Lifeworks Home Improvement Challenge 2011

I had the awesome opportunity to participate in Austin's 7th annual Lifeworks Home Improvement Challenge this year! My motto is promoting the wellbeing of others through the creation of beautiful spaces, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to help someone else through design. Lifeworks specializes in helping young adults who have been homeless at some point, are single mothers, or are growing out of foster care. They give them the tools to succeed and some deserving clients apartments to help them get on their feet. I had the opportunity to design one of these apartments with the help of other volunteers from Dell. It was super fun and our client was thrilled with the results. The apartment was studio like in style, with the Living and Dining spaces being shared in one room, one bedroom for our client and her 20 month old daughter, and one bathroom. The mother (Tre) and daughter (Ti'yanna) would be sharing the bedroom, which I saw as the biggest challenge. Tre really wanted a space that felt relaxing and peaceful, and her favorite colors were lavender and chocolate brown. She also liked African motifs and texture, and candles. I think we pretty much nailed the design aesthetic (according to Tre) on our very limited budget! It was such a rewarding experience :) We also won the "Keeping it Green" award for our use of environmentally friendly products, sustainable materials, and repurposed furnishings. I definitely see myself doing this every year!