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DESIGN DARLING SUZANNE COSTA’S PHILANTHROPIC TOUCH

The respected designer spearheads the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida’s Project Design, which creates cheery lodging spaces for pediatric patients and their families.

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Interior designer Suzanne Costa has board. For the first round, she gathered always had a giving spirit. The daughter area designers to redo 20 spaces in honor of jazz legend Eddie Costa and a fashion of the organization’s 20-year anniversary. designer, she grew up surrounded by cre- Since then, RMH and the designers ativity. Tony Bennett, Zoot Sims and Cole- have privately raised millions of dollars man Hawkins were some of the famous to add an extension to the building: “We faces that would wander in and out of the decided to take the new 10 spaces and do family’s New York City apartment when the same thing, gift the interior design.” she was a little girl. For this next project she’s serving as Now a master creative herself (Costa co-chair, along with Jeffrey Fisher. Other is highly regarded for her award-winning heavy-hitting collaborators include restaurant design, including Naples’ La Alexis Marie Interiors, California Clos- Colmar and the former Timeless, An ets, Dwayne Bergmann Interiors, Ficarra MHK Eatery), she likes to pay it forward. Design Associates, Jett and Company, Through her friendship with the Kravet Judith Liegeois Designs, Pamela Durkin family, who own the namesake furnishing Designs, Renee Gaddis Interiors and empire, she joined the board of directors Republic of Decor, among others. They're of the Ronald McDonald House of Long all donating their services to design six Island, chairing its 2013 inaugural New new bedrooms, two offices and a couple York Project Design. The collaboration other shared spaces within the nearly was created to revamp and remodel the 4,000-square-foot expansion. house for families to have a warm, invit- Outside of the design realm, Costa has ing place to stay while their children were been an equestrian most of her life and being treated at the hospital. has also volunteered in Naples with the Shortly after Costa established her charity Track to Trail, which rescues and presence in Naples, she visited the closest rehabilitates race horses through a vari- RMH, in Fort Myers. She planned on just ety of programs, including several aimed making a donation. “I took a look at the at connecting children with the animals. place and I went, ‘You don’t need a dona- Wherever she goes, Costa’s talents and tion. You need a complete makeover,’” she generosity find worthy outlets—and that’s says. Costa introduced the Project Design the kind of spirit we can all get behind.

idea, and the team immediately got on —M.K. Design Phase As co-chair of Ronald McDonald House Charities Southwest Florida's Project expanded campus designers in updating the recently II, Costa leads a pack of high-profile with her dog, Miss Meadow. Hospital. The designer is shown here near Golisano Children's Brian Tietz

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