For interior designers, there may be only one feeling better than seeing the satisfaction of well-paying clients who love their new interior — and that’s the reaction of an ill child, a previously unhoused mother or a victim of a house fire seeing a new space created just for them.

Lucy Penfield and her design firm, Lucy Interiors, experienced that feeling with the project “A Treehouse Grows in East Bethel,” which created an engaging treehouse for Isaac, a 10-year-old boy with cystic fibrosis.

“The joy on Isaac’s face when he first saw his treehouse was the most rewarding part of this experience,” says Penfield, who has design studios in Wayzata, Minnesota, and Naples, Florida. “It’s moments like these that remind us of the true power of design to change lives.”

The treehouse recently received the American Society of Interior Designer’s 2024 Community Impact Award, which celebrates the profound impact that design can have on individuals and communities. It is among the highest national honors that ASID bestows.

Penfield describes the treehouse as “dark and stealthy, symbolizing (Isaac’s) resilience in battling his illness” and, like the tree in Betty Smith’s novel, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” the treehouse symbolizes “hope and endurance,” she says.

The space, outfitted with interactive games and a cozy loft, is designed to encourage both activity and rest, solo play and socialization. An especially cool, kid-friendly touch: a pivoting bookcase that leads to a secret room. Each feature was carefully planned with Isaac’s physical limitations in mind, and details, like a “U ROCK” message on a vintage marquee sign, help life Isaac’s spirits.

With the support of Make-A-Wish Minnesota and contributions from professionals with Joy Collaborative, Gardner Builders, MSR Design and TDM Designs, Lucy Interiors finished the project in just four weeks.

Helping in ways only designers can

Many designers generously donate their time, money and talent to a variety of philanthropic efforts, and the home furnishings industry more broadly contributes to causes from pancreatic cancer and AIDS research to feeding the hungry through galas, fun runs and other events.

But wouldn’t it be great if more members of the design community worked in ways that only they can to transform the homes and lives of people who can’t afford professional design services but who would benefit enormously from spaces that are thoughtfully designed to meet their special needs?

Make-a-Wish, which grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, is a natural partner for interior designers. So is the Savvy Giving Design Coalition, part of Savvy Giving by Design, a nonprofit founded by San Diego, California-based interior designer Susan Wintersteen.

Wintersteen, CEO, principal and creative director for Savvy Design, started Savvy Giving by Design a decade ago to remake interior spaces for children and families facing a medical crisis. Since its founding, Savvy Giving by Design has redone more than 75 rooms in the San Diego area.

A bedroom quickly becomes a refuge for critically ill or injured children. “When you’re home and stuck there day after day, you get bored really fast,” Wintersteen told Design News Now last year. “These kids can’t go to swim parties. They can’t go to sleepovers or restaurants or movie theaters if they were recently paralyzed or diagnosed with a brain tumor. … Their room becomes their sanctuary.”

There are other groups with a focus on designing interiors for those in need.

Humble Design, a Detroit-based organization that also operates in Chicago, Cleveland, San Diego and Seattle, custom designs and fully furnishes homes for individuals, families and veterans emerging from homelessness. Since founder and CEO Treger Strasberg first helped a friend furnish a new space for her and her two children, Humble Design has furnished more than 2,800 homes.

Dallas-based Dwell With Dignity has a mission to “help families and communities escape poverty, homelessness and social injustice through design; one household, one gathering space and one marketplace at a time.”

With a “safe, functional and beautiful home,” the organization says on its website, families’ stress levels drop, kids’ academics improve, friendship circles expand, family traditions are started.

The newest people in need

As I write this, residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast and North Carolina’s mountains are reeling from the apocalyptic devastation of Hurricane Helene. The urgent need right now, especially in the mountains, is basics: getting people food, water and temporary shelter; restoring power and communication towers; and reopening roads.

But in the months and years to come, hurricane victims will be repairing and rebuilding their homes. What a gift it would be if interior designers could help some residents recover from this nightmare by creating interiors of their dreams.