Lavishing a young mum and her gorgeous little boy...

Hi all! Thank you so much for tuning in to see what we are up to here at Lotus Interiors......all are welcome!

As well as working with single parents and children from crisis housing we are now very excited to also be working alongside an Independent Living Program that assists homeless young people develop independence.

Our latest project was with a beautiful 22 year old mother, *Jane and her energetic 22 month old boy *Tom.

The Independent Living Program has assisted *Jane since she left home as a teenager and had nowhere to go, right through to assisting her move away from a volatile relationship.

Lotus Interiors felt that *Jane was more than deserving of some spoiling. It is our hope that such a simple gift might change the nature and course of her life.

*Jane was given a public housing placement in a brand new villa and the Lotus Interiors team went to work!

Enjoy seeing the photos of her new beginning.

Angela Wilson
Founder

Some thoughts from the day…

Tom's Room Before...

Tom's Room After ...

 For *Tom we created a fun and colourful room where he can enjoy his toys, with table and chairs to sit and play, and lots of fun and happy furnishings. Our artist extraordinaire, Amanda McSeveny, created some wonderful artwork that is sure to put a smile on his face and capture his imagination on a daily basis. The blue star theme is one that no doubt he will stamp his own style on in the years ahead. *Tom is such a gorgeous little boy, so full of life.

Jane's Room Before...

Jane's Room After...

*Jane's room became a wonderful, restful retreat with fabulous textured fabrics complementing, the room’s centerpiece; a beautiful canvas painting donated by Shack Homewares. *Jane and her caseworker were overwhelmed with the outcome and we loved that we could provide her with a stunning space.

Lounge Before ...

Lounge After...

Overall *Jane’s home is now a place of beauty, somewhere that she can be proud of. We hope that our simple act of kindness will reflect to her just how much she is worthy of happiness and joy in her life, and thus effect the choices she makes for the future. As always it is such a privilege to be allowed into peoples home and lives. We sincerely hope *Jane and *Tom enjoy their new home as much as we enjoyed putting it all together for them.

Tammy Scharenguivel

Committee Member

*Please note names have been changed.

A teenage retreat...

Well it was a few weeks ago now but we were back at it, again aiming to restore beauty and hope. This time however our challenge was to convert a disused garage into a teenage retreat. Our beautiful family were in need of an extra bedroom that would allow Ally's* teenage daughter Jane* to have a space of her own. A space that would reunite her with her family.

With only a few hours and limited available hands we set out to create a welcoming and encouraging retreat for a very precious teenage girl, who could do with being showered with beauty and joy.

Arriving again with the trailor in toe we immediately threw ourselves into the cleaning of this once not so loved garage. So engrossed were we in our cleaning that we forgot to take photos, that was until all of the cleaning was done. So here is the garage post our scrubbing.

 As with any makeover this one too has its own story to tell. As with all of our makeovers all of the items we provide are either generously donated or lovingly restored. Well just as we were really getting into it we discovered that the bed we had been given was now missing some vital parts. Not deterred we continued with the makeover even making the bed up on the floor believing that we would be able to solve this minor hiccup before the day was through. So off we headed with the bed pieces in the trailor to the nearest hardware store. Having found most of the staff standing around not doing very much we felt sure that someone would assist us with a solution to our dilemma. Unfortunately the staff were neither able to assist us or very helpful. But where better to find a handyman than a hardware store? Long story short we were fortunate enough to find two very generous tradesmen with a ute full of tools who took the time to fix our bed in the carpark of the hareware store.

We hope Jane* loves her room. We hope it is a place she will enjoy bringing her friends, we hope it is a place of safety and security and it is a retreat where she can know that she is treasured, precious and beautiful beyond measure.

Again thank you to all of the wonderful people who continue to support the work of Lotus Interiors through generous donations of homewares, furniture, time and support.

Lotus Interiors............Restoring Beauty!
 
 
*Note: names have been changed.

Our first family finally gets their new home!

Many of you have journeyed with me and the Lotus Interiors Team over the past seven months or so as we have rallied together to provide beautiful home wares for Ally* and her four children; Tim*, Fiona*, Emma* and Sam*, who despite significant challenges are rebuilding their family unit after being impacted by domestic violence.  

Well - we did it! A few weeks ago the Lotus Interiors Team packed up a Ute, a luggage trailer and a minibus and headed off to provide this family with a home that might fill their lives with beauty, speak value and inspire hope for their future. The day was truly a privilege as this precious family gave us permission to enter their lives and witness their joy and thankfulness.

The transformation was wonderful as the attached photos demonstrate. Our combined efforts have helped provide this amazing family with a fresh start in a truly beautiful and empowering home that we hope they are proud to share with others.

The transformation took place with the assistance of Tim* and Emma* while Ally* and Sam* headed out for the day in order to be able to enjoy a 'big reveal'. Upon arriving back at the house for the reveal Sam* aged 7 sobbed with her arms over her face, unable to look at what was now hers. I had to keep reassuring her that it was all theirs and that it was all going to stay. Eventually she allowed herself to take it in and proceeded to hug me over and over saying "thank you, thank you, thank you" amongst the tears...obviously I cried too!!!

