With a baby on the way and old cabinets falling apart at the seams, a kitchen remodel was the number one priority for our clients in their charming, historic Denver home. It was essential to make the kitchen feel more spacious and open, while still maintaining it’s original footprint and privacy from the rest of the house. Cabinets on three out of four walls caved into the center of the kitchen, making it feel small and difficult for even two people to be moving about! By eliminating cabinetry on the west wall, we were able to not only make the kitchen feel bigger and brighter, but we also revealed the characteristic exposed brick that was hiding behind a string of cabinets! The brick wall adds so much character and, paired with the wainscoting, is a beautiful nod to the home’s historic charm. As passionate cooks and hosts, it was crucial for our clients to have an island to utilize the counter space for prepping food and having a place for friends or family to sit and chat while they cooked a meal. Small but mighty, the island is the center of attention with a beautiful black walnut butcher block countertop, cabinets for storage, and seating for three! Our favorite feature in this kitchen sits just above the gas range; the custom wood surround on the range hood was handcrafted onsite as the final finishing touch. The elements of the natural wood, soft French grey cabinets, satin brass hardware and intricate marble herringbone backsplash all come together on this one wall, giving you a moment of cohesive glee. We are thrilled with the transformation, and our clients are elated to have a beautiful new kitchen for their new, growing family.

This aging-in-place kitchen and both beautiful and functional with wheelchair accessible cook top and sink apron. The lower-cabinet lazy susan and trash bin are within easy reach. The tri-level counter top is at once serviceable and accessible for the entire family. Monarch Builders and Remodelers, Inc. is SW Florida’s specialist in providing state-of-the-art "Aging in Place" building design services and techniques, including a full range of home-remodeling services. With a prime goal of interpreting the needs and desires in an aesthetically pleasing way, Monarch Builders creates an environment in which homeowners can live and work positively and independently. Monarch knows there’s no place like home and people 50 and older want to remain living in their own home - comfortably, safely, and independently; it all comes down to design that keep one’s house a home. Monarch brings care, respect, and empathy into the designer-client relationship. By providing innovation and excellence, Monarch works to make your home function beautifully.

With a baby on the way and old cabinets falling apart at the seams, a kitchen remodel was the number one priority for our clients in their charming, historic Denver home. It was essential to make the kitchen feel more spacious and open, while still maintaining it’s original footprint and privacy from the rest of the house. Cabinets on three out of four walls caved into the center of the kitchen, making it feel small and difficult for even two people to be moving about! By eliminating cabinetry on the west wall, we were able to not only make the kitchen feel bigger and brighter, but we also revealed the characteristic exposed brick that was hiding behind a string of cabinets! The brick wall adds so much character and, paired with the wainscoting, is a beautiful nod to the home’s historic charm. As passionate cooks and hosts, it was crucial for our clients to have an island to utilize the counter space for prepping food and having a place for friends or family to sit and chat while they cooked a meal. Small but mighty, the island is the center of attention with a beautiful black walnut butcher block countertop, cabinets for storage, and seating for three! Our favorite feature in this kitchen sits just above the gas range; the custom wood surround on the range hood was handcrafted onsite as the final finishing touch. The elements of the natural wood, soft French grey cabinets, satin brass hardware and intricate marble herringbone backsplash all come together on this one wall, giving you a moment of cohesive glee. We are thrilled with the transformation, and our clients are elated to have a beautiful new kitchen for their new, growing family.

