As an interior designer, it’s my job to help people fill their homes with furnishings and décor that nurtures and delights them. This process often coincides with a life transition, like a move, a new baby, or retirement. It’s a privilege and an honor to play a part in these significant life changes.

But what happens to the old furnishings, especially when they still have life left in them?

This is a question that has weighed on me more and more over the years.

So when my interior designer friend Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery decided to wind down her design business to focus on building a local non-profit that diverts tons of furniture away from landfill, I was thrilled, grateful, and eager to be involved.

The organization, Make It Home Bay Area, solves multiple problems at once by partnering with local social service agencies to furnish the homes of families and young adults who are experiencing furniture poverty as they transition out of crisis.

Make It Home Bay Area got off the ground in the fall of 2020, and the impact has already been enormous. They quickly filled up a 10,000 square foot space with gently used furniture and household goods. A mighty team of volunteers grew organically to help Carolyn receive, sort, repair, and disperse gently used furniture to young adults and families experiencing furniture poverty.

A steady supply of furniture has kept the warehouse full, and a steady demand for furniture has reinforced the importance of the work that the team at Make It Home is doing.

 

To date, Make It Home Bay Area has furnished 176 households

and diverted 194 tons of furniture away from landfill.

 

Nystrom Design has made a commitment to donate time, product, and money to this essential work. I’m pleased to be serving on the board of directors and eager to be a liaison to connect others who want to be involved.

If you are interested in getting involved, feel free to reach out to me personally. Or head over to the Make it Home website, where you can easily make a monetary donation, volunteer time, or inquire about donating gently used furniture.