Furnished Shelter Family Room

By Kate Riley August 3, 2015

Today I’m very excited to share the furnished family room at the emergency Family Shelter in my hometown. The room install was all day Saturday, we brought in the furniture, hung the curtains and art, and turned it over to the families who were moving in on Sunday. Whew, finished just in time!

My local Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) is a non-profit that provides services to prevent and break the cycle of homelessness for children, families, and single adults. This shelter is known as the COTS Family Center, it has 11 rooms and serves homeless families with children. The length of stay at the shelter ranges from three to six months, depending on the difficulty families have finding housing. The purpose of this room is a relaxing space for the parents since the children have a separate play area. Children are allowed of course but the room is mainly to serve the adults.

Three months ago it looked like this, barren and empty. The COTS renovation crew came in last month and painted the walls and trim, they also installed industrial strength vinyl flooring for the whole facility, then I took over.

cots family room before

I asked World Market if they would be so kind to donate furnishings and accessories and they agreed because they rock so everything that you see in the space came from their store! I added the plants and a few tweaks and DIY touches, read about them below along with links to all the products. It’s so warm and inviting now!

shelter family room gray yellow

This is a narrow space so I broke it up into two zones, the sectional and media stand allows for movie viewing and at the back are two wingback chairs for reading, talking, or playing games. I also wanted this space to be neutral and slightly more masculine than spaces I’ve done before. Here’s the tour around the space from right to left.

This Harrow Media Stand is a beast meaning it weighs a ton because it’s solid wood, it had to be delivered by truck and required two big burly dudes to bring it inside. The good news is it so sturdy so it will take a lot of abuse and provides great storage, the DVD player arrives this week (missing in the pictures). There is no cable TV at the shelter only DVDs to watch but the organization has more to bring over this week.

framed pictures around tv on media stand

I’m not the first to say this but wall calendars make the best cheap art! I bought the USA Glitz calendar in the store and framed six of the retro pictures around the TV in the black Mango wood frames. Also pictured is the round cement terrarium.

framed calendar prints

 

framed calendar art

 

media stand framed pictures around tv

As accents on the right side of the TV I added an Ivory planter and the gray Thai ceramic vases.

calendar 1

 

I live by the no matchy matchy furniture sets rule, I think the accent chairs should always be different than the sofa so I chose two Triton High Back chairs. The color is "wheat" but really it’s less beige more of a mustard yellow and it’s wonderful.

Also pictured is the Glynn Accent Table. Originally I had a thrift store table I planned to refinish and use in its place but the second hand find ended up being in need of more repair than I thought, also too big; this simple tulip base black table is the perfect alternative.

pair of high back chairs

 

On the table is the Brass Diamond Table Lamp base and a stack of National Geographic magazines, we have subscribed for 10 years so I brought over some copies as extra reading material. (The bone sculpture and chess set were found in my local World Market store but I can’t find the links online.)

brass diamond lamp

I can’t resist menswear inspired accents like this herringbone lampshade in a subtle chevron pattern with black trim.

lampshade 2

The fabrics are all in yellow/gold and gray tones, on the back window I hung two pairs of Shadow Flower curtains on each side doubled up for fullness. The windows are very tall so these are the 108" panels (three sizes available online) but they’re on clearance so snag them now if you want a set for yourself!

gray and yellow fabrics

I wanted a gray geometric on the chair to contrast the more feminine floral behind it and I found it in the gray tile curtain on clearance in the store (no longer available online) and I stitched up two pillows for the high back chairs using this same technique for easy envelope pillow covers. Except I found an EASIER way to do it with one long strip of fabric and folding them over inside out, that method requires no side hems, I’ll share that soon. Seriously the easiest way to make pillow covers evah.

The gray sofa is the Charcoal Abbot Sofa with a chaise that extends out into the room for lounging, it’s very comfortable and the fabric hides dirt so it’s practical too. The yellow pillows on the sofa I made with this Becco curtain and the striped pillow I sewed together using two villa placemats and this easy zippered pillow technique.

charcoal sofa abstract art

The Greystone Canvas Art is the coolest, I saw it in the store last week and had to have it for the space. It’s described by the artist as "a frozen swirl of lava, a crack in a rock, a flash of ice, a breaking wave" – don’t you love that?? It’s a large scale piece of abstract art that adds drama and fills the space above the sofa nicely, plus bonus: complementary colors that exist in the swirls!

framed abstract art

We added the rustic wood frame to the outside of the artwork to play off the dark wood tones in the media stand across the way. We had leftover stained wood trim in our garage and Matt mitered the corners and framed the artwork – this is a simple DIY trick to make canvas artwork look custom!

The print has flecks of gold in it that reflect in the light, so chic!

flecks of gold

I love all the pieces in this space but I have a little extra love in my heart for this Harbin Side Table in Emerald with a gold stand and agate look glass top, what’s not to love? It sits on the left side of the sofa, and it’s a beauty! There are four colors available only in stores so grab one fast !

emerald table

By the way, that rug you keep seeing is the Tonal Hooked Rug, dark so it’s practical and also a nice contrast against the light floors and with a modern geometric pattern.

furnished shelter family room

Here’s the big shocker, there is no blue in this space ! That is hard for me since I use blue eeeeevvvveeerrrywheeere and I challenged myself to not use it here but in truth there is little blue in the artwork and the planter. Gotta have a touch, can’t resist!

I hope you like the furnished space, but more importantly, I’m just really happy that it will brighten the lives of some families who really need that right now.