With a baby on the way and old cabinets falling apart at the seams, a kitchen remodel was the number one priority for our clients in their charming, historic Denver home. It was essential to make the kitchen feel more spacious and open, while still maintaining it’s original footprint and privacy from the rest of the house. Cabinets on three out of four walls caved into the center of the kitchen, making it feel small and difficult for even two people to be moving about! By eliminating cabinetry on the west wall, we were able to not only make the kitchen feel bigger and brighter, but we also revealed the characteristic exposed brick that was hiding behind a string of cabinets! The brick wall adds so much character and, paired with the wainscoting, is a beautiful nod to the home’s historic charm. As passionate cooks and hosts, it was crucial for our clients to have an island to utilize the counter space for prepping food and having a place for friends or family to sit and chat while they cooked a meal. Small but mighty, the island is the center of attention with a beautiful black walnut butcher block countertop, cabinets for storage, and seating for three! Our favorite feature in this kitchen sits just above the gas range; the custom wood surround on the range hood was handcrafted onsite as the final finishing touch. The elements of the natural wood, soft French grey cabinets, satin brass hardware and intricate marble herringbone backsplash all come together on this one wall, giving you a moment of cohesive glee. We are thrilled with the transformation, and our clients are elated to have a beautiful new kitchen for their new, growing family.

Recently, TaskRabbit challenged a group of 10 Taskers to build a Tiny House in the middle of Manhattan in just 72 hours – all for a good cause. Building a fully outfitted tiny house in 3 days was a tall order – a build like this often takes months – but we set out to prove the power of collaboration, showing the kind of progress that can be made when people come together, bringing their best insights, skills and creativity to achieve something that seems impossible. It was quite a week. New York was wonderful (and quite lovely, despite a bit of rain), our Taskers were incredible, and TaskRabbit’s Tiny House came together in record time, due to the planning, dedication and hard work of all involved. A Symbol for Change The TaskRabbit Tiny House was auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to our partner, Community Solutions, a national nonprofit helping communities take on complex social challenges – issues like homelessness, unemployment and health inequity – through collaboration and creative problem solving. This Tiny House was envisioned as a small symbol of the change that is possible when people have the right tools and opportunities to work together. Through our three-day build, our Taskers proved that amazing things can happen when we put our hearts into creating substantive change in our communities. The Winning Bid We’re proud to report that we were able to raise $26,600 to support Community Solutions’ work. Sarah, a lovely woman from New Hampshire, placed the winning bid – and it’s nice to know our tiny home is in good hands. #ATinyTask: Behind the Scenes The Plans A lot of time and effort went into making sure this Tiny Home was as efficient, cozy and welcoming as possible. Our master planners, designer Lesley Morphy and TaskRabbit Creative Director Scott Smith, maximized every square inch in the little house with comfort and style in mind, utilizing a lofted bed, lofted storage, a floor-to-ceiling tiled shower, a compost toilet, and custom details throughout. There’s a surprising amount of built-in storage in the kitchen, while a conscious decision was made to keep the living space open so you could actually exist comfortably without feeling cramped. The Build Our Taskers worked long, hard shifts while our team made sure they were well fed, hydrated and in good spirits. The team brought amazing energy and we couldn’t be prouder of the way they worked together. Stay tuned, as we’ll be highlighting more of our Tiny House Taskers’ stories in coming days – they were so great that we want to make sure all of you get to know them better. The Final Product Behold, the completed Tiny House! For more photos, be sure to check out our Facebook page. This was an incredibly inspiring project, and we really enjoyed watching the Tiny House come to life right in the middle of Manhattan. It was amazing to see what our Taskers are capable of, and we’re so glad we were able to support Community Solutions and help fight homelessness, unemployment and health inequity with #ATinyTask.

Modern Masters Theme Paint™ | Disneyland

The family has lived across the country on a medical school journey, and this is the first home they owned. They love to be active outdoors so coming to Minnesota from their home in California, they wanted to better utilize their back yard and limited entertainment space. They wanted the design to incorporate a patio, firepit, bistro lights and bar area. The homeowners love the use of fun tiles and patterns inside and they were curious if this could be extended to their exterior space. They also loved the cozy feeling of being indoors while spending time outside.

