Trading Spaces: LC students and their neighbors

By Christa Desrets and Justin Faulconer
Published: September 21, 2008

They live in the same neighborhood, but until recently were perfect strangers.

Now, four Lynchburg College roommates, and a family of three, have a constant reminder of one another.

Over the weekend, the two groups swapped homes for 30 hours and were given $950 to completely redecorate a room in the other’s home, with the help of a team of designers, sponsors and helpers.

Coordinated by LC, the event aimed to connect the college with its surrounding neighbors.

“It was not a stress-free event,” said Emily Koon, a senior who participated. “But in the end it was worth it.”

Koon, LeAnne Clem, Melissa Carduner and Whitney Markey live in one of LC’s more than 75 houses surrounding campus. They have spent the past two years as roommates.

Built in 1939, the two-bedroom home on Lakewood Street had plenty of charm but lacked a personal touch, until Sunday.

Bare, white walls, wood paneling, a hodgepodge of mismatched furniture and a Dumpster-bound futon dominated the open living and dining space.

“I think more than anything, we want it to be fun,” Clem said Friday, before the transformation.

Carduner agreed.

“No matter what, it’s going to be better than it is now,” she said. “We want color, maybe matching tables. Curtains would be nice.”

They’re not afraid of color — that’s apparent with a look in the two bedrooms that sport splashes of color from neon sheets and comforters to patterned rugs.

Now, the shared living and dining space has some personality to match, thanks to the work of Thor and Angela Larson.

Koon said the room now has a “funky atmosphere, but fun at the same time.”

“We couldn’t ask for more,” she said. “We’re very, very happy about the way everything turned out and we’re looking forward to showing it off for the rest of the year.”

The Larsons’ master bedroom in their two-bedroom home on nearby Bell Street also had a lack of character before the weekend.

The couple and their 2-year-old daughter Maggie moved into the home a couple of months ago and already have put in some work.

They pulled up 30-year-old carpets to reveal wood floors beneath, installed an air conditioner, tore down wallpaper and had the living and dining spaces painted, among other things. But so far, they hadn’t ventured far into the realm of decorating.

The couple requested to have their master bedroom made over. Prior to the weekend, it contained mattresses set on the floor, two night tables, a hand-me-down dresser, wood floors that could use refinishing, and bare, white walls.

“It’s a blank slate,” said Angela Larson. “It has a lot of cool spaces, but you have to work around four doors, two floor vents and two windows.”

She asked for something “romantic,” and the team of students delivered.

They painted the walls green and installed a queen-sized bed with a headboard, a dresser with a mirror, a nightstand, a lamp, several candles and an enlarged wedding picture of the couple.

The students also used some leftover money to make several additions to the living room.

LC’s Justin Yates, who coordinated the program, hopes the school can organize more home swaps in the coming year for the college’s Year of the Citizen.

“We really wanted to make sure that this year, especially within our residential community, that we were trying to give something back,” he said.

He brought together carpenters, school staff, a half-dozen community sponsors and a mother-daughter pair of designers to make the event possible.

“It’s definitely been an adventure,” he said.

The students came close to producing tear-filled moments, Koon said, such as misplacing keys and the money. But the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” turned out to rank first among their all-time most memorable college experiences.

“None of us ever want to see paint again,” Koon said.