What To Do on Saturday Night

This afternoon, as the clouds rolled west over the mountains, I drove down from Denver to Colorado Springs for an event that reminded me of one of my favorite design adages: Often, simple design is the best design. The event is called Design for Hope, and it’s a project of the Interior Design program at Pikes Peak Community College. The concept is simple (and modeled after the TV show “Design Star” on HGTV).  Each of eight teams of students gets a blank space (three walls and a floor platform) and is assigned a room (kitchen, kid’s bath, art studio, outdoor living area, etc.) Each team gets $1,000. The rest is up to them.

Students were encouraged to use recycled and reclaimed items, and I think they did a brilliant job. As I walked around the rooms (at an empty retail space at the Promenade Shops at Briargate), the student designers talked about how they recycled items they found from places like Freecycle and Craigslist. (You would never guess that these pieces weren’t brand new. These students know how to give second life to furniture, finishes and lighting.) Part of Design for Hope’s goal is to promote sustainability in design practices. Mission accomplished.

Kudos to the program’s director, the talented and tireless Tara Gray, for giving design students an opportunity to learn how to make the most of their resources, use their imaginations and execute fantastic work.

If you’re looking for a design-inspired way to spend tomorrow night (Saturday, June 12), head to the Promenade Shops at Briargate in Colorado Springs for the gala and silent auction from 5:30 to 9:00. Tickets are still available for $35 each, which includes wine and beer tasting, music, appetizers and a silent auction, in which you can bid on all of the objects from the students’ rooms. (I have my eye on a particularly cool chandelier in the dining room…) Proceeds benefit CASA of the Pikes Peak Region, which trains and supervises volunteers to represent victims of child abuse. Volunteers work for the best interest of these children in the court system and in the community. It’s a worthy cause–and the gala promises to be a very fun event. Don’t miss it.