This beautiful 1881 Alameda Victorian cottage, wonderfully embodying the Transitional Gothic-Eastlake era, had most of its original features intact. Our clients, one of whom is a painter, wanted to preserve the beauty of the historic home while modernizing its flow and function. From several small rooms, we created a bright, open artist’s studio. We dug out the basement for a large workshop, extending a new run of stair in keeping with the existing original staircase. While keeping the bones of the house intact, we combined small spaces into large rooms, closed off doorways that were in awkward places, removed unused chimneys, changed the circulation through the house for ease and good sightlines, and made new high doorways that work gracefully with the eleven foot high ceilings. We removed inconsistent picture railings to give wall space for the clients’ art collection and to enhance the height of the rooms. From a poorly laid out kitchen and adjunct utility rooms, we made a large kitchen and family room with nine-foot-high glass doors to a new large deck. A tall wood screen at one end of the deck, fire pit, and seating give the sense of an outdoor room, overlooking the owners’ intensively planted garden. A previous mismatched addition at the side of the house was removed and a cozy outdoor living space made where morning light is received. The original house was segmented into small spaces; the new open design lends itself to the clients’ lifestyle of entertaining groups of people, working from home, and enjoying indoor-outdoor living. Photography by Kurt Manley. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/artists-victorian/

Photography: Michael Hunter This project was to furnishing a newly constructed home – the living room specifically. The clients wanted an open-concept home in order to best utilize the space for everyday living, as well as entertaining. The goals of this project were to 1) maximize the space for the largest amount of seating, 2) present a transitional design style, mixing both traditional and modern elements, ensuring that the style mixes well with the other aspects of the open concept floorplan, and 3) provide a pleasant color palette. We designed the overall floorplan so that it provided maximum seating (potential for 14), while still providing a spacious ambiance. The U-shaped seating design in the room provides the ability for people to view the television from any seat and feel the warmth from the fireplace while also allowing for great conversational seating. The custom storage ottomans are on casters, so they can be pulled out to provide additional seating or a comfortable footrest for any seat. Upon entering the room, your eye can catch several different design features – the custom triptych artwork, the gold-framed mirrors, or even the split face quartz fireplace wall - each providing their own balanced focal point in the room. The main obstacle was balancing the focal point in the room between the fireplace and oversized television. The TV niche that was placed by the builder caused the seating arrangement to be somewhat offset in the space.

This beautiful 1881 Alameda Victorian cottage, wonderfully embodying the Transitional Gothic-Eastlake era, had most of its original features intact. Our clients, one of whom is a painter, wanted to preserve the beauty of the historic home while modernizing its flow and function. From several small rooms, we created a bright, open artist’s studio. We dug out the basement for a large workshop, extending a new run of stair in keeping with the existing original staircase. While keeping the bones of the house intact, we combined small spaces into large rooms, closed off doorways that were in awkward places, removed unused chimneys, changed the circulation through the house for ease and good sightlines, and made new high doorways that work gracefully with the eleven foot high ceilings. We removed inconsistent picture railings to give wall space for the clients’ art collection and to enhance the height of the rooms. From a poorly laid out kitchen and adjunct utility rooms, we made a large kitchen and family room with nine-foot-high glass doors to a new large deck. A tall wood screen at one end of the deck, fire pit, and seating give the sense of an outdoor room, overlooking the owners’ intensively planted garden. A previous mismatched addition at the side of the house was removed and a cozy outdoor living space made where morning light is received. The original house was segmented into small spaces; the new open design lends itself to the clients’ lifestyle of entertaining groups of people, working from home, and enjoying indoor-outdoor living. Photography by Kurt Manley. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/artists-victorian/

