Cove teen receives room makeover
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Move over, Property Brothers. Twin sisters Theresa Naramore and Cheryl Green brought their own twist on interior design for a cause when they made over the bedroom of 14-year-old Kaitlyn Llanez of Copperas Cove.
Naramore and Green own Twin Sisters Interiors in Boerne. Despite early morning freezing temperatures on Saturday, the two made their way to the Llanez home and transformed Kaitlyn’s room from a girl’s bedroom to a retreat in shades of ocean blue with grownup touches.
The project was the first taken on by Twin Sisters as part of Savvy Giving by Design-Central Texas.
A little more than seven years ago, Kaitlyn was diagnosed with terminal cancer, said her mother, Diana. After 10 surgeries, one of which included removal of a kidney, and multiple cancer treatments, Kaitlyn received her remission diagnosis in March 2017, prior to the family’s move to Copperas Cove in August 2017.
Kaitlyn didn’t know about the bedroom makeover and her family managed to get her out of the house for most of the day to celebrate her father, Cesar, coming home from a recent deployment. They returned home late afternoon on Saturday, when Kaitlyn saw her surprise.
“When I first came in and saw my room, I was really happy with it because I like the ocean. It calms me,” Kaitlyn said.. “The vanity is my favorite part, for when I do my makeup and get ready and do my hair.
“I felt extremely grateful for them coming out to do this. It means a lot to me, because I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before.”
Diana Llanez said she asked her daughter about what she’d like to see in her room, should they ever redo it. The family was moved to tears upon seeing the results.
“It makes such a big difference. It was great for Kaitlyn,” Diana said. “It means so much to us, the thought of them wanting to do this for us, the work that went into it. It means more than I can put into words.
“Her brother received a surprise and he’s come along this journey as well. I think they’ve both sacrificed their childhoods. We’ve had to make him wait. He’s been with us too, because they found out she had a blood disorder and we found out the whole family actually has it. The same doctor who treats her, treats him as well. They’ve gone through this journey together.”
As for Kaitlyn, Diana joked that she’ll probably never see her come out of her room again.
“It’s more than what she would have pictured,” said Diana.
The room has an accent wall of shades of aqua, reminding one of the colors of the ocean. The memory foam mattress lifts up from its base to reveal under-bed storage, and a mirrored vanity against one wall is perfect for a teenager getting ready in the morning.
Naramore said their out-of-town connection to the Llanez family came about through a mutual friend. Then, Naramore found out about the nonprofit Savvy Giving By Design.
According to its website, Savvy Giving By Design’s mission is to provide comfort, support, and healing to families with a child facing a medical crisis by transforming the interior spaces of their homes at no cost to them. The Central Texas Chapter is one of the newest for the nonprofit, which began in San Diego, Calif.. and also has chapters in Reno, Denver, The Ozarks, Mobile, Tampa, Charleston SC, and Rhode Island.
Naramore said they did fundraising and accepted donations to make the teenager’s bedroom transformation a reality.
“It all came together at the right time. We’re looking forward to doing more of these in Central Texas and giving back,” said Naramore.
For more information about Savvy Giving by Design Central Texas, visit https://www.facebook.com/twinsistersinteriors/ or call (210) 386-2009.