a project from my heart

I’ve said it many times: Design Matters when it comes  to what educated, licensed interior designers can do to help people heal and dream, be comfortable, healthy, happy, and safe.  I’ve embarked on a project for dear friends that I consider part of my extended family, and it’s becoming the project I am proudest of.  On May 6th of this year, my friend, Kalee, and our friend, TJ, were killed by Kalee’s estranged husband who then turned the gun on himself, leaving their three daughters orphaned.  Kalee’s mom and dad, our close friends and neighbors, were granted custody of the girls, but were in desperate need of more space.  Heartbroken over the loss of this remarkable mom, friend, and professional, this incredible community of kind-hearted people immediately began asking what they could do to help.

I knew what I could do right away.  I had to help to deliver them an addition and remodel.  I reached out to friends in my industry and we assembled a team of the most generous, kind, thoughtful people who wanted to contribute everything they could.  And it’s been astounding.  Erin and Brian at Encore Construction and I arrived at a design that is stylish but economical, yet exceedingly functional in regards to space planning and circulation. We were able to achieve my goal: It gave each girl a room of her own.  Beaudette Consulting Engineers graciously engineered the project and created construction documents which I then brought to my pal, Jeremy at JM Moran & Company Construction, who agreed to build for no fee.  From there, we’ve been honored and surprised by the level of generosity given from subcontractors offering labor and materials for free or at cost.  Most incredibly, has been Boyce Lumber, who has offered to donate everything they have access to, which spans from windows & doors, to sheetrock, to siding, to kitchen cabinets, to paint and well beyond!  Boyce Lumber is truly a marvel and I will encourage everyone I come across to shop there for a multitude of reasons.

I write this post as testament to humanity and to community.  My faith in people is stronger than ever.  I am honored to call Missoula my home, surrounded by such an uplifting, industrious, and inspirational group of humans.  I’ll keep you posted on our progress, as things are moving quickly.  Here are a couple of pictures of the site, the massive excavation mass, and the progress with the ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms).  Yes, the front of the house is torn off and they braving it.  Jeremy has the back portion of the house blocked off and created a mini kitchen for the time being.

If you’d like to show support to the family here’s a link to the GoFundMe site: https://www.gofundme.com/scolattigirls

Thank you for reading.   BB

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