Design Files: Philanthropy By Design

which helps nonprofit organizations improve their spaces with the assistance of interior designers.  It's a fantastic organization and I was lucky to be able to volunteer my services.  My project was one of the SRO community rooms in San Francisco. SROs are essentially residential hotel rooms for low-income residents typically with shared bathrooms and common spaces.  This room was in the basement and acted as the tv room/dining room/relaxation room for all the hotel residents.    It started like this:


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Obviously, this room was a little rough around the edges and we were tasked with making it more inviting and less depressing.  Working with a team of volunteers, I came up with the plan to clean it up, make it a lot more colorful, and deal with all the poor construction issues - the exit doors not working, a "countertop" with broken glass shards, a ceiling that had seen many better days, and poor craftsmanship in other areas.

Unfortunately, I don't have any after pictures with the furniture but the difference we made with just one weekend with
 (another great nonprofit organization) and dozens of volunteers is amazing.


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We added new colors, a gorgeous new bar top, freshened up the ceiling and added new pendant lights.  It was truly a group effort and was a great experience.  Here are a few additional shots of all the volunteers helping out.


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The residents were excited about the new space and I hope they're still enjoying it.  I'm currently looking for a similar organization in Los Angeles that provides opportunities like this. I believe that everyone should have a space that's comfortable and welcoming.  It was a pleasure being able to help those less fortunate and I would love to do it again.


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