from Staff
Sisler Johnston Interior Design recently completed the design of a new addition to the USO Welcome Center at Jacksonville International Airport. The center’s new “Quiet Room” provides a restful and relaxing space for military personnel traveling through Jacksonville.
“The airport accommodates a high volume of traveling military, many of whom must wait hours for a connecting flight when deploying overseas,” said Judith Sisler Johnston, president of Sisler Johnston Interior Design.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority provided the new space to the Greater Jacksonville Area USO, which welcomes and provides services to more than 1,000 military personnel every month at JIA.
The Allied Veterans of the World, Inc. provided funding for the project and Sisler Johnston was enlisted to help redesign a 10-foot by 22-foot room with a wall of storefront windows. USO volunteers painted the walls.
“It is always amazing to me to see how the items donated seem to be exactly the ones we need in terms of color and design elements,” said Sisler Johnston.
A USO mural serves as a focal point on the back wall of the Quiet Room. After learning the USO had an American flag that was flown over Iraq, Sisler Johnston displayed the flag with its certificates in a shadow box as the room’s featured artwork. The USO also provided two collages of military photographs for the room.
“This space is designed for peaceful relaxation,” Sisler Johnston said.
The center serves as a home away from home for military personnel and is equipped with a flat screen TV, DVD players, video gaming systems, Internet access, a library area and a fully equipped kitchen. The USO Welcome Center and Quiet Room are located on the baggage claim floor inside the airport terminal.