Emily Trujillo paints Aniyah's room
It started as one girl's idea: learn interior design
and make it a project to help others.
Emily Trujillo of Rockwood 2nd Ward, St. Louis Missouri Stake of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a creative teen,
who, inspired by her high school interior design class decided she
wanted hands-on experience as a designer.
Emily asked me to help create an interior design project that would
fulfill requirements for her Young Women in Excellence award. We
decided the best project to accomplish that goal would be one providing
practical experience while also helping others.
I am part of a growing number of designers who believe at the core
of good interior design is innovation, not your wallet. Working
with clients of all income levels, I apply a provident-living approach
to interior design by specializing in the artful arrangement of
furnishings people already own. This approach is often referred
to as “redesign” and is being made popular by television home decorating
shows.
Emily and I wanted to find a like-minded partner, one that supports
a provident-living approach. And, would provide the ultimate challenge:
to decorate a home working with a family on a low income.
Habitat for Humanity
We turned to Habitat for Humanity-St. Louis, an ecumenical Christian
home-building program that offers no interest loans to people on
low incomes. Its goal is to eliminate substandard housing. Habitat
for Humanity can be found in most major cities in the United States
and around the world. Churches and other organizations provide volunteers
to help build homes.
In addition to home building, Habitat for Humanity provides programs
to support the homeowners. Our idea was to furnish and decorate
a home that was already built - to help a family make their new
house a home. Avis Hill, Family Selection and Support Manager for
Habitat for Humanity-St. Louis, caught our vision and promised to
select a family to work with us.
Avis explained Habitat for Humanity's philosophy is not to do “for”
people, but “with” people. She encouraged us to involve the family
in every step of the process to build pride of ownership, a philosophy
that resonates with Latter-day Saints.
The Vision
Our project was not like the popular, primetime, home makeover
television shows that that send the family on a vacation and shower
them with highend furnishings and plasma televisions. We wanted
to be realistic by providing furnishings and a budget that could
be easily duplicated by most families on a low income.
Emily and I like to think of the project as a “celebration of innovation!”
We began with no funds and no sponsor backing. We had to be creative.
We imagined we could do one room. That seemed reasonable. Emily
believed she could solicit donations of used furniture that she
and others could refinish to look like new. It did not take long
to gather items, so many, in fact, that they overtook the basement
of the Trujillo's home. To solve this welcomed problem, Emily worked
with her mother, Ann, to secure donated space from a storage facility.
A Collaboration of Friends
I shared the idea with others. A friend introduced me to Gayle
Gill and Karen Brown, sisters who have a knack for decorating and
had always wanted to share their creative talents to help others.
Gayle and Karen, inspired by Emily, decided to involve youth from
their church, United Christian Ministries, a non-denominational
Christian church.
The team and resources were growing before we ever met the homeowners,
Ursalon and Steve and their four children: Eric, Aniyah, Jacobi
and Kyla. Ursalon immediately became a partner with the team and
her enthusiasm became so invectious that we decided to take on the
entire home!
(Left to right) Eric, Jacobi, Kyla and Aniyah;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Team members toured the home with the family and learned their
ideas for each room. Themes immerged and we named each room: the
girls room we named “Flower Power” for Aniyah's love of flowers;
the teenager's room became the “leather room” for Eric's already
purchased faux leather pillows and his desire for a modern look;
the youngest children's room became the “jungle” room for Jacobi's
and Kyla's love of collecting stuffed animals; a bathroom became
the “spice bathroom” inspired by the cinnamon-colored towels; and
another bathroom became the “spa bathroom” inspired by Ursalon's
desire for a retreat – a place she can relax.
Ursalon and Dana;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
With color palettes and themes decided, the team broke into three
teams. Emily took on the flower power room and the spice bathroom
with the help of young men and young women from her ward.
Gayle and Karen and their church members took on the leather room,
jungle room and spa bathroom. I took on the rest - the kichen and
family/dinning rooms -and enlisted Gina Adolphson, an interior designer,
and Judy Antonson, an artist, both from the Lindell ward of St.
Louis Missouri South Stake. Ursalon took on her master bedroom,
which will be an ongoing project for the near future to move a wall
and other renovating.
The second meeting involved the teams presenting their ideas to
the family for the final approval. Emily created a design board,
something designers use to show samples of paint colors and furnishings
to be used in the project. The teams' plans included using items
the family already had and loved. And it was decided that a couple
items the family did not want any longer would go to another family
who could use them.
