Designer Diaries 001

The Catch

“What’s the catch?”

When she left her apartment this morning, this room was empty. Now, it holds her freshly made four-poster bed and a crib for her baby. Tall vases with even taller bamboo sticks frame a dresser in the corner, making the room feel like the zen lobby of a spa. The very space she asked for. 

“All this is mine?” she asks. 

This morning, she woke up on an air mattress on the floor in the living room with her kids, the baby in the pack-n-play. 

Two days ago, my design partner and I looked at this young mom through the phone screen and told her about Humble Design. 

“We’re a nonprofit that takes gently used donated goods from the community. We use those donations to fully furnish and decorate the homes for our families,” we told her. 

When we asked about her journey, she told us about having to flee. About the weeks they spent in one shelter and the months in another until they got this apartment to sleep on the floor. 

We continued our interview by asking about the kids.
What do they like?
What’s their favorite color?
What grade are they in so we can bring them books?

What do you need for the baby?

We talked about her needs.
Are you starting from scratch in the kitchen?
Do you want a coffee maker? (This question can bring the most joy.) 
Do you need a crockpot? A microwave? A blender?
Do you like to bake? Do you want cookbooks?

She left everything behind but her babies. She needs it all.

Then we talked about her wants.
What is your style? 
What is your favorite color?
Do you like to read?

“Our goal when you come home is for this place to feel like you.” 

There are times when the conversation can stop here. She would be happy with anything. Maybe it feels indulgent to ask for what you want when you have spent so much time scraping together what you need—shelter to run to, a space of your own, an air mattress to share in the living room. 

“We have a warehouse full of stuff that people have donated for this very purpose. Ask for what you want, and if we have it we’ll bring it.”

She showed us around her place through the phone, and we drew out the rooms as she slowly panned around. We drew where the windows and closets were, trying to judge what furniture would fit. We noted the need for a shower bar in the bathtub, a toilet paper holder, and a place to hang towels. We asked her to send us family photos so we could print them out for her space.

The other designer and I spent the next two days going through our warehouse, choosing things for her space.

• sofa, chairs, side tables, coffee table, media console 

• beds, dressers, crib, rocking chair, nightstands, desks

• bedding, lamps, books, hangers, baskets, decor

• dishes, glasses, mugs, placemats, napkins

• pots, pans, baking sheets, cookbooks, books

• curtains, throw pillows, candles

• artwork, desk items, kid items, baby items

We wrap and pack it all in our reusable bins for Deco Day. 

On the morning of our third workday, our young mom handed over the keys and left for a few hours. Our movers brought the large furniture, and an hour later, we arrived with our volunteers and everything else.  Everyone worked, making the beds, washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, and hanging the artwork and the curtains. 

Now she stands in her furnished place asking, 

“What’s the catch? What do I need to do?”

It is clear from her reaction she did not expect all this— the fully stocked kitchen, the dining table set and ready for use, the throw pillows, the blankets, the TV, and the curtains.

“There is no catch,” we tell her, “you’ve already done the work to get here.”

“So, you’re telling me someone isn’t going to show up tomorrow and ask for all this back?”

“Absolutely not. You signed the papers. It’s all yours to keep.” 

The catch is you get to live your life. 

***

A few months ago at church, I led a discussion group through John 14:2, where Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you.” (CJB)

This verse came into sharp focus for me that day in the context of what I get to do every week. I get to prepare a place for them, and this one asks what she needs to do.

For years, I tried to do. I tried to be good and obedient. I tried not to cause trouble and fly under the radar. But then someone asked me,  “What if it’s about love and accepting love and living in gratitude for the love?”

That is all I can do with a gift: receive it and use it. Take the step into living as who I’m created to be. A mother, designer, and writer following creativity wherever it goes. 

The gift is now we get to live, this young mother and I. We get to use these gifts, the tangible physical things, and the talents to be discovered.  

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My design team is one of three at our location, furnishing three homes every week. We are one of five locations nationwide. Learn more about our mission to get more kids in beds at Humble Design.