The St. Jude Dream Home

ARTICLE BY VANELIS RIVERA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Set on a serene acre in Sterlington’s DeSiard Trace, this year’s St. Jude Dream Home blends thoughtful design, donated craftsmanship, and community generosity to support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

This year’s St. Jude Dream Home rests on over an acre of land in DeSiard Trace, a relatively new subdivision in Sterlington, Louisiana. Currently boasting a field of lush cornstalks and the occasional agile loops of gliding barn swallows, the verdant views contribute to the tranquility of the area. Though this is the second home constructed in the subdivision as part of the nationwide St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, it stands apart from its predecessor in various exciting ways. “This year was different!” exclaims Jan Strickland, interior decorator and home designer of the monumental project, mentioning, in particular, the role of Residential Designer Larry James. This is Strickland’s eighth year as lead designer, and she is still in awe of the show of generosity involved in the elaborate project. After all, each aspect of the St. Jude Dream Home is one hundred percent donated by national and regional donors such as Shaw Flooring, Kichler Lighting, Bosch, and Brizo Luxury Faucets. Ultimately, a labor of love, by the end of the project, all the challenges and anxieties faced dissolve in recognition of the heart of the matter—supporting the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help cure childhood cancer.

In preparation for the project, Strickland began studying different architectural home styles, and she kept returning to the contemporary Tudor style. Partnering with James meant sharing her collection of inspirational photos, which he craftily drafted into an artistic house plan of 2,400 estimated square feet. Driving up to the lot, the striking Tudor characteristics are easily admired—pitched, gabled roof; beige brick façade; front-facing gables; and tall, narrow windows. “I love the large windows at the front,” says Strickland, who always appreciates a bold statement. At the entrance, a steel glass door is framed by transom and sidelight windows. To each side, rectangular, black metal frame wall lanterns. Altogether, the exterior color scheme is meant to enhance the picturesque surroundings instead of distracting from them. To achieve this, Strickland used a bright creamy white color, which is also used in the interior as one of the neutral tones.

Every year, Strickland chooses one color that stands out. In the past, she has been keen on blues and greens, but this year she diverted into a much moodier standout color. “I had never used a maroonish color, and I kept seeing it everywhere. I kept seeing it in every magazine, Instagram page, and every Pinterest search. It just kept popping up this maroon color,” she says. Naturally, she had to explore, so she began to study the color, considering which part of the home it would be best suited for. Briefly, she was tempted by color drenching, a design technique where a paint color is used on all surfaces of a room, including ceilings and even furniture. But that kind of boldness wouldn’t work for a home that is meant to be easily modifiable for the lucky winner. She opted to use the color for most of the cabinets and shelves of the house, and she chose Sommelier from national sponsor Sherwin-Williams, a mystifying, deep brownish red. From there, it was much easier to incorporate coordinating colors, especially since Strickland believes the fun color names “tell a story within themselves.” Pairing sophisticatedly with Sommelier (French for “wine steward”), she chose the soft, warm tones of Bungalow Beige and Caviar, a captivating black color. Each is trickled through every room by way of decor, room features, or appliances. “It’s not something that you’re going to see every day, necessarily, but I want it to be different, so it inspires other people to do something different in their home,” she says.

The interior color scheme is best observed in the kitchen, where two sets of kitchen cabinets are painted Sommelier and Bungalow Beige. The kitchen island, topped with an elegant quartz tabletop, is also painted the staple, rich red-brown. At the same time, the charcoal black accents peak out from the glossy tile backsplash, bar stools, dome light pendants, damask fabric valance, and the chic, black stainless steel appliances donated by Bosch—refrigerator, stainless steel gas range oven, dishwasher. The pantry has one of Strickland’s favorite appliances, the Bosch built-in automatic coffee machine. Thanks to the wrap-around cabinets by Woodland Custom Cabinets with a sleek exposed wood cabinet top, the space makes for the perfect coffee bar corner.

In the living room, the ceiling takes center stage, bridging the color scheme of the kitchen by way of a blue pine wood ceiling. BRACO brought the idea to Strickland, who loves how it functions almost like a bridge, seamlessly connecting the naturally dark discoloration of the wood and the charcoal backdrop of the living room bookshelves enclosing the wood-framed fireplace. Illuminating the cozy gathering place are round recessed lighting and a black, industrial-style chandelier reminiscent of an inverted carousel frame. Natural light beams in through long and narrow, modern farmhouse-style windows and a glass panel door. The space further comes to life thanks to the staging furniture and decor donated by Sleepy Hollow Furniture. Facing the fireplace, a tan leather sofa with fluffy throw pillows, a black velvety, tufted back lounge chair, and a round glass-top coffee table featuring an open-mouthed, gilded alligator.

Every year, it gets more challenging for Strickland to choose her favorite room. “That’s a hard question this year, because I feel like the house as a whole speaks for itself,” she says. Nevertheless, this year, she chose the luxurious primary bathroom suite, characterized by a walk-in shower and freestanding tub. The walk-in shower has been a staple of the Monroe St. Jude Dream Home, but this year, James designed it with curved walls. Thankfully, Strickland chose vertical tiles in a tonal, muted charcoal, a preferred shape for curved walls. The “all black hardware” ties the room together, most notably the ceramic rectangular wash basins, quartz countertop, and matte black plumbing fixtures from the Litze Bath Collection, distinguished by wheel-style handles with gold accents. The primary bedroom is connected to the bathroom, where three large windows offer open field views. Another entryway leads to a short hallway with a snug half bathroom and access to the spacious back patio.

