UCA – home of the Purple Bears – is soon to be home to 5 new sorority houses and an NPHC meeting center, kicking off the beginning of an all new Greek Village at UCA in Conway, Arkansas!

Did I mention this was also my home? Yes. I am a UCA alumni and I loved the four years I spent on their beautiful campus full of historic buildings and lush landscaping going through the interior design program.

This is why I was so thrilled when I was presented with the opportunity to come back to be a part of this monumental project! In the last month, I’ve had the huge honor and privileged of working with UCA, their builders and architects, to consult on finish spec options for the sororities to choose from for their new houses.

The process has been fast and furious, as well as lots of fun. Here’s a little snapshot of the product researching, sampling, selecting, and presentation board building that’s been going on around here in the last several weeks:

The goal of the finishes design is to have a versatile, neutral palette that leaves flexibility for the groups to personalize and make each space their own. By providing a clean and simple, sophisticated color palette, I want to help them create the perfect canvas as a foundation for the furnishings and decor to come.

Yesterday was an especially special day in the project – the groundbreaking ceremony at the Greek Village site!  Each sorority had their letters set up in the clearing near the location of their future houses – too cool.

There was a fantastic turnout, and after hearing from several speakers including President Courtway, the event wrapped up with the highly anticipated golden shovel ceremony. The president and board members scooped the first shovels full of dirt, then everybody jumped in on the fun!

I was delighted to be included in the festivites, especially standing among all of these great and talented folks from UCA, Nabholz Construction, and Caradine Architects. What fun!

It was like a bunch of kids in a sand box, just more organized. Let’s face it – playing in a dirt pile is fun. Especially with shiny golden shovels!

Of course I had to get a shot with two of the fabulous ladies I’ve enjoyed working with on the team from UCA: Diane Newton and Wendy Holbrook!

 What a day – and what a year it will be now that construction has officially begun. And by construction I mean our expertly excavated dirt piles. Luckily Nabholz will be setting up shop on site soon to take over from here. I’m sure they will appreciate the head start. 😉