Pittsfield — Tanya Lewis arrived at the crumbling 1906 firehouse on Tyler Street with deep, pertinent experience under her proverbial belt: she has spent three decades working in under-resourced communities on issues of diversity and youth development. Plus she’s an interior designer. “If there was ever a project that gets me to use both sides of my brain and all my experiences, it would be here,” she said, exuding palpable passion for the mission of The Kaleidoscope Project—a venture aimed at showcasing the diverse talent within the design industry, amplifying BIPOC voices, and revealing the true colors present within our community through the creation of inclusive spaces that reflect a broad design narrative—one that has enabled Lewis and Denise Gordon, co-founders of Brooklyn’s Austin Gray Design Group, to bring their multifaceted passions and talents to a single space.
“This [project] is like bringing both of my worlds together in the coolest of ways,” said Lewis, who holds a BS in Interior Design and Facility Planning and Management from Cornell University and a Master of Public Policy in Race, Poverty, and Class from NYU’s Wagner School.
With the help of Art Curator/Kitchen Designer Marilyn Lavergne, Lewis and Gordon have been tasked with designing one of four completely renovated apartments at the newly restored (and effectively repurposed) Pittsfield firehouse, which, upon completion, will not only become market-rate rentals but will also create a unique showhouse paradigm.
“I’ve always wanted to do a project that allowed me to give back, so having this opportunity—one that is sponsored so thoughtfully—[allowed us to create] something that anyone who may not be able to see this [type of living space] as a possibility can walk in here and know that it is a possibility,” said Gordon of a project that has not only been fulfilling but has also given her a sense of purpose, underscoring precisely why Amy Lynn Schwartzbard founded The Kaleidoscope Project.
“I have always loved the Berkshires,” Schwartzbard told The Edge, a place she first encountered as a child when her parents bought a home here; a dozen years ago, she decided to make Lenox her primary residence. “It’s my happy place,” she says, which makes explains why she has chosen to invest locally—both in her community (the interior design industry) and the community at large where she lives. “We’ve married the two,” Schwartzbard says, underscoring that this year’s showhouse builds on the success of last year’s Cornell Inn restoration, when the design industry and sponsors rallied around 23 BIPOC designers who repurposed 21 spaces at the Lenox property—both of which share a common thread: giving back.
The nonprofit has launched internship programs and educational initiatives to create opportunities for those in the BIPOC community interested in careers in a creative field—including a group of high school students from the Alfred E. Smith School in the Bronx, who are being provided a path forward via a summer graphic design program in conjunction with TKP.
“Having this building now be affordable…with [market rate] housing, is really significant and part of our mission,” she said, as is advancing social equity and supporting local tradespeople—evidenced by a flurry of activity on site late Friday afternoon.
Upstairs it was all hands on deck where Rasheeda Gray, of Gray Space Interiors, was supervising finishing touches on the two-bedroom apartment of her design. Color pops, beginning with a firehouse-red range and fabulous wallpaper, contributed to a bright, airy—if not blushing—space for an unknown client, which, in the design industry, is largely unheard of. I asked Gray about the benefits, both as a professional and a human, of leaving Philadelphia to embark on a project of this type.
“We don’t get the chance to do two-tone green hallways for our clients on a daily basis—they just won’t go that bold,” said Gray, pointing to the marketing boost showcase homes provide her on a professional level. As a human, the second career designer (who spent 15 years in marketing for insurance companies) once thought that was as close as she’d get to being creative.
“Who knows what would have happened if I had early exposure to the arts?” Gray asked rhetorically. As such, she sees first hand the mission of TKP as “really touching students in a way that could be beneficial long term,” citing the scholarships currently being provided to students as a means of offering early exposure to the arts.
In the second upstairs apartment, Virginia Toledo leaned heavily into the residual energy of the former firehouse. “There’s this sort of yin and yang, a push and pull, [between] calm and this energy I felt that was speaking to me,” said the founder of New Jersey-based Toledo Geller Interiors, who, in her design, aspired to juxtapose moments of intensity with moments of calm. Her color scheme, largely inspired by the original exposed brick, led to what she calls “an amalgam of color [from] blush, sand, and coral to deeper maroon and burgundy.” Toledo also played with the idea of smoke as an inspirational element, which can be both light and billowy, dark and thick. “Every designer hates long hallways,” she said, which is why she took advantage of ceiling to floor panels from the drapery provider to create an ombre effect that transports one from the primary living area to private spaces accented by pink (a warm undertone from the brick) to create tension.
The last of the seven celebrated BIPOC designers materialized in the form of husband-and-wife team Lisa and Everick Brown of Everick Brown Interior Design. The NYC-based couple took this opportunity to deviate from their timeless designs (a house they did two decades ago was recently featured in House Beautiful) and incorporate playful features into the first-floor living space.
“The influence initially started with the cabinetry choices,” said Lisa, pointing to dramatic, cobalt blue cabinets; the same extensive expanse of hall Toledo struggled with upstairs became a chalk-board painted wall spanning the living and dining spaces. An extra-tall chair, giant gold-gilt mirror, and swing (bolted to the building’s bones) round out fun touches in the living room. (The beaded bedroom door had yet to arrive!)
For a pair keen on elevating their client’s vision, this project proved a prime opportunity to step away and play. “It’s going to be beautiful!” Lisa exclaimed amidst the shuffle of last-minute touches in the open living room where an inside-outside theme will feature a big, fabulous daybed complete with canopy. While it’s unlikely any of the designers will meet the future residents of their artfully designed spaces, thinking about these individuals—and their futures—has brought inspiration to the process.
“I’ve always known that when you provide for people who don’t have as much—especially in under-resourced communities where the belief is that [living spaces] can’t be beautiful—they behave in a different way,” said Lewis. “When there’s a sense of pride in where people live, it makes a difference in households as well as communities.”
NOTE: Sponsors for this year’s Showhouse include The Shade Store, our Diamond Sponsor, Benjamin Moore, Fisher and Paykel, Cosentino, Kravet, Sunpan, Circa, Emtek, Anne Selke, and many more, whose products will be utilized exclusively throughout the Showhouse. Aspire magazine is the exclusive media partner for the Firehouse Showhouse. Donations to The Kaleidoscope Project can be made by visiting TheKaleidoscopeProject.com, or by mail to The Kaleidoscope Project, P.O. Box 174, West Stockbridge, MA 01266.
