Media Releases
Interior Design Joins Mission to End Long-Term Homelessness
Nov. 21, 2008
Students create custom interiors for Cabrini Partnership clients
Charlotte Commons
Students in the Interior Design program at Dakota County Technical College are participating in a service-learning project that allows them to design and deliver custom interiors for clients of Cabrini Partnership of Minneapolis, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and services for homeless adults with mental illness and chemical dependency.
Coco Early, an instructor in the Interior Design program said that Cabrini Partnership, which is committed to ending long-term homelessness in Minnesota within 10 years, contacted her with an opportunity for her students to layout and design interiors for a number of apartments in an innovative housing complex called the Van Cleve Development.
"The housing complex is in the southeast Como neighborhood of Minneapolis next to the historic Bunge grain silo," Early said. "On our first project, the students designed a cohesive interior and picked out furniture for Darnicia, a 19-year-old, single, expectant mother who had just moved into her new, one-bedroom apartment."
Darnicia received a $1,200 allowance to furnish her living space, which is located in a new building called Charlotte Commons. The DCTC students embraced the budget, applying their knowledge and talent to make Darnicia's dream apartment a reality.
Darnicia's new entryway Darnicia's new dining room
Shannon Sargent, a full-time student and mother of three from Hudson, Wis., spearheaded the summer project, which soon turned into a family affair for everyone involved.
"Both my husband and father volunteered to help," said Sargent, who will graduate from the Interior Design program with an A.A.S. degree in spring 2009. "We worked on weekends and nights to layout and furnish Darnicia's apartment. At first she seemed a little overwhelmed by all that was happening, but she soon trusted that we were going to follow through until everything promised was in place."
Students Theresa Antonneau of Lakeville, Minn., and Emma Medina of Eagan, Minn., self-described "partners in crime," reported having a wonderful time on the project. Medina, who will graduate in 2010, relished the chance to get direct feedback from a real-world client. "We interviewed Darnicia first thing," Medina said, "and helped her put together a wish list."
Antonneau, another full-time student and mother of three, enjoyed learning and adapting while working on an actual interior design job. "We really threw ourselves into the project," she said. "We traveled all over visiting rummage and tag sales and found Darnicia some beautiful pieces. We also received a lot of donated items."
"Our previously homeless clients have never envisioned themselves living in their very own apartments. When they find out that interior design students are going to provide them with professional custom interiors, they are stunned."
Terry Gustafson of Bloomington echoed the thoughts of her classmates, noting that everyone was hoping to complete three more projects before Christmas. "This was a huge, joint effort," she said. "We can't wait to get going on another one."
Darnicia's new living room
Leon Axtman, the volunteer employment manager at Cabrini Partnership, said that his organization is collaborating with Project for Pride in Living on the Van Cleve Development. He immediately thought of DCTC as the need for interior design work surfaced, having worked with the college on an earlier employment course design project.
"Our previously homeless clients have never envisioned themselves living in their very own apartments," he said. "When they find out that interior design students are going to provide them with professional custom interiors, they are stunned."
Axtman went on to say that at least 20 similar interior design projects are in the works. He is excited about having DCTC students work their magic on the apartments, which incorporate substantial green design, including passive solar heat, certified sustainable lumber, Energy Star appliances, and low-flow showerheads and toilets.
Instructor Coco Early mentioned that several other students are involved in the Cabrini service-learning project, including Kathy Irwin, Margaret Augustine, Brian Cain, Shannon Sivula, Shawn Leetz and Lolita Nickoli. Early reported that her program's interior design work for Cabrini Partnership clients would continue into the foreseeable future.
Rendering of Van Cleve Development -- courtesy of UrbanWorks Architecture