This home in Arlington was uninhabited for quite a while. The previous owner had purchased the property as a tear-down and planned to build a very large house. Their plans fell through and he put the house on the market as-is, with the utilities disconnected. The first priority was reconnecting and installing utilities, wiring, and mechanicals that had been removed from the home. The exterior was in bad shape, so the exterior was re-sided with cedar shingle, the exterior trim was repaired, and replacement wood gutters were added. Several large, fixed picture windows from the ‘70’s were replaced with modern double-hung units for fresh air. The existing kitchen and baths were vintage mid-century, which did not work with the reinvisioned flow of the home. The new spaces reflect the client’s lifestyle and personalities. The primary instruction for the kitchen was to accommodate multiple people cooking at the same time. The second instruction was to open the kitchen to the dining room, as it was always envisioned as a working kitchen, as opposed to a showplace kitchen. “Antiqued” finishes were used on the cabinetry to emphasize the casual nature of the room. The cabinetry was intentionally selected in order to not feel too “precious” so that the children and pets of the home could interact without worry. The house originally had a bathroom directly off the kitchen, which was not ideal. The decision was made to keep the bathroom where it was as a dog-washing area, and add a cabinetry-buffer to separate the bathroom door from the working area of the kitchen. Using a pocket door enabled a larger shower to be included. The dramatic wall tile needed to be in relation to a similarly dramatic yet soothing wall color, thus the deep plum wall color. The second floor bathroom originally had a cramped, awkward layout. A built-in linen cabinet that faced the wall was removed in order to create a better layout for the bathroom. As the homeowner was passionate about international travel, the floor tile was selected to reflect an exotic feel but keeping with the colors seen out the window on the lake-side of the house. The house works perfectly for the whole family!

Our client in Emerson has a beautiful home, perched on a magnificent mountain slope with incredible views. They asked Dreamscapes to design outdoor living spaces for them in order to fully utilize the property. Their wish list included a water feature, a deck for outdoor living, a patio to take in the distant views of the mountains, a place to garden, and a natural and native planting design to fit into the existing southeastern native woodlands and mountain environment. Living on the side of a mountain means bedrock. The design incorporates the natural slope and stone and works with the terrain. A new deck was constructed to extend out from the house, floating over the bedrock where it meets the new pond. From the top of the hill, a waterfall cascades down through the native plantings into the pond below. Natural boulders were used to build seating along the pond’s edge, where you can watch the fish, tend to the aquatic plants, listen to the frogs, and even take a dip to cool off. Two natural flagstone patios were built at two different elevations to sit and enjoy the views of the landscape and the mountains. Both patios are accessible by cut stone crab orchard steps set into the slope. The space at the end of the driveway was a blank canvas and the perfect place to design and build a garden of raised beds, enclosed in a traditional picket fence. It is now filled with vegetables, herbs, and cutting flowers. The local bees and butterflies love it too. And the beautiful landscape takes on a magical look after sunset. Landscape lighting was expertly placed, using a variety of fixture types to enhance the pond, waterfalls, trees and plants, bringing the spaces to life after dark. The homeowners are both multi-talented and wanted a place to incorporate their skills. They create original art, build detailed wood work and plant edible gardens, just to name a few. This new landscape gives them and their family and friends a place to work and play and relax. It has become a haven for people and wildlife alike. Outdoor living at its finest!

This home in Arlington was uninhabited for quite a while. The previous owner had purchased the property as a tear-down and planned to build a very large house. Their plans fell through and he put the house on the market as-is, with the utilities disconnected. The first priority was reconnecting and installing utilities, wiring, and mechanicals that had been removed from the home. The exterior was in bad shape, so the exterior was re-sided with cedar shingle, the exterior trim was repaired, and replacement wood gutters were added. Several large, fixed picture windows from the ‘70’s were replaced with modern double-hung units for fresh air. The existing kitchen and baths were vintage mid-century, which did not work with the reinvisioned flow of the home. The new spaces reflect the client’s lifestyle and personalities. The primary instruction for the kitchen was to accommodate multiple people cooking at the same time. The second instruction was to open the kitchen to the dining room, as it was always envisioned as a working kitchen, as opposed to a showplace kitchen. “Antiqued” finishes were used on the cabinetry to emphasize the casual nature of the room. The cabinetry was intentionally selected in order to not feel too “precious” so that the children and pets of the home could interact without worry. The house originally had a bathroom directly off the kitchen, which was not ideal. The decision was made to keep the bathroom where it was as a dog-washing area, and add a cabinetry-buffer to separate the bathroom door from the working area of the kitchen. Using a pocket door enabled a larger shower to be included. The dramatic wall tile needed to be in relation to a similarly dramatic yet soothing wall color, thus the deep plum wall color. The second floor bathroom originally had a cramped, awkward layout. A built-in linen cabinet that faced the wall was removed in order to create a better layout for the bathroom. As the homeowner was passionate about international travel, the floor tile was selected to reflect an exotic feel but keeping with the colors seen out the window on the lake-side of the house. The house works perfectly for the whole family!

