He was unceremoniously hustled out of his house at the start of the week, but Coosa River Basin Initiative director, Joe Cook, says it was all worth it.
Design guru Vern Yip and the crew from HGTV’s “Deserving Design” made over two rooms of Cook’s East Fifth Avenue home.
“Joe is a very interesting guy,” series producer Alyssa Kaufman said on Monday. “He’s a river keeper and an environmentalist and an avid photographer.”
“Joe was nominated by a friend and selected for his work in the community and with certain special groups,” Kaufman added. “This show is about selecting ordinary people who do extraordinary things and reward them with great design makeovers for their homes.”
The rooms the design team tackled were the foyer and living room as well as Cook’s studio.
On Thursday, Yip and the crew made their big reveal of the finished project, much to Cook’s delight, as well as that of his daughter Ramsey.
Using large prints of some of Cook’s photos, the design team created a rustic but chic living area, with hints of Cook’s love of the environment and in particular, the local rivers.
The foyer boasts a hand-made mussel shell chandelier while mussel shells and photos accented a visitor’s first view of the home.
Rich browns and khakis was the color palette for the living room which contained more photos as well as handsome window treatments.
“None of that stuff was there before, Cook said. “The windows were bare. The put in shades and the drapes. It’s a complete turnaround from what I had.”
Cook said perhaps his favorite part of the living area is a chair Yip reupholstered. It once belonged to Cook’s grandmother and is full of sentimental value.
A quick trip up the stairs leads visitors to the other room made over by Yip and his design team — Cook’s studio.
A simple elegance pervades the space, but not at the expense of practicality. A large cabinet for Cook’s prints sits in the corner of the room while frames of all sizes and colors hang above it, a work of art all on their own.
More photos line the walls, and as a special touch, Yip framed two of Ramsey’s photos.
“We don’t do any big renovations,” Yip said on Monday. “This isn’t that type of show. We do a cosmetic makeover. But we try to do something special with each homeowner.”
The show will air on HGTV but Kaufman could not confirm an air date, saying it would definitely be in early 2009.
Click here to view a video of the Deserving Design.
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