I was excited to be approached, through my good friend Leslie Bell, by the Dallas-based philanthropic organization called Dwell with Dignity, to participate in an event they are hosting in April on the psychology of design. It’s a subject that I’ve studied since college and by which I am still fascinated. I’ll be part of a panel discussion, with other design professionals, looking at the topic from various perspectives.

From diamonds come dreams…

I first learned about Dwell with Dignity and its mission through my friend and fellow blogger, Rebecca Sherman. Rebecca regularly promotes DWD’s good works on her blog Houses, Gardens, People.

DWD was founded by Dallas resident and designer, Lisa Robison, in 2009. I had dinner with Lisa and her DWD partner, Kim Turner, in Los Angeles recently and Lisa confided that “when my husband asked what I wanted for my birthday, all I could think was ‘not another piece of jewelry.’ Rather, I asked him to take the money he would have spent on the gift and invest it as a nest egg to be put toward the foundation of DWD.”

A picture of Kim and Lisa, pilfered from Houses, Gardens, People.

Lisa and Kim, along with their staff of talented volunteers, work with social service providers that have programs in place to help homeless families transition into self-sufficiency. DWD’s mission is to create inspiring home interiors for these families based on the belief that if they can change a person’s surroundings, that person can change their outlook on life.

Imagine yourself as an 8 year girl, and this is your bedroom (drab cinder block wall and all)…

Image courtesy of DWD.

Now imagine that your family falls onto DWD’s radar… What child wouldn’t feel sunnier and more inspired with a bedroom like this…

Image courtesy of DWD.

Yes, the cinder block wall is still there, but it’s been jazzed up with orange and pink color-blocks (one of my favorite color combinations). And that canopy… what girl didn’t dream of having a canopy bed as a child? The pink, Flokati inspired rug, the tiny table and chairs, that wonderful ceiling (that looks paved with giant capiz shells)… it’s a bedroom designed to inspire.

The world is full of possibility…

DWD has been receiving a lot of well deserved press. Lisa and Kim were named “Best Philanthropists” in D Home’s Best of Everything 2010 issue. Through their relationships with showrooms and workrooms in the Dallas Design Center and beyond, and the efforts of their fantastic volunteers, they create what they hope are environments that foster life changing possibilities.

Be sure to visit Dwell with Dignity’s website to see how you can help.

Comments

August 17, 2011 - 01:37 PM Annonymous

Hello. And thank you at once for such an amazing web site. I'll be visiting it on a regular basis.

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