With a baby on the way and old cabinets falling apart at the seams, a kitchen remodel was the number one priority for our clients in their charming, historic Denver home. It was essential to make the kitchen feel more spacious and open, while still maintaining it’s original footprint and privacy from the rest of the house. Cabinets on three out of four walls caved into the center of the kitchen, making it feel small and difficult for even two people to be moving about! By eliminating cabinetry on the west wall, we were able to not only make the kitchen feel bigger and brighter, but we also revealed the characteristic exposed brick that was hiding behind a string of cabinets! The brick wall adds so much character and, paired with the wainscoting, is a beautiful nod to the home’s historic charm. As passionate cooks and hosts, it was crucial for our clients to have an island to utilize the counter space for prepping food and having a place for friends or family to sit and chat while they cooked a meal. Small but mighty, the island is the center of attention with a beautiful black walnut butcher block countertop, cabinets for storage, and seating for three! Our favorite feature in this kitchen sits just above the gas range; the custom wood surround on the range hood was handcrafted onsite as the final finishing touch. The elements of the natural wood, soft French grey cabinets, satin brass hardware and intricate marble herringbone backsplash all come together on this one wall, giving you a moment of cohesive glee. We are thrilled with the transformation, and our clients are elated to have a beautiful new kitchen for their new, growing family.

For many, professional interior design is a luxury. Whether your home’s design project is large or small, having the ability to transform your house, apartment or condo into a beautiful, unique space is a wonderful opportunity for self-expression. Even if it is a just simple accent wall painted in a color that speaks to you, or a complete renovation of your cabinets to achieve the kitchen of your dreams, interior design allows you to create an environment that is both personal and comfortable. That is exactly how interior designer and founder of Design Exchange Sean Carlson Perry feels about what he does for a living. “The reason that I love designing spaces, and value the impact of space design on people, is the way the spaces make us feel, the visceral appeal of good design. Good design should stimulate the senses and generate an emotionally engaging experience. As a designer, I get to massage and sculpt people’s experience of space!” Perry shared with us. In late 2017, the Paintzen team connected with Perry regarding a very special design project he was working on. Design Exchange was renovating, redesigning and re-furnishing The Ali Forney Center. The Ali Forney Center, based in New York City, is the largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to housing homeless LGBTQ youth. Nearly 40% of the homeless youth population is LGBTQ. Homeless LGBTQ youth are eight times more likely to experience violence, discrimination, and suicide. AFC houses 124 youths each night and provides services to over 1,400 homeless young people per year. Although the organization does an incredible job to provide safety and shelter to homeless youth, Perry and his team felt the space itself could use some updating and could feel more welcoming. Rooms were dark, cold, and lacked proper storage. Furniture was in poor shape and didn’t work. The rooms were being under-utilized; overall, there was so much more that could be done within the walls of the AFC that could be improved using interior design & paint! We at Paintzen were excited to partner with Design Exchange to do our part in this transformation. The dark, paneled walls were re-painted white. This entirely opened up the space, making it brighter, warmer and more welcoming. The white walls also served as a much better backdrop for smart lighting, as well as for the furniture, wall decor, and new flooring. Beyond painting, Perry and his team used FLOR carpet tiles for durability in a bright Fuchsia shade for a pop of color. They created a more functional layout to maximize the space and make better use of its architectural details and added new furniture including lamps, tables, throws, a sofa, a TV and a Roku to make the space beautiful, and even fun. “Design increases connection and community,” Perry told us. “When we revamp a shelter space, history tells us that the residents spend more time in the space, more time with their peers, building connections and community; a greater sense of home.” Perry’s goal was to create an environment that set its residents up for success by improving their quality of life, outlook and self-esteem. “This isn’t extreme home makeover (although I wish I had that budget!). It’s about improving the aesthetics of the space to create a better environment and experience for people who are going through challenging times. I’ve been lucky enough to have an amount of work that allows me to donate a portion of profits to Design Exchange Projects.” Sean Carlson Perry founded Design Exchange as a way to use his talent, passion, and skills to help those who are struggling, or in a place of immediate need. He was searching to bring deeper meaning and a humanitarian component to his work. Perry has worked with clients in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. “Good design—functionally, aesthetically and ergonomically—promotes a better quality of life.” This is a mantra that describes why Perry does what he does through Design Exchange, working to help the underserved of New York City and other cities across the country. “I grew up gay in Nebraska, and have gone through some hard times when I was younger, but I can’t imagine going through what these kids go through – rejection from family, being kicked out of the house for being who they are, homeless and having nowhere else to turn,” said Perry. “Luckily, there is The Ali Forney Center. Doing these projects for AFC strikes close to home for me, so they are extra special and close to my heart.”

