Helping the Homeless with a Wonderful Charity
At the suggestion of our favorite realtor in Chapel Hill, Erika Buchholtz of Erika and Company, Catherine French Design became involved with a fantastic charity, A Lotta Love. A Lotta Love was set up to "transform local shelters by creating dignified, safe and emotionally inspiring spaces." This wonderful charity, established 2014, takes very modest homeless shelters and elevates a space to make the women and children living there feel more at home. Transforming a bland institutional room into a cozy place a family can begin to have a new start at life.
The first thing we did once we got to the space was paint. The shelter run by Families Moving Forward and had a few rules. Firstly, you can only paint approved colors. Secondly, you must leave all of the existing furniture in the room. We selected the brightest color to make this small space feel as large as possible. The crew of volunteers had this room cut-in and painted in no time at all. Then with a little bit of space planning the crew rearranged the existing beds, dressers, and desk. We brought in side tables, lamps, and art to soften the space.[one_half]
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[/one_half_last]We installed a new shower curtain, bath mats, art, and towels in the bathroom to provide some much needed supplies and decor. The new paint and decor truly transformed the space and made a wonderful place to spend some time getting ready for the day.[one_half]
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[/one_half_last]The children's room was a huge transformation. We added some lighting and inspirational artwork. While, the new bedding and pillows made the existing bunk beds feel so much more homey. The new rugs help cover the well worn linoleum tiles utilized throughout the space. Then finally, a small storage table provided a space for a new lamp and some toy storage. Of course you can't do a project like this in October without leaving a jack-o-lantern filled with treats. Thanks again to Erika, A Lotta of Love, and Families Moving Forward for making this all happen and allowing us to help inspire a family on a path to a new beginning. If you know of an organization that needs some help or would like to transform your own space reach out to us at hello@catfrenchdesign.com.