Lounge - Before (Crisis Housing)                                                                               

Lounge - After

Dinning Room - Before (Crisis Housing)

Dining Room & Study Spaces - After

Ally's* reaction to the reveal was priceless. She was so touched and kept saying that she had never ever lived in a house like this. She felt that she could now have friends come into her home without her feeling ashamed and judged. We also hope that despite still facing significant challenges as a family, that her home will now be a place of refuge and comfort.

Ally's Room - Before (Crisis Housing)                                                                            

Ally's Room - After

Tim's Room - Before (Crisis Housing)                                                         

Tim's Room - After

Tim* followed us around all day in his wheelchair saying "This is the best day ever!" What an amazing privilege it was for our team to be able to give such a simple gift to such an inspirational young man.

Emma and Sam's Room - Before (Crisis Housing)                                           

   

Emma's Room - After

Sam's Room - After

Emma* and Sam* had never had their own room before so both were delighted to have their own room complete with side tables and lamps all of which were also a new experience. Sam* spent much time after the reveal flicking her lamp on and off in wonderment. Man, we take so much for granted.  Thanks to your generosity we able to provide some lovely reading books and clothing as well as little gift boxes with some earrings and jewellery for both girls.

I feel so incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to have a dream and then see it come to life in such a beautiful and powerful way. So thank you to all of you who donated items and to those who simply encouraged us along the way.......if it weren't for you then this family would not have received a beautiful home that daily speaks value and hope into their lives.

I would like to specifically thank....

• The wonderful Julia Schofer from SHACK Home wares along with her store manager Samantha Tunbridge for their unconditional support and generosity towards our vision
• Jeremy Byrne and Anthony Spon-Smith of Coco Republic for their incredible generosity and support
• Stylist Katherine Holihan for her continuing support and wonderful donations
• Diana Hagop, Susan Abel, Bronwyn Maynard and Anne Wilson for your kind donations
• Joy Morgan for her countless hours of free babysitting - I couldn't have done any of this without you!
• Louise and Richard Scott for your many volunteered hours of practical help
• Gillian Coutts and Sheridan/Pacific Brands for their wonderful contribution
• Alex Wilson and Scott McSeveny for their moving skills
• Tanya Morgan for her creative expertise
• Rod Minell for his generous furniture donations

And of course to all the individuals who contributed items along the way we are truly thankful.

Last of all a very personal thanks to my team Tammy Scharenguivel, Amanda McSeveny, Georgie Wollaston, Heidi Tombs and Amber Stone, you girls are such an inspiration. With such gigantic hearts, no job is ever too big! I love you guys!

Here's to the next project - bring it on!

Founder
Lotus Interiors............Restoring Beauty!

*Note: names have been changed.

Calling all removalists...

One day a year is all we ask!

Have you ever wondered how your moving business and expertise could make a difference in your local community?..

Lotus Interiors is seeking the assistance of local removalist businesses to assist a local family in crisis and give them the chance at a fresh start!

We have recently secured a storage facility with “Rhodes Self Storage” allowing us to stock pile furnishings and homewares to assist families in need however we still face the challenge of transportation! We require the provision of a truck and two removalists to assist with client moving days and or collection of donated goods.

Lotus Interiors is seeking removalists to donate one days' free service per year!!!

If you would like to join our team by donating your services, please contact Lotus Interiors on the details below. We would love to hear from you!

Complete your one day and that’s it till next year this is our promise!

Introducing Lotus Interiors

So much of who we are and how we value ourselves comes from our immediate environment, the place we live, our home. With this in mind and a deep desire to make a difference and place value on those in need Sydney mum of three, Angela Wilson founded Lotus Interiors in 2009.

Established as a volunteer organisation functioning totally on donated goods and services Lotus Interiors works with women and children facing homelessness, often as a result of a domestic violence.  Lotus Interiors seeks to restore self worth and respect by creating beautiful, valued homes that inspire hope, empowerment and self-confidence.

Currently the Lotus Interiors team is made of a core group of committed committee members who all volunteer their time, skills and expertise while balancing successful careers and or busy lives as mothers. Lotus Interiors in conjunction with other not-for-profit organisations identifies and intentionally works with one family at a time. Lotus Interiors assits the family to successfully transition from crisis housing into an empowering and hopeful home environment. Each home makeover is individually taliored to the needs of the family, with everything that creates a home being considered and sort. For many of these families they have left behind everything to pursue a safe and better life.  For this reason furniture through to manchester, artwork and decorative accessories are needed and sourced for these families to compliment their most valued and precious possessions.

Our service is provided at no cost to the client and as a result we rely completely on the generosity of businesses and individuals. If you would like to find out more about how you can support or volunteer your services to Lotus Interiors, please contact Founder, Angela Wilson on 0414 930 268 or email her at aandawilson(at)aapt.net.au.