*This post brought to you in partnership with World Market. I was not compensated however all of the items featured in this post were complimentary donations from World Market to our local COTS. All opinions are my own.

49 comments

  1. Lovely room for a lovely cause! Nice choices–my faves are the sofa, the way you trimmed the great art and the calendar art, Super room despite it’s narrow size. Great job!

  2. It’s gorgeous, Kate. I *LOVE* that you use sponsor donations to help people in need! I wish more bloggers would do this! You’re awesome!

  3. Love this! Thank you to you and to World Market! Having a safe place to relax is so important. Also, love the terrarium – that’s on my to-do list! And that calendar idea – so simple, but fits perfectly.

  4. Absolutely Love Every Bit!! You hit the nail right on the head. Wondering what color paint is on the walls. It’s great, it looks creamy in one pic and light grey in another. Great Neutral! Do share…;)

  5. That is the first thing I noticed was the different color scheme and no blue. Ha :) It looks wonderful. Good job/Great cause. What was your inspiration piece the art or the rug? Just curious, maybe you could do a post about using an inspiration piece. Thanks for all you do and for sharing.

  6. Love the idea of repurposing wall calendars as wall art. Pity framing is soo expensive everwhere. It would be great if you could fit those into, say, Ikea frames. Any ideas?

    I just framed a Roxette concert poster (from this tour, love ’em) and I’ll be paying 43 EUR for a two-colour red and black aluminium frame. Ouch.

    I was missing the blue in the space, but thought I was suddenly colour blind or something. Just kidding.
    Hope lots of families can benefit from the space for many years to come.

    As little as I comment, let me tell you I LOVE your transformations.
    Cheers from Spain.

  7. Oh, it is absolutely beautiful I hope that those who find refuge there will feel the love behind the project.

    Kudos to World Market for their generosity toward your project and blessing your community.

  8. This room turned out fabulous! The mix of colors and textures are very calming and inviting. It should serve as a wonderful space for those who are in need, and I am sure they will appreciate it. It’s nice to know that World Market was so generous and giving for such a good cause. Thanks for the inspiration.

  9. You did a terrific job on such a narrow room! LOVE the artwork and the art you flanked around the TV!

    • Hi Donna, that’s Glidden’s Oyster Bay, I’ve used it many times in the past, a very soft gray, hard to tell from all the light but it’s a really nice neutral color.

  10. I’m trying to imagine how it would feel to be stressed out, have your family in crisis and then walk into this space. Wow! What a wonderful space to come home to.

    You did good.

  11. Love all the greenery. Any advice on which type of plants to buy for indoor spaces? My living area does have loads of natural light, but I’m obviously doing something wrong since I seem to kill every indoor plant that I purchase.

  12. everytime you post a room I think, “That’s my favorite”. but this really is my favorite this time! What a spectacular space that’s perfect for adults to relax and get away from all their stress. I wouldn’t want to leave.
    What wonderful items WM donated…I didn’t realize they had such great looking furniture that seem to be quite well made.
    the rug is especially fine.

    I would like more info on the vinyl flooring…I need something like that and don’t know what is best for hard wear.

  13. So many beautiful things in this room – the art, the rug and the lampshade are some of my favorites. I really like the curtains, too. On the World Market site, they are described as smoky blue and green, but on my screen the “green” looks like it is very close to the chair color. How would you describe them? They are a great value and I am considering ordering them but it is so hard to figure out color online.
    I appreciate that you use your talents and influence to help people that have much less. One of the reasons your blog is one of my favorites.

  14. Thank you Kim! I don’t see blues or greens in the curtains either, definitely gray and yellow.

  15. Hi Kate, Congrats to you and World Market on a wonderfully inviting room. I especially love the drapes, the pillows that you created, and the idea to use calendars for art. Everything comes together and the furniture looks so comfy to relax in. I also love blue, so seeing how different colors (those great chairs) look in a room makes me want to be more adventurous. You and your husband deserve praise for your time and talents you gave to this worthy project! :-)Kathy

  16. Absolutely fantastic, another wonderful job. I love the grey and mustard/yellow. Very welcoming, not feminine and still feels comfortable for everyone!

  17. You are AMAZING! Congratulations on creating such a beautiful oasis. Thanks to World Market for their generous contribution, and to you for investing your energy in such a great cause.

  18. Beautiful, just beautiful! Hats off to World Market for stepping up. I just love the color scheme, even with no blue! LOL! That large art piece is fantastic!

  19. Wow, what a wonderful thing for you to do! I think it’s so great when people use their talents and time to serve others. Thank you for all you do and for inspiring me to do more! Also, how great of World Market to donate so much. It makes me want to do my shopping there. Great products, too! :)

  20. This is just gorgeous! You did a wonderful job. It looks playful and restful at the same time, appropriate for all ages. Nice work!!!

  21. wow, such a transformation – it looks so bright and inviting. And I especially like the wall calendar art, what a fantastic idea! :)

  22. Such a beautiful reveal!! Love it and it looks awesome and such a wonderful thing for the family to escape in :) Great job to you and world market!

    Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
    xx

  23. Fantastic and welcoming space! I was planning a shopping trip this weekend to pick up a few items to carry us over into Fall – I love the World Market pieces (and their support). I’ll be heading over there! Love those planters. Thanks for the inspiration!

  24. I love how this room flows and is small. I too have a small room, and this really inspired me! I love the 2 chairs, the rug and the sectional. Your designs are beautiful and I am very taken with your style. Thanks!!!!

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