Projects
Black, Gray, and Loving It
Our first project for a single Dad presented a challenge to the volunteer design team. How would they incorporate the family’s request for lots of black furniture into a space that is warm and welcoming? Nominated by City of Refuge, Dad works as a commercial truck driver and asked for a black color scheme with accents of purple for this first apartment of his own. His teenage son wanted black with accents of blue in his room. The stunning results show how talented designers can take a mix of donated furniture and create some magic. The whole Elle Du Monde team volunteered on Nesting Day and delighted us with their skill and wonderful attitude (and they brought their own tools)! Dad and son have a place to settle in and feel comfortable at last.
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Design by Elle Du Monde, LLC: Elle Cantrell, Madison Whitener, & team
Partner: City of Refuge
Old School Comfort
A mom and her 11-year-old daughter who love books, furniture with a history, and the farmhouse look inspired the design for this family project. Mom was nominated by Mary Hall Freedom Village and is so happy to be making a new home with her daughter. The living/dining area features soothing blue and gray with a mix of old and new pieces. Each has a bedroom featuring their favorite colors, but their new favorite spot is the office/library complete with two desks, a comfy beanbag chair, and a wall of bookshelves.
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Design by Jamie Kern and Gina Vono
Project Partner: Mary Hall Freedom Village
Sunny & Warm
Our first project for a family nominated by Promise Place turned out as welcoming and sunny as the mother and young son who live there. Not only is this mom working to assist high school students apply for college financial assistance, but she is also a graduate student who was excited about having a desk and place for books. Her son loves Paw Patrol, dinosaurs, and reading. Thanks to a team of three designing friends, they have space to eat, study, and play in their comfortable living area and bedrooms full of light.
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Design by Jamie Kern, Robin Ligameri, and Gina Vono
Partner Agency: Promise Place
Safe Haven
This Mom and her three kids moved into their own apartment and were nominated for a Furnish with Love project by RATL. Just days before their project was to kick off, water damage from a nearby fire had the family on the move again. When they finally landed, volunteer designers worked quickly to fully furnish their new space. The home features shades of green, Mom’s favorite color, bright artwork, and a sweet bedroom for the two girls and their brother. Cheerful and full of color, their apartment is now a haven for family life.
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Design by Robin Ligameri and Gina Vono
Partner Agency: Restoration Atlanta
A Classic Mix
Starting with a few pieces of donated black furniture, these talented designers embraced mom's vision of black, white, and gray glamour for her first home with her two girls. Touches of gold, custom cushions created by Ina, and polka dots and sweetness in the girls' room warmed up the dark palette. The transformation of this apartment into a welcoming refuge rendered mom speechless with joy. Now this young family has the home of their dreams.
Special thanks to volunteer designers Mellissa Craig and Ina Grennes.
Starting Over
Mom and her four kids finally found a great place to rent after leaving a difficult living situation. Their stored furnishings, however, were ruined by water damage. Starting over would take a long time. Nominated for a family project by City of Refuge, they were excited to learn that Furnish with Love could help! An amazing home transformation came together quickly, thanks to the sponsorship of No Vacancy Home Staging and the work of their wonderful design team. The home now boasts a bright and warm living area, personality-filled rooms for the kids, a striking and nostalgic room for Mom, and a family gallery wall with room to add new memories.
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Special thanks to project sponsor No Vacancy Home Staging, and to volunteer designers Krisztina Bell, Rhonda Leonard, and Nina White of No Vacancy Home Staging
On a New Path
A warm home can help the daily struggle of battling addiction. This mom and teenage son are thrilled to be in their own apartment and each have their own bedroom for the first time in years. They were nominated by Mary Hall Freedom Village in Sandy Springs. Our volunteer designers created a soothing atmosphere in the living area and provided room for her grown kids and grandkids to come for dinner, something Mom particularly enjoys. A wonderful donated rug inspired the son’s black and purple bedroom – and it was a huge hit!
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Special thanks to volunteer designers Nobuko Masuda and Andrea Finger for a beautiful project.
Home at Last
After years apart from her kids and family, this tenacious mom has built a new start for all in a sweet house in Forest Park. She was nominated for a family project by Living on Purpose ATL where she now works to help people like herself who have recently been released from prison. Mom and her two kids are delighted to have a fully furnished home including some things they really wished for – a dining table for Mom, a platform bed for the son, and unicorns and butterflies for the daughter (and their two new kitties)!
Special thanks to volunteer designer Janie Wilburn of The Jane Group and her wonderful team.
Designed to Delight
This family home exceeded all expectations for a mother, teenage son, and young daughters. Furnish with Love volunteer designers listen closely to learn the needs and wishes of each family member when they make an initial site visit. Then plans are carefully developed so that each room reflects the personality of the occupant.
