IDM Episode 3 Celebrated!

Nothing to decode this week, just celebrating the power of good design. What worked, and why.

Eight designers, working in pairs, to transform four rooms at The Passage, a charitable organisation in London’s Victoria, dedicated to helping the homeless. The four spaces were as follows: an Arts & Crafts room (as seen above), a Wellness Mezzanine, a multi-purpose room and the Employment Suite.

In so many ways this challenge reminded me of the Celebrity Special we did for Children in Need last year. Here six celebrities transformed rooms in a centre for supporting children who were caring for others. This is the sort of interior designing that changes lives, uplifts the soul, and makes everyone know that they deserve to be treated well. This is the power of an improved environment. And to my mind, the very purpose of interior design in the first place - it’s never just cushions and colours, it’s about crafting spaces to help you feel your best self!

And all of the IDM designers did that this week. Sadly, sending people home is the nature of the competition beast. If I could have kept them all for the extreme effort they put into this challenge, I would have.

The Arts & Crafts Room

Emily and Ajeet did the Arts & Crafts room. Ajeet took responsibility for the built-in furniture, Emily the colours, kitchen and art cupboards. After two consecutive weeks on the sofa, Emmely put into action everything she’d learnt to deliver a Stand Out Space, alongside her teammate.

Everything about this room worked. It just made you want to whip out your paint brushes and get creative. Or, even if you just wanted to sit here, it felt relaxed. And art therapy is a huge amount of the work that The Passage do with their community, so this room nailed the brief on every level.

The Wellness Mezzanine

Ben and Kate had a long list of requirements from their client for this space. It was to be able to seat people for eating, act as a private study space, be usable for yoga, meetings and more. Our dynamic duo worked incredibly hard to try to best accommodate all of these functions.

Workspace, library, yoga studio, lounge and dining room!

The Multi-purpose Room

Duran and Sophie completely transformed a blank boring white room that had a multitude of requirements into somewhere vibrant, functional, organised and beautiful. Somewhere the staff will now be lining up to work in — and you can’t really do much better than that!

Bold and brilliant. These two working together was a great combination. We saw comfort and softness, colour and courage.

The Employment Suite

Lia and Jonni had the basement Employment Suite, so making it feel bright, fresh and welcoming for the staff members was paramount. Also to provide private space for more confidential chats.

Grouping the staff members into the middle of the room was a brave move that really worked. It makes for a very community oriented and convivial environment. A raised area by the door was given a facelift and individual booths for more private conversations were separated with planting.

Now read on, Episode 4 Decoded…

Find out more about Michelle Ogundehin on her website: books, Home Therapy™ workbooks, free downloads, the podcast, her Happy Insiders Club and much more.