Emily holding her design board;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
At this feedback meeting, the teams met Ursalon's mother, Loretta,
who has started a business selling her colorful handcrafted candles.
She offered to share her candles with the group. We decided to feature
them throughout the home.
Loretta's handcrafted candles;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
With the thumbs-up from family members, the teams scheduled work
days. On these work days, the family pitched-in with the volunteers,
who included Latter-day Saints and members of United Christian Ministries.
Aniyah helped Emily and the Latter-day Saint young men and young
women paint her room. Steve worked tirelessly to paint most of the
common living areas. Every wall in the 1,200 square foot home was
painted.
Aniyah makes her mark!
Eric joined the young men of Lindell ward in two activities to
paint the family's dining room table. Because Eric enjoyed being
with the boys and leaders, he expressed interest to join the Boy
Scout troop. The family became close to everyone who worked with
them and promises have been made to continue the friendships.
Friendships also formed between the members of the two churches
working on the project. Karen Brown and I enjoyed discussing our
respective beliefs. Karen exudes energy and enthusiasm as she leads
the youth group for United Christian Ministries. Seeing her faith
in action inspired me.
A volunteer from United Christian Ministries – The
Church of Jesus Christ
Ursalon and Steve hosted an open house for their new friends and
their guests to celebrate their decorated home. Reporters came from
various news outlets and the story was covered in a local home decor
magazine.
Forever Changed
After I ushered the last guests out of the home, I saw Steve and
Ursalon enjoying a quiet moment on the loveseat. I told them that
they looked so at peace in their new home. Ursalon said, “Steve
and I were just saying how peaceful it is and how many nice people
came today.”
Steve and Ursalon
Emily reflected on the experience: “I learned how to be accountable
to a whole family. It definitely taught me to work with other people
and their opinions and views.”
Gina Adolphson, a recent graduate of Brigham Young University's
interior design school was grateful for the hands-on experience,
something she has not had much time for since graduating and becoming
a mother. She also felt blessed for what the experience taught her
on a deeper level about humanity.
Jacobi and Gina hang photos of the children
Gina shared, "It was really exciting to witness their house
become a home. The end result was so dramatic from what we started
with. Now it is an environment that is much more conducive
to family interactions. I really did begin to view it as their personal
haven from the world. I loved being a part of establishing that
for them. It was also rewarding to build a relationship with their
family, and to be assured that there are wonderful families everywhere."
Family room before decorating (Click to Enlarge)
Family room after decorating;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
(Click to Enlarge)
I, too, observed what can happen to a family when a house becomes
a home, especially as it becomes an environment conducive to learning.
Eric, the twelve year old, shared, “Mom tells me that I need to
clean my room and take advantage of our new home for working hard
in school.” That new lease on life is what a home can provide –
a place of learning and support to prepare for the future.
How grateful I am for Habitat for Humanity and the volunteers,
for their work to break the cycle of sub-standard housing that is
often counter-productive for strengthening families. My witness
of how a family can be transformed by their environment forever
changed me. I want to continue my support of such organizations
as Habitat for Humanity.
The designers and volunteers - Friends
Lessons Learned
The design teams agreed that the family had the same challenges
many people face in decorating their home. It almost always comes
down to how you manage your time and money. These issues can be
overwhelming for anyone. Perhaps the greatest challenge for the
family was having time to decorate. Ursalon and Steve work full-time
in addition to managing their own janitorial business on the side.
And Ursalon runs her children to several after-school activities.
All the family needed was a little design guidance and some friends
to help. I say friends, because that is what we have become.
Tips from the Design Team Leaders :
Dana on the mismatched furnishings
Uraslon was like many of my clients who know what they want, but
hit a road block when they encounter a design dilemma. Ursalon's
dilemma was how to decide what styles of furnishings to use in her
family room. She loved her newly purchased contemporary pillows,
but she also loved her traditional sofa and loveseat purchased a
few years ago. She wasn't sure the two styles would work well together.
We told her she could use both styles, if she was willing to mix-it-up.
Ursalon's pillows;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Ursalon's dilemma is typical. Most people have a mix of furnishings,
often a collection of inherited furniture and garage sale finds
from different eras. And it is not unusual for spouses to have different
tastes, traditional and modern, so they've collected both! It is
not practical for most people to buy all new furniture at once,
so we need to work with what we have.