Divided into two spaces, the back patio is distinguished by a striking yellow pine wood ceiling, textured tiles custom-made by Chad Sanders from Decorative Concrete Coatings, a monochrome fireplace in Ivory Lace, and a ceiling fan in distressed black. An added feature is sure to please home cooks and grill masters alike, as a section of the back patio is wired for an outdoor kitchen (water, gas, and electric). This section’s proximity to the sliding kitchen window makes for the ideal communal space, especially during cool summer nights. Another great excuse to share the space with people you love! 

As always, the two secondary bedrooms are situated in the right wing of the home, where one sleek bathroom is characterized by a black mosaic tile shower using hexagonal porcelain tiles. For staging purposes, each room is decorated to honor North Louisiana children who lost their lives too soon as a result of cancer. Each room contains a full-size bed, nightstand and lamp, accent rug, and stylish wall decor. The boy’s bedroom is in memory of Claude Williams and Corbin Gulde, and the girl’s bedroom is in memory of Harley Sykes, Amber Tamburo, Tiffany Greer, Zoe Simpson, and KK Joyce. Strickland grew up with three of the children mentioned. For her, it is imperative to always mention them and keep them at the forefront of our minds. 

The open house held during ticket sales is not only meant to promote the beautifully crafted home, it’s also an opportunity to pay homage to the children of Northeast Louisiana undergoing treatment for cancer and their families who are fully supported by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where they never receive a bill from the hospital for treatment, travel, housing or food. To further illuminate the humanity of the St. Jude Dream Home, a print of a painting by local artist Emily Morris was kept on display. In it, a heartfelt birthday scene is illustrated with three children gathered around a birthday cake topped with thirty-five candles, each representing a child patient from our area. Two arched windows are intentionally left empty, the voids pointing to those children who have lost their lives due to cancer. The use of vibrant colors seems to represent hope and the vitality needed to keep fighting for this noble cause.

When seeing the finished product of the St. Jude Dream Home, it can be difficult to imagine the exhaustive and detailed work that donors and volunteers undergo behind the scenes. Regardless of the inevitable challenges that arise, the time allocated to this project is nothing short of a prodigious demonstration of community outreach. In fact, this year, 8,500 tickets sold out, raising $850,000.00 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Strickland always leaves the project full of gratitude, knowing that the hours of conceptualizing and executing culminate in a massive donation to a cause close to her heart. Certainly, Monroe’s St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway is a widely anticipated event, one that exemplifies the power of advocacy and the pathways of change that can occur when the community bands together.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

2025 St. Jude Dream Home Local Sponsors:
Builder: BRACO Construction 
Designer / Decorator: Jan Strickland of Strickland Interiors
Home Plans: Larry James Designs  
Furniture for Staging: Sleepy Hollow Furniture 
Flooring: Dupuy Flooring
Plumbing and Cabinet Hardware: The Plumbing Warehouse LCR
Plumber: Mark Kennedy Plumbing
Electric: Word Electric 
Lighting & Appliances: Coburn’s West Monroe
Countertops: Twin City Granite, BPI, Prestige Stone, and Louisiana Stone LLC
Doors, Door Knobs, Molding, and more: Russell – Moore Lumber 
Roof: Elite Roofing
Garage Door: Overhead Doors 
Patio Concrete and Counters: Decorative Concrete Coatings
Draperies and Pillows: Fabulous Fabric 
Glass / Mirrors: AAA Glass and Mirror
Landscaping: Riverside Landscaping 
Cabinets: Woodlands Custom Cabinets
Paint: Antonio Rubio / Sherwin-Williams
Air Conditioning: Gilley’s Heating & Cooling
Fireplace: O’Neal Gas
Concrete: Kenneth Lawrence Concrete and Pokie’s Ready Mix, and River City Ready Mix
Brick: Acme Brick Company – Monroe, LA
Insulation: Advanced Insulation Enterprises
Alarm: Automated Alarm
Drywall: Joe Banks Drywall & Acoustics
Ranger Development LLC
Hobson & Son, LLC
ABC Supply Co, Inc.
American Exterminating Company
ATMOS Energy
Boise Cascade Company
Danny Fontenot Vinyl Siding
Inspections Unlimited
Jerry Myers Construction, Inc.
O’Nealgas
Pennington Service Company
Pro-Flashing & Sheet Metal
R2 Rentals
R & K David Enterprises, LLC
Simpson Door Company
Stephen Manufacturing
Thermatru Door Company
KTVE, KARD, the Arklamiss CW
Bayou Life Magazine 
BRACO Construction
Z107.5
DeSiard Trace
Dream Day Foundation
Albritton Service Company
3B Outdoor Equipment, Inc.
Sleepy Hollow Furniture
National Sponsors: Brizo, Shaw, Trane, Bosch, Kichler