Reality TV star Jeff Lewis leaves his touch on Cape Girardeau home

Celebrity designer Jeff Lewis of Bravo TV's "Flipping Out" hopes his appearance to support the Lutheran Family and Children's Services Holiday Home Tour will make people flip open their wallets to support the local charity.

Lewis, who designed the home of Angie and Shannon Davis on Fox Hollow off Lexington Avenue, will be in town for a VIP exclusive event Friday featuring appetizers, cocktails and a private tour of the home.

His assistant Jenni Pulos, who is also on the show, will be making the trip with him as well. It's Lewis' fifth trip to Cape Girardeau.

"It's a very important cause for the Davises and they are very good friends of mine," Lewis said of LFCS. "This charity really speaks to me, so it's something that I wanted to be a part of. I get so many inquiries to be a part of things and I have very limited time, so you have to chose something that really means something to you."

Lewis is also active with several pet rescue organizations.

He said he is a big believer in karma and said he feels fortunate to have had so much opportunity presented to him in life.

"Maybe I'm not always the nicest person in the world, but I always give back. I have this philosophy that if I put a dollar out in the world, three dollars will come back to me. I really truly believe because I give back, more opportunities present themselves."

In addition to his television show, Lewis does individual consulting. He works with some people for an hour or flies to someone's home for the day.

"Sometimes I never see them again," he said. "With Angie and Shannon, I didn't know if this was going to be multiple trips or the beginning of a friendship, which it has become."

When Lewis first started flipping houses, he said he couldn't afford to do more than one house at a time. So while he was waiting for property to sell, he would pick up smaller remodeling projects, like kitchens and bathrooms.

"It's actually been a pretty positive experience," he said. "Not the first year because I was kind of scrambling just to make a buck, so I kind of took whatever business would come my way, so there were a lot of people that weren't so fun to work for. But over the last year I have been fortunate enough to have enough business so I can pick and choose my clients. Angie and Shannon are one of them."

Lewis said kitchens are his favorite room of the house to design and the Davis kitchen is one of his favorites among the nearly 100 kitchens he's worked on.

"You can't get away with it just being pretty, it has to be functional," Lewis said. "The Davis kitchen is both. The twist is they have four children. We were designing the room for them, but also their four children. It has every amenity you could need or want."

Through the years, Lewis has seen a few design trends he'd like to forget.

"I do not want to see anymore granite counter tops with rounded corners," he said

He is using a lot of lighter woods, reclaimed materials, metals and metallic finishes in his designs.

"Grey is kind of the new beige," Lewis said.

For those pondering a remodeling project, Lewis suggests adding a 15 to 20 percent buffer to whatever the contractor says the price will be.

He said, for example, some contractors give an estimate for one counter top but use another.

"Then all the sudden you're spending $2,000 more because the finishes that were budgeted for were not accurate," he said. "Sometimes I lose the job to somebody else who went in and didn't bid for the proper materials, but you know what, they're going to end up spending as much or more. I'm sorry but I can't find a kitchen faucet for $65, thank you very much."

He suggests consulting a designer for just a few hours to avoid spending a lot of money and still making the wrong decision.

There are a limited number of VIP tickets available for the Lewis meet-and-greet. The tickets are $50, which includes the VIP reception Friday and a tour ticket for Saturday.

Regular tour tickets are $20. For tickets or more information, call 334-5866.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

1912 Fox Hollow, Cape Girardeau, MO