Debbie Travis' Facelift - Tales From The Set

Letter From Debbie

I first met Lawrence at a radio station. I was immediately charmed both by his suave good looks and his gentle quest for help in designing his children's bedrooms. He is a single father bringing up three teenagers alone. But it was only upon the stunning realization that Lawrence was blind that the challenge of this Facelift struck home. The more I discovered about this special man over the next few weeks, the more intrigued I became about how we would handle the unique project.

While the children spent three unsuspecting days with their grandparents, the Facelift team would decorate their bedrooms from top to bottom.

The day we moved in was full of open-mouthed surprises. Usually we begin a Facelift by moving out furniture, but in the case of these three teenagers it began with the most immense clean up. I guess having a single dad who can't see can be an advantage when it comes to cleaning up your stuff.

The floors were layered with clothing, papers and 'kids' stuff', and the dresser drawers bulged with overhanging clothes, but the walls were the real nightmare. They were covered with graffiti, but worse than that, the artwork was administrated with indelible marker! The team spent hours scrubbing, and then administrating layers of the toughest primer.

Lawrence was a dream to work with and leant an enthusiastic hand in every aspect of the renovation. Sometimes he got a little too involved for my comfort level; his favorite 'boy-toy' was the nail gun, a terrifying tool even in a professional's hands. In a blind man's, well it sent us all scattering. However, he mastered this job with ease.

Each room had it's own very distinct character, and we spent three crazy days racing from one mood to the next. To give his children a scare, Lawrence met them with paint-covered overalls and announced that he had done over their rooms himself while they were away.

It was heartbreakingly moving when he finally revealed the bedrooms to his children. Ali, his eldest at 17, now had a serene and sophisticated bed/sitting room, Maggie, an eclectic vibrant pink studio, and Nico, a boy scout den.

The children were stunned, and thrilled with their new rooms. Once again, their dad had accomplished an extraordinary feat, with a little help from the Facelift team. None of us will ever forget Lawrence.

Debbie

Letter From Ali

Dear Debbie Travis and the Facelift Team,

I don't know how to begin to thank you all. I can't imagine the effort you put in to make three rooms that were in horrible need of change, so perfect.

Besides making them all unique and gorgeous, they also suit each of our needs and personalities so well.

My room has become a peaceful get-away for me. When everything seems too chaotic I feel as though it is my private sanctuary. It's really amazing to have something like that.

I love that you got rid of all the clutter and madness that I had going on. And you'll be happy to know that on most occasions it is clean! (Though my dad might have something to say about that.)

I feel really lucky that we were chosen to have you, Debbie, and all the rest of the team, redo our rooms. I don't think anyone could have done a better job. It's hard to remember that you hadn't even talked to us before!

Well thanks again and I hope you all know that we really appreciate everything.

Sincerely,
Ali

Letter From Maggie

Hello Debbie and team,

My room is fabulous. Every morning I feel like I'm waking up in a tropical paradise. The pink is such a warm color, and needless to say the bed is fantastic. The whole aura of the room is really nice, a big change from the old blue room. The new armoires give me much needed closet space, and it helps me to keep organized. I actually feel a bit guilty when my room is messy, something that in my old room, I would turn a blind eye to.

When I thought about the entire ordeal a few days later, after getting over the initial shock, I was very impressed at how well the whole thing turned out. You managed to satisfy all three of us. Maybe it was our Dad's descriptions of us that led you to your creations, or your own sense of style. Either way you avoided a possible Osbourne family fiasco.

It was not out of character for my Dad to do something like this. He's done some pretty outrageous things for us before, but never as big as shipping us off to Oma's to get our rooms done professionally. My Dad is an extraordinary man.

It was very cool of you guys to do this. Although we only met briefly, the entire team seemed very nice, and it shows that you all work quite well together being able to pull that off in a limited time frame. I think this show should turn out to be a nice spin on reality TV. I'm really looking forward to seeing it this fall.

Your hard work is very appreciated and won't be forgotten. Thanks again guys.

Cheers,
Maggie