When you’ve been following alongside carefully, you’ll know that we’ve been linked with an unbelievable shelter known as Household Promise for some time now. They’re a non-profit group in Portland doing fantastic work for our group, offering housing and help for households experiencing homelessness. They took over an outdated motel, reworked it right into a 70+ family shelter, and have been working at capability for at the very least so long as we’ve been working with them–all whereas present process a serious renovation!
It’s fairly spectacular what they’ve been capable of do–finishing the work in strategic chunks, tackling wings or flooring at a time, so the ability may/can nonetheless function all through the development chaos. We signed on to assist them with their design/decor wants means again when, however the renovations have made our course of a slower one, as operate is solely extra vital than kind for the time being. The very last thing we wish to do is additional complicate a renovation with our options when it’s already fairly disruptive by itself. However they’ve made some superb progress and have just a few completed areas now prepared for the EHD contact! For proper now, we’re primarily centered on their communal room wants; the playroom, the foyer, a number of the workplaces, and so on.
We’ll be beginning with the playroom–it’s newly completed, actively in use (as you may see right here) and functioning effectively as-is, however may positively use somewhat razzle dazzle. Earlier than they started the overhaul of this west wing, the unique playroom sat subsequent to the eating room within the east wing. Now that the east wing renovation is underway, the playroom has discovered its everlasting residence within the accomplished wing, taking many of the outdated room’s belongings with it.
This was the model new playroom simply earlier than they moved in with all of the issues. Lots of the bigger renovation design choices have been made by the structure agency on the mission, and whereas we weighed in the place we may, so many selections simply needed to be made FAST and with out our enter, to maintain the mission on observe. The brand new areas are SO a lot better than what that they had been, however being a big, commercial-grade mission, it may be arduous to translate the sensation of residence with out including in that layer of design/styling after the very fact.
However that’s the place we are available! The house is model new, nevertheless it’s not with out challenges. The brand new playroom feels prefer it’s doubled in dimension from the outdated one (superior) with recent carpet tiles (not our favourite look tbh, a alternative we knew we’d need to design round from the leap), a brand new coat of paint (once more, not our colour alternative however a straightforward factor to replace), some textured ceiling tiles, a really distinctive format, and naturally all of the bells and whistles required to convey this house as much as code.
The room has two entrances from the principle hallway and one other door that connects to the laundry house, with a window between the 2 areas for folks to control their little ones. Two large home windows alongside the again partitions let in a good quantity of sunshine and a cool middle help wall and beam state of affairs lower via a part of the house, creating varied zones throughout the room…and positively carving out a possibility for some enjoyable and intentional design!
To me, this beam/wall/walkthrough mixture seems to be prefer it was destined to be a playhouse. Even the ceiling is given a special therapy that reads one thing like a roof. It’s a kind of funky, unchangeable structural components which will simply find yourself offering a whole lot of design course for the remainder of the house. It’s what first had me so excited to dive into this house and get to imagining. However it does create a little bit of a division within the room…
So What’s Subsequent?
At the start this room must operate finest for the shelter’s wants. As you may see, it’s absolutely in use for the time being! It has discovered its present rhythm and programs and our aim now’s to work with the move, not disrupt it, which means we wish to change/replace/swap the drained items that we will, with out rearranging or reconfiguring the room an excessive amount of.
There’s already a fairly clear play zone, sofa/TV zone, teen/storage zone, and a zone for working and studying at tables. The couch wants to remain beneath the laundry window for varied causes, and the storage cupboards and teenage zone (aka foosball desk) are finest tucked within the again. There’s some flexibility with the remaining “zones”. However actually they only have a whole lot of stuff, and have mentioned eager to take away just a few issues that aren’t seeing as a lot use–possible the practice desk within the play zone and an excellent chunk of the books (simply to retailer some place else). To get a greater really feel for the house as an entire, you may watch the video beneath (simply anticipate a few adverts to play).
To this point Household Promise’s solely different asks for the house have been for some blackout curler shades (for film nights), extra rugs to melt up the play areas (and assist cowl the messes which might be already taking on these dang carpet tiles), and extra artwork on the partitions to brighten up the house. We’ve ordered some quite simple curler blinds and will likely be putting in them this week. The rugs and artwork will likely be coming quickly! However we’d like to present them an entire lot extra.
Making Some Swaps
It’s arduous to have a look at the leather-based sofa on this room and never wish to swap it for one thing higher. It might be so superior if the entire chairs on the taller homework desk (heck, the smaller one too) matched, and even higher in the event that they stacked to retailer out of the way in which. The small fold-up desk and clunky nook storage towards the wall would do effectively to get replaced. And the child’s artwork on the wall deserves extra presence! The clunky, plastic play construction might be so a lot better if it have been someway built-in into the funky middle wall so it didn’t simply shove into the hole, eliminating the enjoyable of getting a pass-thru. These are a number of the issues I’m desirous about!
They lately bought some very massive storage cupboards that look very…uhh…school-grade. Once more, not one thing we had a say in design-wise, however a purposeful factor that was essential to their programs and storage wants, and so we have to discover a strategy to work with the cupboards! Similar factor goes for the bigger, fold-up work tables. They positively aren’t the prettiest, however they’re sturdy, purposeful and adaptable to the house–they’d prefer to preserve them.
