Photography by Katherine Bish
Emily Trujillo had finished detailing floor plans, color schemes and room accents for a house—her last assignment for the interior-design class at Eureka High School.
But she wanted to do more.
“I really wanted to design a child’s room, because I love working with kids,” says Ms. Trujillo. However, she needed help. So she contacted Dana King, a friend, mentor and owner of Dana’s Design Studio in the Central West End.
“My design philosophy is to make my services more affordable and accessible to everyone at any income level,” Ms. King says. “Emily wanted to have practical experience to learn interior design, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more about what people need at all income levels.”
The two set out to find a family to work for, a program to work with and extra sets of helping hands. Ms. Trujillo signed up some fellow youth-group members at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gina Adolphson, one of Ms. King’s design colleagues, offered to help as well. Gayle Gill and Karen Brown, moderators for United Christian Ministries Church of Jesus Christ’s Youth Group, joined the gang.
“Seems like we all got pushed together by chance,” Ms. Trujillo says. Once everyone met, the project grew from a single room to the entire house.
Ms. King proposed the idea to Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. Bingo. The organization had finished building houses on Coleman Street and North Garrison Avenue in North St. Louis, all part of a project called Hope Square. Then, last summer, it held a lottery for one lucky family to receive interior-design services for their new home.
“We wanted a family that was not afraid of using color,” says Avis Laden-Hill, Habitat’s family selection and support manager.
The winners were Ursalon Berry, her husband Steve Crawford and their four children: Eric, 12; Aniyah, 8; Jacobi, 5; and Kyla, 3. They had moved from Berkeley to a 1,200-square-foot house in Hope Square last December to be closer to the kids’ schools. Soon after moving in, the family met with Ms. Trujillo, Ms. King and the rest of the design crew. The walls of their new Hope Square home were white, but Ms. Berry and Mr. Crawford longed for vibrant, fun colors and themed rooms.
For the next five months, the designers worked with the family. The design team grew to about 30; Ms. King oversaw three groups of 10. They planned, painted, refinished and rearranged furniture.
The living and dining room walls were painted in bold hues of mustard yellow and terra-cotta brown. Rugs (donated by Rug Décor and Ambassador Floor Company) covered the hardwood flooring.
Ms. Berry worked closely with Ms. King. Although she already owned traditional-style furniture and trendy accents, Ms. Berry did not know how to blend the components to create a unique look. Ms. King suggested using pillows patterned with zigzags and swirls to accent her forest-green sofa and love seat.
A large mirror, donated by County Glass and Mirror, was hung on the wall above the love seat. Framed photos of the kids—a surprise for Ms. Berry—also graced the walls.
Upstairs, with pointers from Ms. King, Ms. Trujillo designed two rooms, including her coveted child’s room. She used the pattern of Aniyah’s comforter as inspiration for the bedroom’s “flower power” colorful walls, turning the whimsical, multicolor daisy-like flowers on the comforter into giant decals. To get the effect, Ms. Trujillo nailed painted canvas-covered cardboard circles on the walls. Then, with Aniyah’s aid, she painted black petal outlines around the circles to complete the flowers.
“Aniyah and I had a lot of fun together,” Ms. Trujillo says. “She loved helping me paint.”
Once the work was complete, the family held an open house, inviting the entire neighborhood to come see the results. With a little extra help from a talented mentor and 30 volunteers, a young designer’s idea was realized. It was the proverbial win-win for everyone. “I love it,” Ms. Berry says.
Ms. King says she is now exploring different ways to go about coordinating more projects like this one with Mr. Crawford and Ms. Berry.
“People have a lot to give, and Ursalon and her family gave us so much—they gave Emily a hands-on experience that she may not have had at her age.”
Probably not. She’s 17.
