BACK to PRESS

Home sweet home

Piscataway resident and sons wowed by makeover

November 19, 2009

By JEFF WEBER
STAFF WRITER

"Come on man! Come on man!"

"Oh man! No way!"

"Are you serious?"

That's all Alex Adkins could say — over and over — as the camera caught his initial reaction to the new master bedroom suite that was constructed for him by the home improvement television show "Open House NYC" and Greenbaum Interiors of Paterson.

The cameraman thought about stopping and waiting for Adkins to offer up something else, but he and host George Oliphant were patient with Adkins, a 43-year-old single father of three boys.

That patience was rewarded as Adkins adjusted to the surroundings of his new three-room suite, which was constructed during a period of about two weeks after being conceived about a month ago, according to senior Greenbaum adviser David Zisa, who beamed in the background while observing Adkins' reaction.

"Will you look at this place? This is fabulous," said Adkins, whose wife died of breast cancer in 2001. "Is this really my (old) room? This does not look like the same place. The only thing I really recognize in here is my TV."

That's because the TV is the only holdover from the previous design.

In with the new

Replacing outdated floral wallpaper, an old roughed-up carpet and severely worn-out dressers are a series of modern looks Zisa developed for Adkins.

"He is a warm and caring father, and I wanted to design a room that was spacious and comfortable," said Zisa, whose work for Greenbaum Interiors has taken him all over Central Jersey, the East Coast and even the world. "After a long day of work and taking care of his sons, I'd think he needs a peaceful space to retreat to."

Upon entering the three-room suite, the first feature lies to the right — an intimate viewing room with a wall-mounted flat-screen TV, two elegant reclining chairs and a table. Overhead lighting and candles illuminate the space, while grass cloth lines the walls. It's the ideal place to unwind and hang out.

"I could watch TV in here all night," said Atkins, with 12-year-old son A.J. at his side happily agreeing. "Wouldn't you like to do that if you had this room?"

Further down the corridor and to the right is the master bedroom. With walls lined with suede — host Oliphant was seen bouncing off them prior to the shoot, and associate producer Alex Gittleson said "It's the only wall I think you can fall asleep leaning on" — dressers that serve as end-tables and a large built-in space for another big-screen TV, Adkins has it made.

"Put your feet up. It's all your furniture. All of this stuff was custom-made for you, Alex," Oliphant said during the taping. Then, he turned to A.J. and Alex's other live-in son, Josh, and said, "I'm giving your dad a place to kick back and relax after a long day."

What did Josh think about that?

"I want this room," he said, looking around in wonder.

"No, you're room is upstairs. This is mine," said Adkins, admiring the upholstered headboard, bed and window treatments and a hand-crafted bench at the front of the bed.

The final room in the suite is a drastically upgraded bathroom, featuring a new, large medicine cabinet, tiled flooring, impact lightning and a restyled shower. Like with the other two rooms, Adkins was in awe.

"This is a bathroom?" he asked Oliphant. "It looks more like a palace."

"All you need is your crown and scepter, dad," the ever-amusing Josh replied.

Deserving dad

That comment drew plenty of muffled guffaws — and a "here we go again" look from Adkins — but how Adkins had this done for him is no laughing matter.

Adkins contacted "Open House NYC" to rescue his dilapidated bedroom to further help him move on in life as a successful single father. When Oliphant and Co. heard his case, they quickly came to the rescue.

The show was taped at Adkins' house on Nov. 4, 5, 9, 11 and 12, and the finished product will be aired on the show at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, on NBC. According to Oliphant, about seven to 10 minutes of the show will be spent detailing the process of transforming Adkins' suite.

"We couldn't have done this for a nicer guy, and this by far has been one of my favorite jobs and sites to be part of," Oliphant said after the taping. "He deserves it. Every man deserves a place he can call his own, and Alex now has that. I'm happy to be a part of this."

Additional Facts

OPEN HOUSE NYC

  BACK to PRESS