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Emily A. Clark

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A Bathroom Makeover & A Sweet Surprise

May 19, 2014

A couple of weeks ago, I teamed up with Lowe’s to create a design plan for a reader with an ugly bathroom. (You can see the winner and the design board here.) I received lots of entries, but one email caught my attention. It had no photos attached—only a short description. And, it was from a man. Eric is a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy, currently stationed in Diego Garcia,and wanted to surprise his wife (in Chicago) with a bathroom makeover for Mother’s Day. Since I didn’t have any photos to go on, I didn’t choose his entry for the contest, but I did forward it to my PR contact at Lowe’s—just in case there was anything they could do. And, I’m happy to say they came through. :)

bathroom-before

The Lowe’s team instantly went to work planning the surprise with Eric for his wife, Annie. Within a few days, they lined up childcare for their young daughter, contacted a friend to take Annie away for a day at the spa and got a crew all set to go in that weekend and do the makeover. I quickly put together this design plan for the space:

s1

s2

(Almost all of the products on the design board came from Lowe’s or ATG Stores, with the exception of the roman shade and shower curtain.)

 

bathroom-progress

 

The best part of this whole thing was Annie’s reaction when the Lowe’s team showed up at her door unannounced. She was so surprised and delighted that she even snorted :) My kind of girl!

Here’s the video of the sweet moment and some shots of how the bathroom turned out:

(Or, you can go directly to the video here.)

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Filed Under: bathroom, before and after Tagged With: bathroom, design boards

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deborah says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:34 am

    Okay, I am now officially not just an Emily A. Clark fan, but a Lowes fan. They’ll be getting my business.
    This is so sweet and y’all did such a lovely job supporting this military family! Thank you.

    Reply
  2. caroline [the diy nurse] says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:39 am

    Sweetest ever. Go Lowes!

    Reply
  3. [email protected] Stroll Thru Life says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:46 am

    Oh what a fabulous surprise for her and you are so sweet to make this all happen. It looks amazing and such a great video.

    Reply
  4. Sara says

    May 19, 2014 at 9:02 am

    So great! Love it!

    Reply
  5. Elisa says

    May 19, 2014 at 9:03 am

    What a sweet family! I love that they won a new bathroom. Perfect timing for Mother’s Day.

    Reply
  6. sherry hart says

    May 19, 2014 at 9:08 am

    Tears of joy for her! Thanks to you and Lowes…..who knew they would be so kind! Unfortunately there is not a Lowes near me but I wish there was! Great job on the design my kind friend:)

    Reply
  7. Patty Day says

    May 19, 2014 at 9:33 am

    A wonderful report for my Monday morning read. This is one of the most rewarding posts ever!

    Reply
  8. Kates says

    May 19, 2014 at 9:39 am

    Emily, You could have just passed over that email…but you didn’t and between her husband, you and Lowes you helped make her mother’s day extra special. Now every time she goes to use her bathroom (which we all know is multiple times a day) she will be seeing the kindness and generosity of her family and of strangers! Thank you to you and to Lowes for making that happen!

    Reply
  9. La Monica Smith says

    May 19, 2014 at 10:28 am

    Awesome! #passingontheblessings

    Reply
  10. Laura at Simply Lowcountry says

    May 19, 2014 at 10:28 am

    Her reaction is awesome!!! It turned out so wonderfully too!!!

    Xo, L
    http://www.simplylowcountry.com

    Reply
  11. Kate @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating says

    May 19, 2014 at 10:34 am

    What an awesome surprise for a deserving mom. Turned out super cute! Good job!! :)

    Reply
  12. LizlovesCam says

    May 19, 2014 at 10:48 am

    Emily, what a sweet thing for you to do! As a fellow Navy wife, having your husband deploy to DGar is especially rough. Thank you for showing such kindness!

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      May 19, 2014 at 10:50 am

      The Lowes team did a great job pulling this off! Was just happy to be a small part of it :)

      Reply
  13. Megan @ Our PInteresting Family says

    May 19, 2014 at 11:00 am

    Love this story!!

    Reply
  14. Justynn @ Creative Life Antics says

    May 19, 2014 at 11:19 am

    This is completely wonderful and made my day. :)

    You’re a really great person.

    J

    Reply
  15. elisa says

    May 19, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    What a sweet video! Loved her reaction.

