STUDIO SURPRISE YOUR BEAUTIFUL HOME

Sister Karen Conlin has taught cello at Holy Names Music Center for 27 years. But, on the afternoon of Sept. 18 she thought she’d walked into the wrong studio.

“Am I in the right room?” she asked. Stunned, she gazed around the studio. “What is this?”

It was definitely a surprise.

In just 48 hours, a group of parents and students had done an “extreme makeover” of her studio. The small room went from military drab to elegant Italian.

The conspiracy to keep Conlin away from the studio, and to keep the remodeling job a secret, soon spread to the faculty and board of Holy Names. The group joked that they’re going to get T-shirts printed up that say, “I lied to a nun!”

Local businesses – Revival Lighting, The Tin Roof, Main Street Mercantile and Bear Industries – provided all the things that were needed to transform the studio, at their cost.

Drab white walls were washed in warm burgundy tones. Even the acoustic tiled ceiling received a claret-colored coat of paint.

Dramatic suspended lights and track lighting replaced ancient fluorescent fixtures. Decrepit Venetian blinds were discarded, and in their place hung floor-to-ceiling cream-colored drapes.

The green felt countertop had to go. Instead, the sleek lines and cool gray of handcrafted concrete counters complimented the cupboards above.

Conlin’s oak desk, a leftover from the time when Fort George Wright was a military installation, was banished, and an elegant burled pecan and wrought iron desk nestled under the windows.

A beautiful lighted buffet now houses Conlin’s books and sheet music.

Thirteen year-old Abby Cooke is one of Conlin’s students. Her father, Bo Cooke, is the man who had the vision of making the studio something special. Abby shopped with her dad for the furniture, testing out chairs for student use, until she found the perfect seats. They also chose a comfy black leather armchair to accent the room.

Abby added her own touch to the project. She painted a trio of cello pictures that hang beside the door.

Fellow teacher Elizabeth Lund said, “The whole atmosphere has changed.”

Describing Conlin as an amazingly positive teacher, Bo Cooke felt she deserved a nicer setting to teach in.

“You serve God and you also serve us,” he said, as Abby presented Conlin with a $1,300 check. The gift is intended to help fund a trip to Europe, so that she can attend concerts abroad.

“I am stunned and so touched,” said Conlin. “I’m very grateful.”