Our client in Emerson has a beautiful home, perched on a magnificent mountain slope with incredible views. They asked Dreamscapes to design outdoor living spaces for them in order to fully utilize the property. Their wish list included a water feature, a deck for outdoor living, a patio to take in the distant views of the mountains, a place to garden, and a natural and native planting design to fit into the existing southeastern native woodlands and mountain environment. Living on the side of a mountain means bedrock. The design incorporates the natural slope and stone and works with the terrain. A new deck was constructed to extend out from the house, floating over the bedrock where it meets the new pond. From the top of the hill, a waterfall cascades down through the native plantings into the pond below. Natural boulders were used to build seating along the pond’s edge, where you can watch the fish, tend to the aquatic plants, listen to the frogs, and even take a dip to cool off. Two natural flagstone patios were built at two different elevations to sit and enjoy the views of the landscape and the mountains. Both patios are accessible by cut stone crab orchard steps set into the slope. The space at the end of the driveway was a blank canvas and the perfect place to design and build a garden of raised beds, enclosed in a traditional picket fence. It is now filled with vegetables, herbs, and cutting flowers. The local bees and butterflies love it too. And the beautiful landscape takes on a magical look after sunset. Landscape lighting was expertly placed, using a variety of fixture types to enhance the pond, waterfalls, trees and plants, bringing the spaces to life after dark. The homeowners are both multi-talented and wanted a place to incorporate their skills. They create original art, build detailed wood work and plant edible gardens, just to name a few. This new landscape gives them and their family and friends a place to work and play and relax. It has become a haven for people and wildlife alike. Outdoor living at its finest!

This beautiful 1881 Alameda Victorian cottage, wonderfully embodying the Transitional Gothic-Eastlake era, had most of its original features intact. Our clients, one of whom is a painter, wanted to preserve the beauty of the historic home while modernizing its flow and function. From several small rooms, we created a bright, open artist’s studio. We dug out the basement for a large workshop, extending a new run of stair in keeping with the existing original staircase. While keeping the bones of the house intact, we combined small spaces into large rooms, closed off doorways that were in awkward places, removed unused chimneys, changed the circulation through the house for ease and good sightlines, and made new high doorways that work gracefully with the eleven foot high ceilings. We removed inconsistent picture railings to give wall space for the clients’ art collection and to enhance the height of the rooms. From a poorly laid out kitchen and adjunct utility rooms, we made a large kitchen and family room with nine-foot-high glass doors to a new large deck. A tall wood screen at one end of the deck, fire pit, and seating give the sense of an outdoor room, overlooking the owners’ intensively planted garden. A previous mismatched addition at the side of the house was removed and a cozy outdoor living space made where morning light is received. The original house was segmented into small spaces; the new open design lends itself to the clients’ lifestyle of entertaining groups of people, working from home, and enjoying indoor-outdoor living. Photography by Kurt Manley. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/artists-victorian/

