Going to the Dogs

Unleashed: Free to do whatever they wanted, designers went wild creating the DogHaus charity show house. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Local designers create a stylistic funhouse to benefit the PSPCA.

by Keegan O'Connor

T he DogHaus is like a mullet: It may look run-of-the-mill from the front, but there's a raucous party going on behind the façade. From the street, the Dilworth-Turchi House (named for the former owner, Mayor Richardson Dilworth, and the current owners, John and Beth Turchi) looks unremarkable amid the sea of red-brick, white-pillar dwellings in Society Hill. But step inside and you will be assaulted with striking brown and purple stairways, a mattress-spring chandelier and all manner of animal-themed knickknacks. Explore the rooms and you'll encounter overstuffed houndstooth chairs, master-style dog paintings and even a miniature ram statue/lamp fixed to the ceiling with light bulbs protruding from it in every direction. More than 15 designers have combined their talents to jazz up the house for the first annual DogHaus fundraiser, a benefit for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA).

Everything inside the house -- not to mention the house itself -- has been donated. The Turchis have agreed to this radical redecoration on the condition that everything will be returned to its original state when the benefit concludes. Each room in the house (excluding closets and bathrooms) was assigned to one of the interior or architectural designers involved. In an industry that always revolves around the needs and whims of the client, projects like DogHaus provide an opportunity for designers to show off their creativity when not under the watchful eye of a homeowner. (Did we mention the upside-down ram lamp?) Although the designers provided their working materials, everything within their rooms is for sale, and 10 percent of the money goes directly to the PSPCA. (All ticket-sale proceeds benefit the Society.)

A year in the making, this project is the brainchild of PSPCA board member Lynn LeHocky. Since joining the board about two years ago, she says she noticed that, despite great concern, there was not nearly enough action being taken to "raise awareness or raise money. [P]SPCA needed a splash, something to make it become more public." The brainstorming process produced numerous ideas for a "splashy" new project. Whatever the plan, it would have to target women, the PSPCA's largest group of supporters. One idea, a cookbook, was nixed because cooking animals -- while appealing to many -- doesn't quite fit the Society's mission statement, and limiting the cookbook to vegetarian meals may have driven off the carnivorous majority. LeHocky has a real estate license, and she noticed a few unoccupied "fixer-uppers" in town, which made her start to think that they could provide the fundraising splash they'd been searching for. She pitched the idea of a designer show house to her friends, Robin Allen and Becky Paul. Long story short, all three now stand as co-chairs of the 44-person planning committee that organized the event.

As co-chair, Paul, who is also one of the designers, has taken on the role of "den mother" with her fellow artists. Her company, Rebecca Paul Residential Design, will run an in-house boutique with less expensive, "edgy, gift-related" items. "Everything from lacquer to vintage lamps to fun serving trays to barware" will fill her chic shop, with a 15 percent donation to PSPCA from each sale.

Through ticket sales and donations from the designers, a goal of $250,000 has been set, much of which will go to the PSPCA's small Education Department as well as its 24-hour Rescue Center. An optimistic LeHocky feels that this will "accomplish both long- and short-term goals. If we just want to rescue [animals already in danger], would we ever get anywhere?" The Education Department is crucial in combating cruelty to animals, and currently consists of only one person. Jennifer Richichi travels to elementary and middle schools around Philadelphia in an aging van to teach about the proper treatment of animals, the environment and even other people. Her teaching sessions are free and could include topics such as "dog safety, dog-bite prevention, pet ownership and overpopulation." The DogHaus funds will help to more adequately provide the art supplies and slides needed for Richichi's workshops, as well as the gas for her van.

If it's as successful as its organizers predict, DogHaus is poised to become a welcome Philadelphia tradition. It provides an enjoyable way for designers, animal lovers and the public to promote the humane treatment of animals.

DogHaus 2003, Nov. 22-Dec. 19, $20-$25, Dilworth-Turchi House, 255 S. Sixth St., 215-426-5030.