Pen + Napkin Project: The Adams Family Reveal
Image courtesy of Kristin Vinagro of Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity
About a year and a half ago I responded to a “call” from Emily Henderson to join non-profit, Pen + Napkin’s group of designers nationwide to take on volunteer design projects for local families in need. The circumstances vary widely, but in the case of our project, we teamed up with our local Richmond Habitat for Humanity chapter to furnish and decorate a four bedroom home for the Adams family who was coming out of a really poor rental situation and buying their first home through Habitat.
The house was completed about a month ago and was basically empty when they turned it over to us! I worked with three other local designers - Lauren of Circle G Designs, Jamie of Ivey Design Group, and Diana of Mathews & Co. Studio - and we spent about a month or so fundraising, planning, and sourcing. Thanks to a host of donated furniture, Facebook Marketplace scouring, and some purchasing, we were able to tackle the entire house - it was quite a feat!
A big shoutout to the companies who donated including Juniper Print Shop, Shades of Light, and Everly Belle Designs…and a whole lot of generous individuals who really came up big with the pieces we needed to finish off the spaces.
We circled August 8th and 9th for the install days, so we put them up in a local Airbnb (donated by a gracious host!) and worked our tails off to have it ready for its big reveal at the end of the second day. It felt like we were on one of those two day makeover shows, haha. Fun and exhausting!
We’re thrilled that we were able to pull it together and create a warm, inviting home for them to just live in and enjoy. We all know a house doesn’t really feel like a home until it’s furnished and decorated, and we’re grateful we had the opportunity to do this for the Adamses.
Want to take a tour of the finished home? Scroll on down!
Living and Dining Room
Primary Bedroom
Teenage Boy’s Bedroom
Shared Girls’ Bedroom
Teen Girl’s Room
What a privilege it was to work with these three ladies! We grabbed a photo together right before the reveal (can you tell it was a blazing hot day outside by our lovely sheen? 😉) and we couldn’t wait to welcome the Adams family into their new home. We hope that they enjoy this spot for many, many years to come!
Image courtesy of Kristin Vinagro of Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity
The final fun aspect of this project was that we made the front page of our local paper, The Richmond Times-Dispatch! When a photographer came to take some photos and videos of the project, we had no idea that it would be featured - especially above the fold! I hope that this helps boost awareness for Pen + Napkin and all the wonderful work they’re doing across the country. I’m thankful to have been a small part of it!
