The Boys & Girls Club of Beaufort and its supporters recently celebrated the grand opening of two newly renovated spaces: the Pat Conroy and Cassandra King Reading Room and the Henry C. Chambers Teen Club. Behind the scenes of this remarkable renovation are two local businesswomen who considered it an opportunity to improve the lives of children in their community.
“When I first heard of the need at the Boys & Girls Club and then seeing the spaces firsthand, we knew we could make a difference by creating vibrant, colorful and age-appropriate spaces for the children,” said Lisa Mykleby, a partner in M Interiors.
Mykleby and her business partner, Muffin Tullos, donated 257 hours designing, coordinating and working on the transformations. “We felt so strongly about the project and the importance of maximizing every available dollar that we decided to volunteer our services and to extend our wholesale cost on all purchases to the club,” said Tullos.
In addition to residential interior design, Mykleby and Tullos have left their mark on several buildings in the historic district of Beaufort. The two women created the award-winning designs of Wren Bistro & Bar, located on Carteret Street, and Greyhound Flats, an urban chic hotel created in the dilapidated former Greyhound Bus station on Scott Street.
The Historic Beaufort Foundation awarded Greyhound Flats the Historic Preservation Honor Award for taking an old building and renovating it for a new purpose. The Municipal Association of South Carolina also awarded the two-suite hotel its Gaines Jontz Rehabilitation Award for renovating the former Greyhound station into a hotel. Each of the two 600-square-feet suites can sleep up to six people.
In addition to their design studio on Bay Street, Mykleby and Tullos own the home and garden decor shop, M Home & Garden, also on Bay Street. “We consider ourselves fortunate to have the shop and our offices located in the heart of downtown Beaufort,” said Mykleby.
“Muffin and Lisa created a space that functions well in the midst of the chaos of hundreds of children and their activities,” Debbie Szpanka, director of public relations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry, said. “Everyone who enters the rooms should feel embraced by the bright colors and warm environment. The rooms are symbolic of how our business and individual neighbors continuously nurture the children of our community.
“Every child, parent, staff member is grateful for the extreme make-over of the Reading Room and Teen Club — both are brilliantly decorated for function and form,” Szpanka said.
Several national design magazines have also noticed Mykleby and Tullos’ design talent. Several publications including Better Homes & Gardens and Southern Living have featured their works.