    Reply
  16. Brandy says

    May 19, 2014 at 1:16 pm

    That is so great!!

    Reply
  17. Gillian says

    May 19, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Thank you so much for doing such a lovely thing for a military family. It speaks volumes about the person you are :)

    Reply
  18. The Yellow Cape Cod says

    May 19, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    How fun! The bathroom turned out great, very nice what you did for them Emily!

    Reply
  19. LindsB says

    May 19, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    I have tears, this is so so sweet!

    Reply
  20. courtney {a thoughtful place} says

    May 19, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    Emily! SO so special. What a gift. So impressed with you and with Lowe’s.

    Reply
  21. Dwell by Cheryl says

    May 19, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    Emily that was superb! Way to go girl. And way to go Lowe’s!!

    Reply
  22. Valerie C. says

    May 19, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    What a wonderful video! This family deserved it…..and appreciated it too :)

    Reply
  23. Mary Jean says

    May 19, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    Such a great thing to do for a deserving family! Kuddos to you, Emily, and Lowe’s for making it happen.

    Reply
  24. Bethany @ Dwellings by DeVore says

    May 19, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    How cool is that? Makes me want to shop at Lowe’s even more than I already do!

    Reply
  25. Ruth L says

    May 19, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Great job Emily and Lowes too! What an awesome way to honor a mom as well as a soldier who has chosen to sacrifice so much for our great country!
    Warm regards,
    Ruth L

    Reply
  26. Julia @ Hooked on Houses says

    May 19, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    Talk about a makeover with a heart. I love this and clearly, so does she! :)

    Reply
  27. Sue says

    May 19, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    That was great Emily! You are wonderful to do such a nice thing for this family. Now I love you even more than I have in the past. You are an amazing person. :)

    Reply
  28. Beth says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    What a fantastic gift to such a nice family. Emily, you and Lowe’s are what I call good people. Thanks to all who participated for giving back to a military family who gives so much to our country.

    Reply
  29. Pam @ Simple Details says

    May 19, 2014 at 9:55 pm

    Aww, I love heartwarming stories! What a kind gesture by all of you! Go Eric, Emily & Lowes!!

    Reply
  30. Eric Sirkin says

    May 20, 2014 at 6:17 am

    My family sends out a huge thanks to Emily. From one email to a new bathroom literally in 10 days was incredible. I can’t wait to see it when I get home.

    Eric Sirkin

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      May 20, 2014 at 7:36 am

      If only I could get my own bathroom done that fast! :) You are a very thoughtful husband, and I’m so glad she liked it. Thanks again for what you’re doing for us.

      Reply
  31. Katherine @ Grass Stains says

    May 21, 2014 at 1:16 am

    This is so great, Em! What a wonderful way to celebrate a U.S. military family, and generous of you and Lowe’s to extend the contest beyond what it was originally meant to be. I am so excited because it looks like we are finally getting our long-awaited Lowe’s near our house in Hoover, and I can’t wait! I think it was just approved as a dual site for Lowe’s and Garden Ridge, which is even more exciting. More projects on the way for me, so yea!

    Reply
  32. Kimberly says

    May 21, 2014 at 7:02 am

    This was sooo sweet! How wonderful that you got the ball rolling to make this happen! Definitely made me a Lowes fan, too :)

    Reply
  33. Jen says

    May 21, 2014 at 12:04 pm

    Such a melt your heart happy story! I love that you shared their story and that Lowes hopped at the opportunity to help such a beautiful family.

    Reply
  34. normaleverydaylife says

    May 21, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    This is fantastic! Lowes is great! It was so kind of you to pass this along to them and I’m sure it means so much to the family!

    Reply
  35. Ronnie says

    May 21, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Aww, how lovely. We are still waiting for a Lowes to open where I live (in Canada, they arrive a bit more slowly) but I always shop there when we are in the U.S. Now, knowing their generosity, I will be sure to shop there as much as I can. What a wonderful story, and an absolute gift for their family.

    Reply
  36. Dianne Read says

    May 24, 2014 at 12:07 am

    How special is this??? I already love Lowe’s, but now I REALLY do LOVE THEM!
    Thank you Eric for your military service, and your surprise for your wife!!! What
    an inspiration!!

    Reply
  37. Dawn says

    June 3, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    This was spectacular.

    Reply

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