I was working in the studio when I received a call from Lisa Robinson from Dwell with Dignity.  She was bubbling over with excitement about their latest opportunity. The Nate Berkus Show had seen their work and wanted to partner with them on a project.  She hinted that she had mentioned my name and that I might be getting a call from their producers to help with the furniture for the installation.  Well, who can focus on work after a call like that?

The project was to collaborate with Dwell with Dignity and Interfaith Housing to completely redesign an apartment for a young mother and son who had fallen on hard times. The Nate Show had chosen several furniture pieces from the Dwell with Dignity donation warehouse to give them a new look to compliment their design.   The only catch? They needed eight pieces of furniture to be finished in about 5 days.

After doing a small victory dance around my studio and an ecstatic call to my mother, I quickly assembled a team to assist me.  We sanded, we primed, and we painted as fast as the paint could dry and then hustled them over to the apartment.

I was so excited to meet the producers and designers of the Nate Show.  They had picked the colors, ordered the accessories and had everything ready to go.  Even under such a time crunch, they were so graceful under pressure.  I was happy to be a part of their team and helped with last minute changes and additions before Nate arrived for taping.

It was exciting and gratifying to be a part of project that had a direct impact for good for a family in need.  I hope that I can be a part of future projects that have a real life positive impact in my community and Dwell with Dignity is leading the charge.  

Lisa Robinson and Kim Turner head up the very unique Dallas charity, Dwell with Dignity, whose mission is to help families escape poverty and homelessness through design; one household at a time.