A Fine Redesign

Make-A-Wish® Connecticut granted 14-year-old Joshua Arouni’s wish to have a living room makeover.

Fourteen-year-old Joshua’s wish was to have a renovated living room to create a comfortable and functional space in his house where he can invite his friends and for the whole family to enjoy.

The wish process was a welcome break from the stress caused by his treatments for lymphoma. Joshua went all in and was eager to meet with Make-A-Wish and the design teams to go over the presentation he created to explain his style vision. Then, a mood board was designed that consisted of all the elements Joshua envisioned for the space, which included: a comfortable sofa, large table for family meals and homework, as well as many other decorative elements to tie the entire room together. For the overall ambiance of the space, Joshua requested a touch of sophistication along with a calming color scheme incorporating grey, white, and light brown. After a few edits and additions were made, Joshua approved the plans, and the Make-A-Wish team was ready to make his wish a reality.

Once the preexisting furniture was removed, the design team from The Rath Project immediately began rebuilding the room from the ground up. The walls were given a fresh coat of grey paint, courtesy of Sherman Williams, that instantly breathed new life into the space. Various decorative elements including colorful artwork, window treatments, pillows and rugs were all added and fit the specific theme Joshua desired. A touch of green was added by scattering plants throughout the room. A large grey sofa, dining room table, along with storage cabinets, and a custom-made light fixture designed by Dutton Brown were the finishing touches that completed Joshua’s living room transformation.

Joshua’s face on reveal day said it all. His smile was larger than life as he explored the new space and closely inspected every element, making sure it was perfect. Best of all, Joshua managed to have a mini photoshoot, giving his stamp of approval on the final product.

His dad Joseph shares, “we are all so grateful for the amazing opportunity given to us. The makeover literally transformed our house and we have had so many comments from friends and family who cannot believe the difference. It was truly a spectacular experience and I think it really made a huge difference in Joshua’s road to recovery!”

Clearly this newly renovated living room is a wonderful space where Joshua can hang out with friends and make many memories with his family for years to come. Joshua’s dad added, “Joshua and his sister use to spend all their time in their bedrooms, hanging out and doing homework. Now they spend their time together doing homework at the new dining room table.”

A special thanks to The Rath Project, Junkluggers, LLC, Andrew-Kirk Painting, Dutton Brown, Pottery Barn, Black Rock Galleries, Tempaper, and Robert Norman Photography for so generously donating their services to make Joshua’s wish come true.

Make-A-Wish is in the business of delivering hope, and hope has never been more important than now for our wish kids. It can be difficult to continue to hope when we have had so many dreams deferred due circumstances beyond our control, but the moment we have something to look forward to, everything begins to change. Hope is a superpower that kids living with critical illness, like Joshua, have been tapping into long before many of us heard the word, “lockdown.” Helping more kids find hope is something we all have the power to do, because for these children—as for all of us—the promise of a wish is so much more than a temporary escape. It’s a wellspring of strength to keep fighting for better days. Hope is essential for children living with critical illnesses and you can unlock its transformative power today. Don’t wait for hope; create it! Donate now at ct.wish.org.