Shelter Chic

I felt like we are all on an HGTV show. Last Friday, I went over to a Northern Virginia domestic violence shelter, where a group of talented designers and furniture makers contributed their time, talent — even money and personal furnishings — to beautify a shelter for women and children victimized by domestic violence.

Clockwise from top right: designer Raji Radhakrishnan; shelter director Catherine Hassinger; designer Lauren Liess; Danielle Sigwalt of Marmalade Interiors; Ellen Blankenstein of Knock Out Abuse; Ricardo Berrum, Katie Grech, and Juliane Yurek of Hardwood Artisans; Rebecca Ilgenfritz of Acanthus & Acorn; and in the center, the organizer of the entire project, Jill Sorensen of Marmalade Interiors who is also the co-founder of Knock Out Abuse.

It was a madcap day of moving furniture, painting, sewing pillows, making beds, and screwing in light bulbs. I was sore for two days afterward! But I’m thrilled to share the results here, in concert with designers Jill Sorensen, Lauren Liess, and Rebecca Ilgenfritz ,who are also posting their work today on their respective blogs: Live.Like.You; Pure Style Home; and Acanthus & Acorn. Be sure to check those blogs for the designers’ own perspectives on the work they did.

Here are some scenes from the day.

You can tell Lauren has a great time doing her job. Here she is displaying some of the items that will go into the front parlor,

And when she needed to move an unneeded mattress, why carry it down the stairs when you can slide?

Here’s Ricardo and Brent Keller from Hardwood Artisans, who built a special cabinet to go into an awkward opening in the wall of the bedroom they designed.

Here’s Deb from the Closet Factory, which donated a built-in for the rec room downstairs.

And here’s Raji and her assistant, Mane, getting ready to work their magic in the huge living room.

Before I launch into the before and after pictures, I want to share some words from Catherine, the shelter manager, about her client’s reactions to the transformation:

“I want to send a huge thank you to everyone for your renewal of our shelter these past few weeks.  The transformation is amazing!  Our clients loved the new colors, new furniture and new feel of the home.    I wish you could have been there to hear the “oohs” and “ahs” as they walked around to the various rooms.  Even the babies were staring at the changes with wide eyes – as young as they are, even they knew something was different.”

Let’s start with Raji’s space — here is what she found when she arrived:

And at the end of the day. Here’s how Catherine described the result: “Raji, thank you for the new elegance of the White Room.  We feel like we are living in high style.  One client said she felt like she was living in a mansion and would never want to leave.”

Raji anchored the room with a large wall mural that she had left over from a previous show house. The floral wing chair on the right came from Raji's home -- her mother spent six hours with needle and thread, repairing the upholstery.

Raji purchased white lamp shades and used a marker to write inspiring quotations on them. The lamps now flank the console in front of the wall mural.

And here’s a sweet little vignette — a reading corner:

Just outside the living room is the front parlor, which served mainly as a pass-through for people to get into the kitchen. Here’s what was there before:

Now, (drumroll), here’s what Lauren and Rebecca teamed up to do, converting this space into a true conversation area.

This is my favorite part -- Liberty lampshades from Target on black bases.

Now, let’s go to Jill’s bedroom. Here’s where it was, partially done:

And the finished product, using bedding generously donated by Blissliving Home, a Rockville-based Internet retailer. Here’s what Catherine said: “The mother was all smiles. Her jaw actually dropped when she saw the new dressers.  That room was so dark, and you managed to turn it into a bright and cheerful room to be in.”

You can see more pictures -- and a video -- on Jill's blog, but there are three lamps in here -- all thrift shop, all different. But Jill and Danielle spray-painted them turquoise, instantly tying them together.

Now, upstairs to the biggest bedroom, which Hardwood Artisans took on. They built bunk beds, a single bed with a trundle, dresser, mirror, cabinet, bookcase, and rocking chair. Any customer who purchased these items would have paid thousands –

Katie got the floor lamp from Ikea, and they had a local artist paint the art for the wall.

From Catherine: “The platform bed was a HUGE hit for the little boy who lives in that room.  The second the family walked into the room, he went straight up the ladder, lay down on the bed, and went to sleep. And mom started crying.  She is so touched that she is able to provide a safe home for her kids.  She promised to make full use of the room with all its drawers and cubbyholes.”

The handmade ceramic bowl on the bureau was also donated.

There is a space behind this cabinet, so if you open the left door, kids can climb up on those squares (also made by Hardwood Artisans), and crawl into their very own fort.

Down the hall is another bedroom, decorated by Lauren and Rebecca. Here’s a couple before pictures:

Before the room was painted.

On the morning of decorating day, before the room was cleared out.

Now, here’s what it looked like at the end of the day:

Rebecca donated this 20s-era iron bed, which she'd had in storage for a long time, to this room. Lauren used a fabric remnant to cover the box spring under the mattress.The art and rug came from thrift stores, as did the lamp bases. Shades from Target.

Lauren, Rebecca, and I were still there when the mom and her two kids came back to this room. Mom didn’t say a word — she could only stare. Her adorable kids wasted no time running into the room and leaping into the bunk beds. Here’s what Catherine wrote: “The kids love the new bunk bed (they asked if was really theirs). ”

Lauren found this naked mattress, whose floral pattern ended up being perfect for the room's color scheme. So why cover it up?

I’ve saved the most exciting for last, as this is a house packed with small children. Denise Willard took on this room, which looked like this before she got there:

And here’s what she did, adding a new carpet to cover the unsightly tile, putting cheerful yellow vinyl on the furniture, and adding some uber-kid friendly accessories in the back.

Raji donated this adorable table, which her kids had never used and was still new in its box in her basement.

Here are Catherine’s remarks: “Our mothers walked downstairs and just kept turning around smiling and laughing at everything they saw.  They LOVE the costume and dress-up area.  And the vinyl on the sofas was a big hit, too.  One mother pointed out how easy it would be to clean the cushions.  Yes!”

Well, I can only say that if this actually were a show on HGTV, a lot more people would have seen how psyched we all were to contribute to such a transformation, especially for women and children looking for some cheer in the wake of the suffering they’ve surely escaped from. For my part, it’s the best sore back I’ve ever had.