ICON - January/February 2017

I M A G E S : C H R I S K E N N E D Y

saw the results firsthand. “The ‘aha’ moment for me was when we finished the project and one woman came to me and said, ‘Miss Kia, when I walked into this room, I realized change was possible for me.’ These women kept saying things like, ‘We can’t believe someone wants to do this for us,’ ‘I thought this stuff was only obtainable on TV,’ and ‘I never knew this could exist for me.’ That was such a humbling experience. You can’t quantify that with a billable hour,” explains Weatherspoon.

Weatherspoon’s first project may have been pro
bono, but it has since led to a series of paid proj-
ects. She hones her ideas about designing supportive
space for vulnerable people, and the tactics that
make it work economically. Her advice? “Go back
to the basics. Make sure you have a strong concept
that connects to the community being served.”
After solidifying a concept that connects,
Weatherspoon recommends a detailed cost-benefit
analysis in the materials selection process. Specifically,
designers must look carefully at product and installa-
tion costs for each option, while keeping the greater
goals in mind. On one project, she wanted to add
wood detailing to bring warmth to an interior cor-
ridor that felt drab and oppressive. Wood laminate
wasn’t feasible, but Weatherspoon found an attractive
wood wallcovering instead, which was inexpensive
and quick for contractors to install.

On another project, she convinced the devel-
oper to abandon the dropped ceiling designed
by the project architect, and substituted white-
painted drywall for the acoustical ceiling tiles. The
change in building material provided a more visu-
ally appealing solution.

Weatherspoon always weighs paint color carefully for its visual and psychological impact. It might take an interior designer an hour to come up with a matching palette that feels warm and embracing.

But for a resident returning from long hours at a low-paying job, it provides a blanket of comfort over the years. This effect is a stark contrast to the thoughtless color selection often made by contractors, which can leave a space feeling cold and unharmonious.

One of Weatherspoon’s favorite approaches is to add something simple at the entryway of each unit to create a sense of arrival. Even a single swatch of wood-like LVT (luxury vinyl tile) will do the trick, she says. “It’s just about creating a sense of home.

When you enter your home, there should always be
some personal touch that says you’ve arrived.”
Perhaps most importantly, the design should
not be imposed on residents. Rather, they should
be consulted on what makes them feel at home, an
approach Weatherspoon has maintained since her
first project with House of Ruth. “For me it was
really important to take these women through the
entire design process—to treat them like clients,
and not just say, ‘Here, we are giving this to you.’ I
realized that the people who need access to a well-
designed space the most don’t know that they don’t
have it, they don’t know they need it, and they don’t
know how to ask for it,” she notes.

But like almost anyone, residents see the value in a warm, healthy home once they are exposed to one.

GOOD-QUALI TY HOUSING IS more than just func-

tional, warm, and inviting. It should be constructed in an environmentally sound manner—another way in which interior designers are positioned to make a contribution to affordable housing projects.

In Minneapolis, the non-profit affordable hous-
ing developer Aeon completed construction on The
Rose, a 90-unit mixed-income apartment complex
designed to be 75 percent more energy efficient than
code requirements, and to treat 75 percent of storm
water on-site. Forty-seven of the units are desig-
nated as affordable housing. This designation gives
low-income families access to what are typically
considered high-end amenities, such as security
guards, heated underground parking, a fitness room,
a yoga studio, resident lounges, and event space. The
affordable units are indistinguishable from the mar-
ket-rate units: All come with granite countertops
and stainless-steel appliances, and are constructed
“Good design is
about thoughtfulness.