The design team thrilled each member of this family with their personalized rooms: a boxing theme for the son, unicorns and rainbows for the young girls, and a soothing, relaxing space for Mom. The apartment was perfectly designed for family living.
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Special thanks to volunteer designers Shakia Jones of Allure Haus Designs, Mellissa Craig, and Robin Ligameri.
Creating Space for Family Life
Creating warm and useful spaces for a mother and four young children in a small apartment is a challenge, one this volunteer design team welcomed. Mom, a preschool teacher, now has a beautiful bedroom with a desk to work on lesson plans. The girls have a bunk bed dream room, and the 9-year old son and baby brother share space highlighted by bright spots of orange, a favorite color. The family has a cozy den and generous table for meals and games.
The family was overwhelmed when they returned to their once-empty apartment after the transformation was complete. "This could NOT be our house," the kids repeated as they explored with beaming smiles. It truly is a new home for a new life.
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Special thanks to volunteer designers Marcia Knight and Kemper Orr of Marcia K. Knight Interior Designs.
Surrounded by Warmth
The Lafleur family recently moved into a townhome after living in their car in a park, then in a local shelter for months. Both Mom and Dad have found jobs at Hartsfield-Jackson airport since moving to Atlanta, but saving enough money to have a permanent home takes time. The Boyce Ansley School referred this family of four from Haiti, emphasizing what good parents and excellent students this family includes.
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Our volunteer designers pulled together a relaxing bedroom for the parents, a pink dream of a room for the two young girls, and a multi-tasking den, dining, and office area. The family was speechless as they roamed through their new home, taking it all in.
Special thanks to volunteer designers Robin Ligameri, Gina Vono, Katie Nowakowski and Beth Krakow
A Home that Roars!
A strong person who lost her parents as a teenager and left an abusive relationship, this Mom is buoyed by life in her beautiful new home. Mom works at a Fortune 500 company and is making a fresh start with her 5-year-old son. In the words of the social worker who referred her to Furnish with Love, “her tenacity and zeal for life show how resilient she has been through her trials.”
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Mom wanted a sleek look but still wanted to be surrounded by memories. She asked the designers if they could add to her collection of black and white accessories and make a special place to remember her mother. Her son just wanted dinosaurs. And he likes them to ROAR! Our volunteer designers got to work and created a welcoming home full of treasurers from her past and ready for new adventures.
Special thanks to volunteer designers Ann Hesskamp, Katie Nowakowski, and Mellissa Craig
What Makes Them Feel Good
At Furnish with Love, we know that space effects how you feel and that there is no more important space than home. In this case, 10 year old Elijah shared that he feels joy when watching his favorite show, Naruto. So, our volunteer designers brought in some of the show’s posters, merchandise and bold colors. Grandmom Delyane shared that she is particularly drawn to the color mauve and “older pieces with a soul”. These desires led the transformation of a donated desk, and her bedroom.
“I wake up like, ‘wow, this is great’. Somehow, my bed feels more comfortable. Elijah didn’t want to sleep in his bed because he didn’t want to mess up the new bedding. So, I took a photo for him of how you all made it.” Elijah’s grandmom and guardian Delayne.
Design by Katie Nowakowski and Ann Hesskamp
Partner Agency: City of Refuge
Project Sponsor: Keller Knapp Realty, Inc.
Gifting to a Giving Mom
When we met her, this great young mom had a single used mattress on the floor of her bedroom with sheets that did not even fit. Meanwhile, she had invested everything she could into her four year old son’s room. He had a handsome twin bed, a sports-themed rug and bedding, a child’s book rack filled with age-appropriate reading material, and a train table to keep him creatively busy. We were thrilled to be able to gift them each a desk (as both are now in school), a furnished living room and a beautiful bedroom for this great mom.
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Design by Rhonda Leonard and Chloe Develasco
Partner Agency: City of Refuge
Project Sponsor: NO VACANCY home staging
Photos by George Stewart, Impact Photos
A Safe Landing
Life was good for the Jackson family until neighborhood violence forced them to make a quick getaway from their jobs and their home, leaving most of their belongings behind. Thanks to their hard work and the incredible support of City of Refuge, they are now settled in Atlanta with the two boys in school, Mom & Dad working and even a family business plan evolving. As just one piece of the puzzle to help them pull their lives back together, the Furnish with Love team created this home where they can fuel their passions - cooking, basketball, drawing, Star Wars, reading and family time.
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Design by Ashleigh Esprit, Shakia Jones, and Tracie Moore
Partners: City of Refuge
Photos by George Stewart, Impact Photos