The key to harmonizing mismatched furnishings is to repeat
elements in the room through color and accessories.
For example, in Ursalon's family room we used contemporary accessories
and window treatments throughout the room juxtaposed with her traditional
furniture to create a balanced eclectic look. To further enhance
the consistent feel, we created a color scheme of terracotta, green
and yellow repeated in the fabric and paint. A snapshot of any area
in the room reveals a balance eclectic look with a consistent color
scheme.
Family room;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Dining room;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
A contemporary placement of dishes and apples adds color to the
traditional dark hutch and creates an updated look;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Dana on design help
Decorating your home can seem overwhelming. Many
people need help. Hiring a designer is one answer. But if your budget
does not allow for that, consider hiring a designer as a consultant
working on an hourly basis to provide feedback to your plans you
carry out yourself.
Another idea is to work with friends. Our project took advantage
of the different talents of everyone involved. Why not bring friends
together and trade services? For instance, in any group, one person
may know how to sew window treatments, another may have a knack
for arranging accessories, and another may paint murals.
Collaboration, whether hiring a designer or working with
friends, can help you overcome challenges such as, staying
on a budget, managing your time and making the most of your resources.
That is the concept behind Lindell ward Relief Society's new interior
design enrichment group. The “designing sisters” plan to learn together
and pool their resources.
Emily on color
Be daring with color. Go for it. You don't have to paint
all the walls the same color. And who says an entry way
to a room has to be the same color as the rest of the room. Emily
painted Aniyah's room pink in the entrance with large polka dots.
Wow, that's color power!
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Spice bathroom before decorating;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Wow, what color can do! Spice bathroom after decorating;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Emily on furniture placement
A long, small room can be a challenge to arrange furnishings. Emily
tried several arrangements in Aniyah's room, but the one that worked
best – both for function and form - was to put the bed on an angle.
Not everything in a room has to be on the square.
Aniyah's room;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Emily on family involvement
Let the children decorate. Aniyah helped Emily.
She painted and made decisions about what accessories to use in
the room. This helped Aniyah feel it is her room.
Aniyah painting the polka dots in the entry of her room
Karen on embracing “happy accidents”
There are no mistakes, only “happy accidents”.
That is what happened in Eric's room. His contemporary mirrored
clock had twelve small, round free-floating mirrors to indicate
the hours. One broke. “Not to worry,” said Karen, who radiates a
positive spirit in all she does, “we'll make do.” The team used
four mirrors to indicate the quarter hours and then scattered the
rest on the walls. The result is a whimsical contemporary look.
Eric's leather room;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Karen on practical and budget-wise furnishings
Don't overlook big box retailers for practical, attractive
and budget-wise furnishings. Karen and her team found
great bargains at retail chains that specialize in low priced merchandise.
Many offer quality goods in designer styles. To check quality, you
can find reviews for the furnishings online, often on the retail
chain's web sites.
The platform bed in the leather room and the bunk bed in the jungle
room were purchased at big box retailers and proved to be quite
sturdy. Because children outgrow beds and furnishings, it may be
wise to consider low end furnishings. It is rare that you get back
what you invest in furniture, unless it's heirloom quality or an
antique.
Heirloom furniture - often high priced and excellent quality offering
classic lines that transcend design trends - can last several lifetimes
and is wonderful if you can afford it. However, consideration needs
to be given to storing and moving costs that add up over time.
Jungle room;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Karen on making boring, exciting
A woven window treatment was made more exciting with a little creativity.
Karen's team placed animal silhouettes cut from cardboard randomly
on the woven blind, then spray painted the entire blind to leave
the impression of animal cracker cookies.
With a little creativity, you can customize your furnishings.
Try to look at the boring elements in your room in a new way. You
may be surprised at what they can become.
Customized blinds in the jungle room;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
Ursalon on finding a deal
Ursalon, a savvy shopper, taught the team a few things too, especially
about how to stretch a budget. Ursalon points out, “many people
think that if they have a low income they can't buy nice things,
so they don't even walk into high-end stores.”
Ursalon shopped many stores for the project, including high-end
stores, to hunt for sale items and take advantage of layaway programs
that don't charge extra. “That way,” says Ursalon, “you aren't tempted
to buy something you can't afford because you are afraid the store
won't have it later.”
Don't limit yourself to stores that specialize in low prices.
Good design at affordable prices can be found in some surprising
places.
Spa bathroom;
photo courtesy of Katherine Bish
