VIP at Home: The 2026 St. Jude Dream Home

Story by Amelia Bowen

Photography by Harris Visual Media

Before the wood and tile flooring was laid, before the furniture was arranged and the final details were placed, the 2026 St. Jude Dream Home held something that visitors would never see. Beneath its finished floors are signatures, names and handwritten well wishes left by the people who helped bring the home to life. Each year during construction, community members, volunteers and subcontractors gather inside the unfinished framing for a dedicated floor signing day. Armed with permanent markers, they leave personal messages across the exposed subflooring, a quiet archive eventually covered as the house is completed. Among those names are St. Jude patient families whom builder Darrell Sweets has come to know throughout nearly two decades with the project. Some belong to children currently in treatment; others belong to children who have since passed away, leaving their names as permanent monuments inside the structure. “At some point in time, those homeowners are going to pull that up and they’re going to see some of that,” Darrell says. “Unless you participated, you had no idea those things were there.” It is a detail hidden beneath an otherwise very visible project, but perhaps one that best explains what the St. Jude Dream Home represents. The finished house may ultimately belong to one family, but its story began with many. Each year, the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway brings builders, suppliers, tradespeople, designers and community partners together to construct a residence in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The completed home serves as the centerpiece of a local fundraising campaign, where supporters purchase tickets for a chance to win the house while directly funding the hospital’s research and care. For nearly 20 years, Darrell and Sweets Design Build, Inc. have helped bring that mission to life in Bowling Green. When the opportunity first arose, he says it felt like a natural extension of the company’s core values. “We thought it would really fit with kind of what our mission is for the community and to be able to help and give back,” Darrell says. “We love to be able to showcase things we do and at the same time help the community and help those that really need our help.” That balance is part of what makes the Dream Home unique. It is a fundraiser with a far-reaching purpose, but it is also a showcase of what local talent can create when given total creative freedom. For the 2026 home, that collaboration resulted in a three-bedroom, two-bath residence with an openconcept floor plan, spacious bonus room and unexpected details woven throughout. An olive green exterior offers the first indication that this is a house with a distinct personality. Darrell says his team has experimented with different exterior finishes over the years. The deep green had appeared on a previous project, and this year felt like the right moment to bring it back. “It kind of really fit that subdivision and fit the style of what we were doing,” he says. Inside, that willingness to make bold choices continues. Unlike building for a private client, the Dream Home begins without knowing the tastes or routines of the future homeowner. For Darrell, that blank slate offers rare artistic freedom. “It really allows us to be creative in what we do, and we’re not necessarily confined to someone else’s vision,” he says. Instead, the team combines proven concepts, client favorites and new ideas to inspire visitors. “Each year, we try to put a unique stamp on it,” Darrell says. That custom touch is apparent immediately in the entryway, where wood flooring seamlessly integrates with stone in an intricate mixed-material foyer. “It is a little more time consuming to do, but it pops,” Darrell says. “It’s a great first impression.” The natural elements extend into the main living space, anchoring the fireplace where cedar boards were installed in a sharp herringbone pattern. Darrell views the fireplace as the architectural focal point of the room, using natural variations in the wood grain to create depth and warmth. “You can repeat exactly that design again, but because of just the natural characteristics of the wood, each one would be unique,” he says. “It’s just like a fingerprint.” Building a home of this caliber at low cost to the charity requires an extraordinary network of support. From foundation crews and framers to electricians, plumbers, tile setters and painters, dozens of local trade partners donate labor and materials year after year. Local suppliers step up to provide roofing, drywall, trim and cabinetry, ensuring every square foot reflects exceptional craftsmanship. “People really take a lot of pride in the project,” Darrell notes. “When trade partners walk onto this job site, they know it’s for St. Jude. They want the quality to be exceptional, and it’s a genuine source of pride for what they can accomplish for the community.” While Darrell’s team crafted the physical structure, Bowling Green Home Furnishings transformed the interior into a welcoming home. Though the business has sponsored the Dream Home for eight years, 2026 marked designer Lexi Hammond’s first year leading the staging. Lexi focused on the furniture, artwork and decorative accents without seeing the completed house until installation day. “The St. Jude Home is essentially free rein for us,” Lexi says. “I was really allowed to just pick pieces, colors and styles that I like and gravitate to.” Rather than relying on safe neutrals, Lexi leaned into subtle color and layered textures. “I wanted it to be something different for people to see, but I also wanted it to be a space that people could envision themselves and their families in,” she says. “Our homes are our safe spaces and often our escape. My goal was to create that calming space that anyone can envision themselves in.” The resulting design mixes transitional styles, blending modern elements with timeless pieces. Soft greens and blues flow through warm neutrals, anchored by careful styling. In the living room, Lexi selected a single piece of original art as the foundation, building the room’s palette and furniture around its tones. That fluid color scheme moves effortlessly into the kitchen and dining spaces, as well as the primary suite, where Lexi designed the retreat around an | original lily pad painting donated by local artist Heather James Morrison. Soft seafoam and olive linens echo the canvas, while warm wood furnishings ground the room. Lighting also plays a major role in defining each space. National sponsor Kichler Lighting provided fixtures throughout the home, giving the design team access to their catalog without typical budget constraints, adding scale and polish throughout. “Everyone involved shares the same goal,” Lexi says. “To support our community and local business, but more importantly we all come together to support and shed light on St. Jude and their amazing mission.” For Darrell, that mission is grounded in the local families he has met throughout his years with the campaign. “Getting to know a lot of the patients and patient families over the years has been very special,” he says. “What we’re doing here in Bowling Green is helping people all over, but it really does go to families right here in this community.” That deeper purpose is felt in every corner of the house. A builder draws on decades of experience. A designer crafts a room around a piece of art. A national sponsor opens its entire lighting catalog. An artist donates an original canvas. Trade partners return year after year. Patient families leave their signatures across an unfinished floor. “The Dream Home is just one of many examples of what is possible when a community comes together,” Lexi says. Eventually, the house will be won, furniture will be moved and a new family will fill these rooms with memories. But beneath the wood, tile and stone, those initial signatures will remain, a permanent foundation of community support built into the very bones of the home.

