Surprise Teachers' Lounge Makeover Reveal

For the past few months, I’ve been working on a project I’ve never done before: fundraising/designing/planning for a complete makeover of a teachers’ lounge at Carter High School, my town’s public high school for special needs.

I fully documented the process on Instagram, from concept to fundraising, purchasing, and installation. And then my absolute favorite part was the room reveal with the teachers. Below are a few before and after photos of the space, which were tough to take given the florescent lighting in the space (one of the many creative challenges I had to work with/around😉). I’m proud of raising $5k as a relative newcomer to town with very few corporate connections, and how far I stretched that money for paint, wallpaper, all new furniture, appliances, and decor. But I’m most proud of how the teachers say the makeover made them feel. If anyone is deserving of this makeover, it’s public school teachers of special needs students. And we all know the impact that a well-designed space has on your physical and mental health. My hope is that this makeover will inspire other designers and design-savvy parents/community members/PTAs to give their teachers’ lounges a little bit of design love. Because even just a little can go a long way.