A Space In Six Photos (aka: Our Dwell With Dignity Thrift Studio Adventures)

A little reminder of where it all started (i.e. our inspiration board).

Not long after I joined Swoon, our mutual friends Kim Turner and Lisa Robison, the lovely, passionate, and immensely inspiring duo behind Dwell With Dignity, asked Sam and I if we'd like to design a vignette for their spring Thrift Studio event. It took us, oh, about 2.5 seconds to respond with a resounding Yes.

For the uninitiated, Dwell With Dignity is an amazing non-profit organization made up of interior designers and volunteers "dedicated to creating soothing, inspiring homes for families struggling with homelessness and poverty." The organization designs, provides, and installs home interiors (think: furnishings, art, bedding, kitchen supplies, food in the pantry -- the whole enchilada) with the belief that changing a person's surroundings can help change their outlook on life. Clearly, a mission I wholeheartedly support.

The velvet curtains going up...we're getting there.


Twice a year the organization hosts their Thrift Studio fundraiser, a 30 day pop-up shop selling furniture, housewares, accessories and high end designer finds to the public. The event kicks off with a preview party featuring room vignettes created by six local designers using items from the Dwell With Dignity warehouse as well as donated items. Everything in the vignettes is for sale with all proceeds benefiting Dwell with Dignity.

I'm not gonna lie friends, creating the vignette is an undertaking. It's not unlike (I can only imagine, of course) one of those whirlwind TV design shows. There's the mad dash through the warehouse alongside your fellow designers to nab your picks. There's the procurement of other lovely goods to take things to the next level (Global Views and Duralee came through for us, big time.) And then there's the design and install using all manner of grit, ingenuity, and, maybe (but I'm not saying for sure), a little bubble gum, band aids, and a handful of swear words.

But it is, without a doubt, worth it. From our initial mood board (photo one) to the finished space (snippets below), we were inspired and excited by the organization, the cause, our fellow designers. We'd do it again in a heart beat.

If you're in Dallas you can still buy tickets to this Thursday's Preview Party where the spaces will be officially unveiled in their entirety. I'd love to see you there!

Snippets from our finished space. I'll share the entire room after this Thursday's Preview Party.