The design of this home drew upon historical styles, preserving the essentials of the original movement while updating these elements with clean lines and modern materials. Peers Homestead drew upon the American Farmhouse. The architectural design was based on several factors: orientation with views and connection to seasonal water elements, glass cubes, simplistic form and material palette, and steel accents with structure and cladding. To capture views, the floor to ceiling windows in the great room bring in the natural environment into the home and were oriented to face the Spanish Peaks. The great room’s simple gable roof and square room shape, accompanied by the large glass walls and a high ceiling, create an impressive glass cube effect. Following a contemporary trend for windows, thin-frame, aluminum clad windows were utilized for the high performance qualities as well as the aesthetic appeal. (Photos by Whitney Kamman)

For many, professional interior design is a luxury. Whether your home’s design project is large or small, having the ability to transform your house, apartment or condo into a beautiful, unique space is a wonderful opportunity for self-expression. Even if it is a just simple accent wall painted in a color that speaks to you, or a complete renovation of your cabinets to achieve the kitchen of your dreams, interior design allows you to create an environment that is both personal and comfortable. That is exactly how interior designer and founder of Design Exchange Sean Carlson Perry feels about what he does for a living. “The reason that I love designing spaces, and value the impact of space design on people, is the way the spaces make us feel, the visceral appeal of good design. Good design should stimulate the senses and generate an emotionally engaging experience. As a designer, I get to massage and sculpt people’s experience of space!” Perry shared with us. In late 2017, the Paintzen team connected with Perry regarding a very special design project he was working on. Design Exchange was renovating, redesigning and re-furnishing The Ali Forney Center. The Ali Forney Center, based in New York City, is the largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to housing homeless LGBTQ youth. Nearly 40% of the homeless youth population is LGBTQ. Homeless LGBTQ youth are eight times more likely to experience violence, discrimination, and suicide. AFC houses 124 youths each night and provides services to over 1,400 homeless young people per year. Although the organization does an incredible job to provide safety and shelter to homeless youth, Perry and his team felt the space itself could use some updating and could feel more welcoming. Rooms were dark, cold, and lacked proper storage. Furniture was in poor shape and didn’t work. The rooms were being under-utilized; overall, there was so much more that could be done within the walls of the AFC that could be improved using interior design & paint! We at Paintzen were excited to partner with Design Exchange to do our part in this transformation. The dark, paneled walls were re-painted white. This entirely opened up the space, making it brighter, warmer and more welcoming. The white walls also served as a much better backdrop for smart lighting, as well as for the furniture, wall decor, and new flooring. Beyond painting, Perry and his team used FLOR carpet tiles for durability in a bright Fuchsia shade for a pop of color. They created a more functional layout to maximize the space and make better use of its architectural details and added new furniture including lamps, tables, throws, a sofa, a TV and a Roku to make the space beautiful, and even fun. “Design increases connection and community,” Perry told us. “When we revamp a shelter space, history tells us that the residents spend more time in the space, more time with their peers, building connections and community; a greater sense of home.” Perry’s goal was to create an environment that set its residents up for success by improving their quality of life, outlook and self-esteem. “This isn’t extreme home makeover (although I wish I had that budget!). It’s about improving the aesthetics of the space to create a better environment and experience for people who are going through challenging times. I’ve been lucky enough to have an amount of work that allows me to donate a portion of profits to Design Exchange Projects.” Sean Carlson Perry founded Design Exchange as a way to use his talent, passion, and skills to help those who are struggling, or in a place of immediate need. He was searching to bring deeper meaning and a humanitarian component to his work. Perry has worked with clients in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. “Good design—functionally, aesthetically and ergonomically—promotes a better quality of life.” This is a mantra that describes why Perry does what he does through Design Exchange, working to help the underserved of New York City and other cities across the country. “I grew up gay in Nebraska, and have gone through some hard times when I was younger, but I can’t imagine going through what these kids go through – rejection from family, being kicked out of the house for being who they are, homeless and having nowhere else to turn,” said Perry. “Luckily, there is The Ali Forney Center. Doing these projects for AFC strikes close to home for me, so they are extra special and close to my heart.”