As we discussed last week, Joy Street Design has the honor of creating a new youth shelter for the wonderful Ruby's Place. Our nonprofit, Joy Street Initiative, will be donating time and money to completely transform an existing house (previously used as a space for women and children) into a space that is functional for seven (7) teens to live comfortably.
As with all designs, we ALWAYS start with the floor plan to really get an understanding of how the room will function as well as detailing the needs of the client. For this space, our task was to change the function of the existing rooms to serve its new purpose. We needed to sleep 7 teenagers which is a little different than housing 2-3 families in the space. We also wanted to make sure that the rooms allotted as much space and privacy as possible.
We started out with a few different options:
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While these were good options, there were drawbacks to them. I didn’t like that everyone would be sleeping in a bunk bed. As a twin who who was forced to live out too many of my years in a bunk bed, I felt that it wasn’t an ideal situation (and even worse considering you don’t know the person above you). Additionally, while the bunk beds saved space, I didn’t think that we really needed to worry about a desk in each room. There are other spaces on the property where they can work if they wanted and I’d prefer the bedrooms to function as bedrooms and not study areas, etc. Based on these changes, we ended with this final floor plan:
I like this option because the two smaller bedrooms have individual twin beds and it feels like a more personal space (and reminds me of a dorm room). For the larger bedroom, we’re going to keep one bunk bed to fit the third person but there is still another separate individual bed as well. I also love that this iteration allows everyone to have their own dresser to keep items that they need. Lastly, we reoriented the living room to allow for a sectional and ideal seating arrangement for a larger group and for watching television.
With the floor plan finalized, we were able to move into the inspiration for the space. Our goal is to brighten up the space and make it colorful (of course!) and youthful. We’re going with bright saturated colors and wood and black tones to balance it all out.
Yesterday, we met with the contractor and demo begins today! We’re starting with removing all the floors and trim, adding in new electrical (recessed lights, etc.) and skim coating the walls to ensure that it feels fresh and new when all is done. We’ll then add the new floors and trim to have a great blank slate to load in the furniture.
I have a few more surprises up my sleeve that I hope to announce next week along with our wonderful sponsors who have gone above and beyond to make this a reality. It’s coming together and I just can’t wait to share!
Don’t forget to see how the second week is treating the other featured designers. Hopefully it’s all coming along!
Albie Knows| At Home with Savvy | Beth Diana Smith | Eclectic Twist| Erika Ward Interiors| From House to Home| G. Lebron Interiors | Goldalamode | Home Made by Carmona| Impeccable Nest | Jeweled Interiors| Joyful Designs Studio| Joy Street Design | Our Fifth House| Peony & Honey| Pinch Plate Party | Rebecca Propes | Reem’s Design | Saudah Saleem Interiors | Whitney J Decor