VENDOR & SPONSOR LIST

General Contractor: Sweets Design Build, Inc. (Darrell Sweets)

Interior Staging & Design: Bowling Green Home Furnishings (Lexi

Hammond)

Featured Artwork: Heather James Morrison

National Sponsors: Brizo, Shaw Industries, Trane, Bosch, Kichler Lighting

Local Sponsors: WBKO, Sweets Design Build, Inc., WBVR, BG Home

Furnishings, Stor-Mor Portable Buildings, Houchens Food Group, The J.M.

Smucker Company, Badgett Business Center

Insulation: 31-W Insulation

Glass & Mirrors: B&P Glass

Framing & Construction: Benny Tichnor Construction, Travis Werry

Construction, Toby Sweets

Roofing & Building Materials: Bergquest, Cole Lumber, Kentucky

Wholesale, Nashville Plywood, Youngs Manufacturing

Site Services & Sanitation: BG Dumpster, BG Portables, Build Clean

Solutions, Virge Pest Control

Plumbing & Fixtures: C&C Plumbing, Ferguson

Landscaping & Dirtwork: Cain Solutions, Greenwood Dirt & Excavation,

Greg Gary Trucking, Sweets Design Build Excavation

Electrical & Supplies: CED, J & J Electric, Rexel, Square D

Flooring, Tile & Trim: Coffman Home Décor, Lee Brick & Block, Shop at

Home Carpets, Tile Trends, Valley Interiors

Windows & Metalwork: Franklin Aluminum, Overhead Door,

Window World

Engineering & Foundation: Heritage Excavation & Masonry, IMI Concrete,

Landmark Engineering

Insurance & Corporate Partners: Houchens Industries, Lawton Insurance

Painting: Joel Reyes Painting, PPG Paints

HVAC: Perdue Heating & Cooling

Custom Storage: Top Shelf Shelving

Signage: Signs Express

Lead Volunteers: Tina Updegraff, Lora Fisher, Sherry Suggs