How many commercials have you seen about home?
The continual onslaught of Christmas cheer can make us nostalgic for hearth and home this holiday season. There is a commercial where the children get together to decorate a huge tree in the family yard and they surprise their aging mother with a pine tree full of lights – gets me every time.
Sometimes we can look at the holidays as a time of work and stress and focus on all the things we ‘have’ to do but I challenge you to respect the sanctuary of your home in a new way this year.
If you are loved and secure and have the experience of years of Christmas traditions then you are one of the very fortunate people in this world.
Many people are working over the holidays or away from their families while they serve our country. Countless others are unsure of their living conditions and are residing in a home of strife, pending divorce or even abuse and it can be nearly impossible to bring Christmas cheer into some of these situations.
I was humbled and grateful as I recently had the opportunity to help one of our designers, Angela Orr, as we applied our time and talents to re-decorate a client room in the Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter (C.A.W.E.S).
With the help of personal and corporate donations (thank you Brook Homes and McGonigal Signature Homes) and a bevy of beautiful ladies – we dug in and helped make this room cheerful for those who will need to spend time there.
Crossroads Church encourages their congregation to give back to the community using their special gifts and abilities and Angela was inspired to revitalize the Trina room at the shelter.
Angela wanted to make a difference and as a designer she knows that environment is vitally important to good health so she contacted the shelter and offered to work on one of their living quarters.
Choosing brightly coloured linens and sunny paint the room has been transformed into a beautiful garden like setting.
The project completion has taken several months, between procuring donations and waiting for the room to be vacant Angela has been gathering and planning for the renovation, wanting to make it a cheerful and hopeful new space.
Carpet Colour Centre donated paint and blinds which Larry Cingle donated his time to install and Angela worked diligently to gather bedding, decorative accessories and began the process of putting together a beautiful design.
“Our work can sometimes feel a little frivolous and this is such a rewarding project to do for the community, I’m glad I was able to make it come together.” Angela and her team of donators and helpers had a wonderful time and are very proud of the results – it is easy to see why!
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Feel free to contact her at 403-343-7711 ext. 227, email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com or join her facebook group called “Ask a Designer.”
