SHACK and Lotus bring vibrancy to a Sydney Women's Refuge...

After much hard work and a huge combined effort from Shack staff members and Lotus volunteers we are finally able to reveal the final transformation of a once very tired women's refuge.

The Lotus Team was so encouraged by the incredible generosity both in goods and in time from the SHACK team who worked tirelessly and cheerfully during a very busy time of the year to give back and pay forward kindness and hope for all the future women and children in crisis who will set foot now this Women's Refuge.

We hope that as you browse through these before and after shots that you would be inspired and encouraged by our achievement.
 

Lounge Room Before

Lounge Room After

 

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Retreat Space Before

Retreat Space After

"Breathe", Mixed Medium on Board, Amanda McSeveny 2011

We need to say a very special thank you to the following generous contributors; Shack , Blinds by Bayliss, Chantal Binnett, Accent Curtains in Seven Hills, Norwest Bunnings, Proud Furniture in Alexandria, West Ryde Paint Wholesalers' ,The Julie Lewis Agency, North Epping Girl Guides and Beautifully Recreated . There are many others as well so to everyone who so generously offered their time, skills and resources to us - we couldn't have done it without you!


Angela Wilson
Lotus Interiors
Founder

Vote for Lotus Interiors at projectlocal.com.au

The Northern District Times newspaper are currently part of a community grant scheme called Project Local. Lotus Interiors have applied for one of the funding grants and our application has made it through to the voting round.

We would love all of our supporters to register and place their votes for us.

Go to projectlocal.com.au to register and vote!
  

Unfortunately voting is a rather lengthy process however here are some instructions to try to make it as easy as possible.

1. Go to projectlocal.com.au and register yourself.
2. Upon receipt of your project local account details confirmation email click on the enclosed link to set up your password and log in to vote.
3. Once you have created your password you will be advised that you have an allocation of 10 votes.
4. To vote for Lotus Interiors click on the 'Current Ideas' tab on the top navigation bar
5. Ensure 'All ideas' are selected in your search bar. You will note there are 30 pages of Ideas.
6. You will need to search for Lotus Interiors as it doesn't always appear on the same page. When you have found it click 'Read More'
7. Once this is selected you will find the 'Vote' button. Click this and you will be asked how many of your 10 votes you would like to allocate. We would love it if you nominated all 10.


We have two weeks to get as many votes as we can, voting closes on Friday 16th March.

Thank you for taking the time to support us, fingers crossed!!!

It was 2011's final makeover...

December 2011 was a busy month for the Lotus team as we worked together with SHACK on making over the communal spaces of a Sydney Women's Refuge. Our last project however for the year was to assist Belinda*, a 22 year old girl who grew up in foster care due to domestic violence. Having had 21 homes in as many years Belinda* was excited about the prospect of a safe and secure house for the next couple of years.

Lotus had meet with Belinda* a few months earlier and been busy planning and coordinating a makeover for her cute little 2 bedroom unit. Belinda* had received a funding grant allowing her to purchase white goods and some furniture and we took on the task of assisting her decorate her unit, so her house could become a home.

Lounge - Dining Before

Belinda's living room was already accessorised with rusty orange tones. So the addition of a throw, rug and some artworks from SHACK all added some more colour to the neutral furniture and complemented the existing decor beautifully. An upcycled bowl also looked beautiful against her dark timber dining setting.

 Lounge - Dining After

Master Bedroom Before 

In the bedroom the addition of a natural timber heart created a beautiful, romantic feeling which was complemented by the floral quilt set donated by SHACK homewares. Belinda's* bedside tables were adorned with candles, a donated lamp and a vase. A restored mirror added extra functionality to Belinda's* jewellery display.

 

Musk Cherry Blossoms, 2011, Acrylic and Mixed Medium on Canvas- Work of Amanda McSeveny

Amanda McSeveny's Cherry Blossoms artwork at the end of Belinda's bed added to the romantic feel its lovely soft pink tones. This piece is a beautiful representation of the preciousness and fragility of life. It also reminders the viewer that each tiny seemingly insignificant part 'life' is unique and priceless. Upon completion of Belinda's* room she commented that her bedroom "looked like one of those beautiful hotels". We certainly hope it will become her special retreat. The addition of some potted plants also softened her little balcony.

Second Bedroom Before

In the second bedroom Sue Blake of In An Organised Fashion created a study/dressing room for Belinda* with lots of new storage solutions. A big thank you to Howard's Storage for a wonderful donation of a hanging robe and some beautiful storage baskets.

Second Bedroom After

Belinda* was very overwhelmed and extremely grateful for all that was done. We too as always loved the privilege of being able to assist in such a simple way.

Thank you to everyone who was involved with our projects in 2011 and we hope you will join with us again in 2012!



Girl Guides get creative and give generously...

Who doesn't love a bunting or a paper pompom? Well these simple craft activities brought the Mums and daughters of the North Epping Girl Guides together one evening in December last year, as they generously gave of their time to create gorgeous bedroom accessories for Lotus Interior's future families. As Lotus Interiors is all about restoring beauty it seemed fitting that the girls contribute to the cause by using their hands to create something cute and from upcycled fabric swatches.

Tammy and I both considered it a real privilege to be part of their nights activities and to witness young people willing to be generous and give to their community in a simple but tangible way.

A huge thanks goes to Roslyn for her vision and commitment to the evening and to the North Epping Girl Guides for their willingness to host such a fabulous evening, for Lotus. Thank you also to Karen Stewart of Boda Interiors for donating the sample fabrics that became our bunting and to beedeebags.com.au who donated the ream of tissue paper for our paper pompoms.

As you can see all had lots of fun. There were many pompoms made and bunting created which I am sure will bring much joy to the recipients.

Part 2 - Sharing our time with yet another Wonderful Mum...

.... Following on from Part 1- A Birthday Wish Comes True, we completed the makeover of the rest of Simone's* home in late November. We visited her a number of times helping her to clean, arrange furniture and decorate her bedroom and living room.

Sue of In an Organised Fashion spent an invaluable morning with Simone* helping her to sort and arrange her wardrobe. This was something that Simone*, as a busy single mother of three, would never have made time to do for herself. It was nice to spend time with her chatting and laughing as we went. With Sue's guidance Simone* was able to declutter and sort her wardrobe, it was a very productive and enjoyable morning.

Simone's Bedroom Before

Simone's* bedroom was decorated with the side tables that had been painted as part of our restoration day. Some lamp shades had also been painted to match the SHACK quilt and cushions and a mirror was centered over the bed.

Simone's Bedroom After

In the living room, the biggest impact was made by rearranging her furniture and hanging some artwork. Simone* is currently studying fine arts so it was nice to be able to display some of her own original pieces.

With so much sadness and stress complicating her life, Lotus Interiors provided Simone* and her girls with some relief and the enjoyment of having an inviting home environment. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to helping this family.

* Note names have been changed