When a group of artisans from The Garage on 25 volunteered to furnish rooms for local women and children needing affordable housing, a vendor advised them not to appoint the apartments with a motley collection of castoffs. The family spaces had to be curated mindfully, with a feel of warmth and peace, using items the designers would want in their own homes.
Restoring a derelict apartment building, Hendersonville’s First United Methodist Church partnered with the Housing Assistance Corporation and the nonprofit Safelight, a Hendersonville-based group that offers emergency shelter for women and children. Then the collaborating entities enhanced their project with the aesthetic work of Garage on 25, a vintage/upcycled home-furnishings store in Fletcher.
After the restoration was completed, the eight refreshed flats were up to code but not cozy. Recognizing how important it was for the new residents to feel safe and truly at home, the Garage’s Kaye Youngblood, leading a crew that numbered credentialed interior designers and other skilled makers, chose two of the building’s apartments to appoint — a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom.
The spaces were made warm and on trend with flourishes like textural metal accessories — all the rage for injecting architectural elegance in a space. Wall décor now shows rustic-recycled touches — think repurposed windows as wall art and the unorthodox use of a grapevine wreath. Bedroom linens, bathroom towels, and upholstered furniture feature zippy colors and sophisticated patterns, among them an orange-and-white chevron-printed chair drape and a shower curtain with an Asian-inspired zinnia design.
The methods are delightfully repeated in a bedroom, where tradition meets funky sass: a statement-piece iron bed sports a bold, India-inspired chartreuse bedspread and sheets (the stylistic cherry on top is a playful watermelon throw pillow). Brightly hued ceramics and wall hangings infuse happy energy into a light, bright kitchen, and throughout every room are subtle and overt reminders of love, including a chalkboard sign painted with laurel leaves and the word “Home.”
Youngblood’s grandfather ran a garage business in the building on Highway 25 South for decades, but she and several friends transformed it into a treasure-hunting retail space with more than 80 vendors. With her business partners Ellen Schwab, Lisa Preston and Susan Brady, “we always wanted an opportunity to help our community, so this was perfect,” she says. “Many of us are moms, I’m a retired teacher, and we just cared for these clients and wanted to help.”
The Garage on 25 (3461 Hendersonville Road in Fletcher) is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am-5pm and Sunday from 1-4pm. See the venue’s Facebook page or call 828-376-0198 for more information. To find out more about Safelight’s mission, see safelightfamily.org.