Carmel Henges’ daughter, Caili Henges, loves dinosaurs and science, writing and filmmaking. Before committing her story characters to type in a school assignment, she’ll often draw them first. “She visualizes everything,” says her mom.
But Caili hasn’t attended a traditional school since age 9, when doctors diagnosed her with autoimmune encephalitis, a condition in which her immune system attacks healthy brain cells. The treatment for the disorder leaves her susceptible to infection, so the now-14-year-old Caili spends most of her time in her bedroom, its anteroom, and the Jack-and-Jill bathroom connecting the two—and lately she’d grown tired of its dated preteen look.
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But how do you find a designer who gets the “quirky dichotomy of a girly girl who really digs dinosaurs”—and also hasn’t had strep throat as an adult? asks Carmel. (A strep infection could exacerbate Caili’s condition.)
The designer who’d been working on an outdoor addition to the Henges’ home had had strep as an adult and therefore couldn’t take the job but recommended interior designer Jessie Miller. Carmel looked up the designer’s work, loved it, and decided to give Miller, who’s not a carrier of strep, a call.
In an initial meeting between family and designer, Miller “just got Caili,” recalls Carmel. “She got the creative, she got the quirky, she got the only child. They just meshed.” Miller asked Caili to collect inspirational images reflecting her style and took the time to study and learn about her passions. “I felt in my heart that they needed my help. I immediately felt connected and protective of Caili. I just wanted to do something special for her,” says Miller.
The next task was to complete the work without exposing Caili to workers, and an upcoming medical trip to Washington, D.C., offered a window: Could Miller and her team have the project finished as a surprise for Caili by the time the family returned to St. Louis, three weeks later?
Miller got to work coordinating the makeover.
Miller focused the remodel on what she’d learned about the imaginative girl—how much she loves her dinosaur figurine collection, her passion for nature and bugs—and a palette of teal and purple inspired by a fantasy portrait taken of Caili dressed as a fairy and seated on a horse. “I wasn’t sure how to incorporate the portrait into her old room,” Carmel says, “but I’d promised Caili that I’d frame it. She’d just felt magical, like a princess [on that day],” Carmel says. “Caili’s life is contained to her home and her backyard,” adds Miller. “All of her entertainment is through her own imagination. I wanted to inspire that.”
The photo guided Miller in her selection of finishes and fabrics: The draperies feature a butterfly print, and a textured and printed wallpaper on the ceiling over the bed is a nod to Caili’s love of reptiles. The teen’s interest in fish inspired the wall design. “I wanted to create an abstract interpretation of being inside a fish tank,” says Miller, who worked with muralist Susan Greene. “The scale, movement, ombré effect, and color palette of Caili’s room created a space of peace, calm, and joy,” adds Greene.
The hanging bubble chair—Caili’s must-have—anchors the room, and a Lucite ribbon chandelier that once graced Miller’s foyer was chosen for the space. “When Caili wanted that bubble chair, I thought of how perfect the shape of the chandelier would be,” says Miller, a collector of vintage furniture and accessories. “I have an archive of things, and I’m attached to them. Sometimes, though, I’ll meet a client and will think, ‘That’s where that belongs.’”
The room is both soothing and interesting, says Carmel. Caili can lounge on the beanbag and do her homework on her iPad or FaceTime with friends. “Everybody’s hoping that, soon enough, she can have slumber parties there,” Miller says.
When the family returned from Washington, the big reveal took place on time—just as they’d hoped. Miller and her team weren’t there for the event but witnessed Caili’s reaction to her new bedroom on FaceTime, which Miller says was “truly rewarding.”
“She just looked at me and smiled,” says Carmel. “For a little girl who has a lot of words normally…she was overwhelmed.
“She stayed up there for four days straight. I couldn’t get her to come down.”
