at Villa did not know Julie, but over the course of the many weeks that we worked on the project we came to understand how special a person she must have been.  From her sophisticated style to her love for her cute and funny dog Opal, we tried to capture her spirit in this room.  She was clearly loved by many and is dearly missed.  Designing this space took on a very personal quality. The theme for our room?…. at the request of Julie’s family and friends it was  Diamonds and Dogs.  Now there was a design challenge! And of course it needed to service the needs of future guests, cater to their comfort, and focus on the purpose of their stay.  To our assistance came Lynne Rider of Rider Frames and Gallery.   Artist Laurie Herrmann was commisioned to create a whimsical water color of Opal.  As the focal point of the room it provided all the inspiration that we needed.  The color pallette became an inviting green with a playful and warm orange accent.  Lucite furniture kept the small bedroom airy and light and crystal knobs on the built in wardrobe, courtesy of Creative Storage, played to the Diamond theme.  This became a labor of love, to create a space that Julie’s family could be proud of, and that would respect and honor a beautiful young woman who left us much too soon.  The dedication was held on Thursday, June 5, 2014… Julie’s birthday.  In the presence of the Robert’s family, Julie’s friends and co-workers, members of the IDA, RMH staff, faculty and staff from Villa Maria and two members of the design team, Jillian Schultz ’14, and faculty advisor Sandra Reicis, the ribbon was cut and the room was open for viewing.  The attention to detail and comfort, from the spacious wardrobe, to reading material, to extra stuffed dogs for the youngest guests, this room will be welcoming for the young families that will benefit from a stay at Ronald McDonald House.  Remaining members of the design team included Tara Clack ’15 and Angela Girdlestone ’15.  Earlier in the project Jason Cole’14,  also was an active participant.