The remainder of the furnishings is kind of versatile when it comes to what stays/goes, however we additionally wish to be delicate to sustaining a way of familiarity within the house for the kiddos who’ve come to get pleasure from it as it’s. With the addition of those massive, wooden cupboards, it is smart to me to usher in extra of this tone/materials in order that it feels cohesive and grounded. And whereas vivid, enjoyable colours are good for a playroom, we wish to be intentional with the palette we select in order that every thing vibes.
Large Concepts
Please bear with my crude sketch/mockup–however I’d like to get in contact with a carpenter/woodworker to present this bizarre wall the FULL play zone therapy! It might be superb to combine a customized jungle health club, full with a slide and hideout house beneath. When you’ve by no means checked out Groh Playrooms, go check out their work proper now! Their superb, out-of-the-box design is what I’d like to channel right here.
I image a play construction constructed into the help beam and wall, perhaps disguising the beam to appear like a tree, and treating the wall not directly to really feel extra like a home (wooden siding? scalloped shingles? enjoyable, vivid paint job? apparent ‘roof’?) with perhaps a whiteboard “window” to attract on or a magnet board or one thing!
The slide would face the laundry room window (because the plastic construction does now) so mother and father may preserve a secure watch. House up high would have basic jungle-gym devices, like a steering wheel or some form of busy board. There can be room beneath for a puppet present theater, or it may simply function a comfy, protected hangout zone with tons of pillows and stuffies. However one thing enjoyable must occur right here, don’t you suppose?? If you understand somebody who can be a super match to assist execute/construct one thing like this with us, be happy to ship them my means (gretchen@emilyhendersondesign.com)!
The other facet may obtain an identical therapy or might be reimagined totally! They do have a good kid-size kitchen (and I’d prefer to snag a laundry play set too, so children can act like mother/dad subsequent door) however a play set they don’t have is a storefront, which I believe might be enjoyable over right here! What actually excites me are all of the potential go throughs and imaginative play prospects that would occur via this funky wall.
Children may look down from the jungle health club balcony above, perhaps there’s a chalkboard on the opposite facet to present the shop a reputation, and naturally, the passage beneath and the doorway to the facet. The “doorway” is about 15″ thick and I believe it’d be enjoyable to color or do one thing enjoyable right here too. The wall may home some shelving for books or act as grocery cabinets. However what’s the proper transfer for this facet? In case you have concepts for the way both facet of the funky wall ought to look, drop them within the feedback!! I wish to hear them!
Furnishings And Ending Touches
We’re working with AllModern to jumpstart furnishing the house. Their items are sturdy, ship FAST and look nice, in order that they’ll be simply good for this playroom! They’ve a fairly stellar child stock, too, with play units and rugs I’ve been eyeing for some time. We lately ordered these low bookshelves from AllModern in a wooden tone much like the “college” storage cupboards, to switch the IKEA bookshelves which have seen higher days.
We’ll even be seeking to AllModern for a leather-based couch alternative, one thing that reads extra design ahead however remains to be sturdy and wipeable. This must be straightforward to slim down–they’ve so many good choices! Additionally they carry some nice plastic stacking chairs, which we’d like to snag to switch the work desk chairs which might be fairly clunky. We’ll most likely want extra storage items and surfaces in addition to cute storage bins/bins down the road. Household Promise doesn’t have a lot of a funds for this house in any respect presently, however Em will likely be contributing towards components just like the “playhouse” and all different styling/ending touches.
Talking of ending touches…I believe a mural someplace in right here can be unbelievable!! Don’t you? Possibly we recruit Banyan Bridges again to the weblog so she may give this room her magical contact? Like she did so effectively for Em’s artwork barn? Both a mural or at the very least a paint colour change in right here or each! The intense teal accent wall is enjoyable for now, nevertheless it’d be good to shift gears as soon as the room design takes higher form.
We’ll DEFINITELY be including artwork, rugs, and textiles to the house to liven it up, however one other factor Household Promise requested for is a greater strategy to show the children’ artwork. You recognize we love an excellent corkboard second–why not designate a wall to go full corkboard? Then there’s the ceiling tiles. Ought to/may these be painted? Every one in a brand new colour? Or is that overkill? I keep in mind portray a ceiling tile like this in highschool, so I do know it can be completed. However I used to be chatting with Mal in regards to the mission and he or she advised swapping the ceiling tiles out for a enjoyable ornamental model–one thing like this–I wish to look into comparable choices!
It’s going to be a REALLY enjoyable mission, however clearly we’re nonetheless within the early phases. I’d love to listen to your ideas and concepts, if something genius involves thoughts! Possibly you understand of an area woodworker who may assist us dream up an superior, customized playhouse/construction for an excellent trigger? Possibly there’s a play set that your children LOVE that you just suppose these children would love too? Or perhaps you see one thing lacking from our plans and also you simply can’t maintain your tongue. Effectively, don’t! I wish to know what you suppose:)
Simply take into accout, our funds for this mission is minimal, and there’s a stage of trauma-informed design that must be thought-about. When you’re curious to study extra about their nice work or are feeling impressed to contribute, try Household Promise! We really feel so lucky to be a small a part of their superior world and may’t wait to share a few of ours with their group quickly. Thanks for studying!
Sincerely,
Gretch
