The year was 1839.
As Nelson Clark built his home in a small town just coming to life, a town soon to be named ‘Clarkston? in honor of Nelson and his brother Jeremiah, he probably wasn’t giving much thought to the year 2009.
Yet today, 170 years later, Nelson’s home still stands as one of Clarkston’s icons, at 71 N. Main Street.
In coming months, the home will be spotlighted as the first ever Clarkston Designer Showcase House, a new event to benefit SCAMP.
According to Kevin Harrison, a designer who owns KH Home in downtown Clarkston and is chairing the event, a designer showcase home is a house lent to a charity for fundraising purposes. Usually, a different designer is charged with redecorating each room.
Once complete, the home is opened for tours to raise money for the charity.
A number of local designers are participating. The house will be part of the annual SCAMP Home Tour the weekend of June 6 and 7, as a ‘before? preview, allowing the public to see the house in its current state. The finished house will be open to the public beginning Friday, Sept. 25, during Taste of Clarkston weekend.
Harrison, who is participating in the event as well as acting as chair, said his plans for the home’s living room are shaped around a transitional approach.
‘I’ll show that you can still do a current room in a traditional home,? he said. ‘Antiques are not as embraced by young homeowners these days’there’s always a trend, and current shoppers aren’t very interested in dark, heavy pieces. People are tending toward painted, lighter furniture. Nothing about the room will be heavy and dark.?
But Harrison and the other designers are faced with a challenge’in such an event, designers always participate at their own expense.
Most have relationships with furniture showrooms and local craft people, who are tapped for their products and talents, but the projct calls for resourcefulness on the part of the participanting designers.
‘We do call in favors and borrow pieces, or borrow from our own collection,? Harrison said. ‘It’s a very creative project; it’s easy to be creative when you have the money, but when you’re on a budget, that’s when the real creativity begins to flow. We’ll show that you can get a great looking room on a budget.?
The Clark Home, as it’s still known to many in the area, is a 5,000 square-foot, two-story colonial with five bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and two fireplaces.
The home’s current owners, Kathy and Jeffrey Lynn, put the house on the market about two years ago’it’s listed at $489,900’but they’re not in any big hurry to sell.
Kathy said she wants the home to go to the right buyers, someone who will appreciate the home’s historic value.
Likewise, she was somewhat hesitant when initially approached about the project.
‘I think she feared we would go in and make each room distinctively different,? Harrison said, noting that while such an outcome does sometimes occur in a designer showcase home, it was not the intent here. ‘We’re not limiting artwork, or commenting on choice of sofas, but we don’t want to have every room so glaringly different, either.?
In order to help maintain the home’s historic character, Harrison assembled something of a guideline for color choice, drawn d from the Benjamin Moore Historic Pallet.
The hues, warm tan-golds and greys coupled with an early American green, English wedgewood and Georgian brick accents, Harrison explained, are all yellow-based and ‘work beautifully with the yellow tones of the home’s original pine heart plank flooring.?
‘The color pallet is beautiful,? said Kathy Lynn. ‘It keeps with the integrity of the house.?
And that, she said, was her greatest worry when first approached about lending her home to the cause.
‘I was concerned about the integrity, the oldness of the house,? she said. ‘I didn’t want them coming in making it look modern, or make every room different from the others.?
So she made a list of rules ? everything original had to remain original. They couldn’t paint the fireplace, or any exposed woodwork or hardwood floors.
Now that she’s met everyone involved, Lynn said she’s looking forward to seeing the outcome.
‘They’re Clarkston people, and there’s a lot to be said for that,? she said. ‘It will be interesting to see someone else’s take, and see what they do with it.?
She won’t have to wait long to get her first glimpse at what the various designers are planning.
On May 29, designers will present their plans to the SCAMP committee.
‘We just want to make sure they’re following the general guidelines as far as the color scheme goes,? Harrison said. ‘It’s a loose guide, as long as they choose something in the same family they should be OK. An intense purple probably will not be approved.?
Harrison said he’s hoping the event becomes an annual tradition to raise money for SCAMP.
SCAMP is a five-week summer camp that provides academic, recreational and social opportunities for children and young adults with special needs.
‘People are already asking about getting their house picked for next year,? Harrison said.