Niki Milliken Giving Back.
When I was in design school, I had a teacher, who was a true inspiration. Not only was she a passionate teacher, but also a designer with her own business, and a mother, and she still found time to give back.
She taught me the importance of helping those in need.
Years after graduating and being in the industry for a while, my good friend Naomie Wert introduced me to a non-profit organization called “Rooms of Hope” – I knew right away that I had to be involved with this amazing company. Here I am eight years later, and am still working with their team!
Rooms of Hope is a close community of volunteers, which creates dream room make-overs for kids who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses.
They have a team of designers and tradespeople who help pull off these elaborate spaces for such brave little children. Naturally, I was very nervous to begin my design journey for this group, because I just wanted to do the job well.
To be able to pull off a dream design and give these kids what they wanted was a real task, but it made me very excited at the same time.
It can be a tall order with such elaborate little minds at work, especially with every child being so unique and creative. No two jobs are ever alike, so uniqueness is vital in order to make each project special.
As a designer, I really just wanted to make it all happen perfectly.
Here are some examples of projects I have completed for Rooms of Hope in the last eight years.
Tiffany-themed room with touches of glamour
Photos courtesy of Milliken Design Studio, llc.
Playroom/Office for the entire family to enjoy:
Photos courtesy of Milliken Design Studio, llc.
Brothers sports-inspired room
Photos courtesy of Milliken Design Studio, llc.
Sports Inspired guest room
Photos courtesy of Milliken Design Studio, llc.
Minecraft-inspired bedroom with an emphasis on cats 🙂
Photos courtesy of Milliken Design Studio, llc.
Photos courtesy of Milliken Design Studio, llc.
Photos courtesy of Milliken Design Studio, llc.
This year, Rooms of Hope is bringing back the in-person Gala! This event basically sets the tone for the rest of the year, by giving the design team the funds required to work with these special children.
If you are looking for an amazing charity to be a part of, please consider volunteering your time or offering donations to this organization. You can find more about them here: https://roomsofhope.org/. Tickets are still available for this year’s Gala event.
One should always find time to give back.
It doesn’t have to be some huge, time-consuming gesture, just something which makes you and the others around you feel great.
I discovered that after pouring my heart into a room design for a child in need, it, in turn, made me feel amazing, and I could not wait to start another project.
Dream. Design. Redefine.
-Niki Milliken
