Check out the latest post I wrote for top Charlotte/Cornelius designer, Starr Miller of http://www.starrmiller.com. Starr recently donated her time to an important charitable project in her area, and I document it all below. I am so blessed to work with such powerful women who support their communities in such generous ways! Keep Making Magic, Amanda
Creating a Safe Haven with Safe Alliance
Posted on March 26, 2015 by Starr Miller
StarrMiller Interior Design is known for quality design work, creative style, and for always giving a helping hand to the local community. Here at StarrMiller, we are committed to empowering women and improving the lives of those in need throughout Lake Norman. In an effort to stay active and involved in our community, we recently worked on behalf of the Executive Women of Lake Norman to assist Safe Alliance in improving their offices as to create a more healing atmosphere for clients.
The leading group of women business owners and leaders in the Lake Norman community, the Executive Women of Lake Norman worked with Safe Alliance as part of their commitment to community outreach. With a focus on aiding women and children in crisis, Safe Alliance provides hope and healing to those victimized by sexual abuse, child abuse and domestic violence, offering such vital services as a 24-hour crisis line, a shelter, a children’s advocacy center, safety planning services, trauma-informed counseling services, hospital accompaniment, case management, systems advocacy, and support groups.
When Safe Alliance needed to remodel their offices to create a sacred space for health and healing, we knew we had to become intimately involved with such an important project.
We definitely wanted to create a place that was distinctly tranquil. We took inspiration from the Safe Alliance logo, softened their established color palette and added fabrics with circular, floral patterns that spoke to the embrace of hope and healing. Most importantly, we wanted the space to remind Safe Alliance clients that they had a comfortable, beautiful haven to come to when they needed healing and counseling.
Natural light always feels healing to me, and it was such a gift to be blessed with a space that had large windows. Windows and the plants seen right outside of them are constant reminders for clients that the world can still be a benevolent place in spite of the hardship they’ve endured. We also brought the outside in by using a floral pattern for the curtains that matched the pillows to create a sense of continuity and add that natural environ to the room.
The artwork is my favorite aspect of the design, it is so gorgeous and really ties the space together. The artwork chosen is of x-rayed flowers that reveal nature’s hidden beauty.
Even the waiting room is a happy place! Plum chairs really help to bring out the magic of the artwork and provide a warm space with which to wait for counseling. The artwork grounds the room and adds a sense of beauty and gentleness.
In addition to making the waiting room feel warm and inviting, we wanted to add a sense of playfulness to the children’s waiting space. We achieved this by using a whimsical butterfly stencil full of bright colors. The free-flying symbolism of the butterflies represents freedom and reminds our little guests they are welcome and wanted at Safe Alliance.
Once again, we incorporated a warm palette and important inspirational art for women. Serving as a reminder of their own strength and capability, the quote “In our darkest moments there is a light within us, waiting for the right time to shine and guide our way,” reassures Safe Alliance clients that the best is yet to come. We wanted the artwork to reflect how important this charitable project was to us.
Working on the Safe Alliance redesign was one of our proudest moments and reminded us why we do what we do. The opportunity to bring beauty and light into a space as important as Safe Alliance was a joy and a privilege!