It has been a long time since we last shared a post on the charitable work that we take on behind the scenes, as clients often want to maintain their privacy. Towards the end of last year, we wrapped up our latest charitable work, the Avoca Project (#LPIAvocaProject). It was an exciting opportunity to help Nicollette Roland, an up-and-coming exceptional young woman who was creating meaningful opportunities to improve her circumstances but living in a space that did not reflect her vibrant personality or determination to succeed. We were excited to take on this project and provide her with a light, bright, updated bedroom that evoked her love for the tropics.
It is our firm belief that disorganized and cluttered environments can significantly impact mental health. A complete shift in mindset is possible by simply altering a person’s space and removing the environment as an obstacle, often leading to immediate and immense changes.
The Avoca project is an example of the environments we often encounter – rooms with a smaller footprint that require multiple functions. This room measures 7’9” by 10’4” with a long and narrow area and a small closet.
A room of this more modest size requires careful space planning, and after some time, it was possible to create sections within the room that served our client’s needs:
- A comfortable sleeping area.
- A designated workspace with a large desk and storage.
- A smaller section where she could get ready in the morning.
As always, after drafting the floor plan, we created mood boards to start our design plan. While not all aspects of the original design plan remained, we did ensure that the overall design goals were met.
The original space required much work, and we were lucky that our client wanted to paint the walls herself (including stenciling that great print) before we added furniture and decorations.
As is often the case, we want to incorporate pieces of furniture that are sturdy and functional but do not break the budget. Target and Wayfair are often my go-to shops, and for this project, I selected all the larger pieces from both stores.
The bohemian-inspired bookcase is from Studio McGee’s collaboration with Target, as is the sturdy and lovely desk chair. That more modern desk is from Wayfair and offers plenty of storage for documents, pens, and other items.
Items: Holladay Curved Bookcase / Media Dresser & Desk Combo / Herrod Rug / Santa Monica Office Chair
We needed a base for the mattress our client wanted to keep, so we selected this affordable option from Target and dressed the bed in white sheets and a white comforter set so that we could add the patterned pillow and soft blanket.
The most significant transformation was dressing the only window in the room with linen curtains in a similar shade to the blanket and sheer white interior curtains so the room would not lose its light but our client could maintain her privacy. Installing curtains high and wide makes the difference in any room renovation and will often draw the eye upwards to give the impression that the room has taller ceilings.
We love the space, and our client can now complete her homework, prep for her future projects, and wake up in a unique room each morning.
We hope this project exemplifies what can be accomplished affordably in any size room. Are you interested in learning more about our work? Read here for more details.
