Blah bedroom now beautiful: St. George woman wins essay contest,

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 18, 2008 by Nicole Warburton Deseret News

Sherri Burmester's bedroom never had much color or style. The room was decorated in shades of white, and the furniture included two plastic nightstands, a desk and queen-size bed.

It was "comfortable, but a little sterile," according to Burmester, a St. George resident.

But with two young children, a husband and the distraction of breast cancer, redecorating wasn't on her agenda -- until now.

This past month, Tom Filicia, the celebrity designer from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," worked to redo Burmester's room as part of a contest sponsored by Serta for a $10,000 bedroom makeover. Both Burmester and a woman from St. Louis, Mo., won the contest after submitting essays describing how breast cancer has affected their lives.

Burmester said she considers her room makeover a wonderful gift. Her color palette is now rich and warm, with an unusual mix of lavender, light green and taupe on the walls, and solid earth tones such as brown and red mixed throughout the decor.

Her plastic nightstands have also been replaced with wooden bedside tables, and two chocolate brown chairs are used to create a place for relaxing near the foot of her bed. A red, patterned ottoman has been placed near the chairs, and her television is on a dark, decorative shelving unit with drawers for storage. The white carpet was also replaced with an earthy brown floor covering.

"Last year I was in the throes of terrible chemotherapy and could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, and here I am a year later, still recovering, but with such a tremendous gift. ..." Burmester said of her redecorated room.

She described seeing the room for the first time as "breathtaking." The color palette is unexpected, but the room has personality and is no longer a work space, she said.

Filicia said he designed Burmester's room to be a reflection of her personality. It's conservative and traditional but still fun and modern, he said. The old room was "blah," with white carpet and white walls, but the new room has depth and style, he said.

By using earth tones for the furniture and decorations, he was able to add depth and warmth, Filicia said. The lavender and green walls bring an element of fun and modernism.

"It's traditional but clean and simple," according to Filicia. "It's a little elegant; it's a little modern. And it's definitely a lot of fun."

When designing a room, Filicia said he always looks to make the space "come alive" and reflect a person's life. A beautiful room can be flat, but a room with personality has a certain spark or spirit, he said.

"At the end of the day, it's really about the lives that we lead, and our interiors are more of a backdrop," he said. "It should tell your story in a great way."

E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com