Brett Gibson, our Serve Pastor at First Baptist Church Richardson, asked the Living Stones Bible Fellowship Class (we do have a reputation) to freshen up the teacher’s lounge at Northrich Elementary.  (Carol Post was our contact for this project.)  Our church has adopted this neighborhood school, and strives to share God’s love with the teachers and students at Northrich.

I must say from the beginning, that I have seen worse teacher’s lounges in my day.  The person or persons who decorated the lounge previously did good things.   This is the before view of the tables, chairs, cabinets and coffee area.

But…. Some areas were needy.  The sofa had certainly seen better days.  One teacher mentioned that she thought it so nasty that she hadn’t sat on it for two years.

The wall behind the sofa was filled with legal notices.

One corner of the room was filled with cast-off ficus trees, and a tattered screen.  The area behind the trees and screen had become storage.  Believe me – I understand the situation.

One more before picture.

One of their refrigerators was also on its last leg.  This was the first purchase we made.

Teachers mentioned that they wanted the lounge to be brighter and more cheerful.  Mrs. Ralph (so called because she channels Ralph Lauren in her personal decorating style) graciously agreed to lead the team.  We were on a mission.

Be still my heart!  The yellow and grey printed tablecloths were clearanced-out (less than $6.00) at Target.   This provided our color scheme.  We loved these cloths.

To our delight, we found this grey sofa with grey and yellow cushions at a furniture outlet. It was so funny.  One teacher did not want anyone to sit on the new sofa because she did not want it ruined.  Legal notices have been moved to another area in the school.  The little mirrored side table and pictures came from Ross Dress for Less.  The mirrored table and mercury glass accent jar gave a little sparkle.  Turquoise was used as an accent color to give a fresh pop to the room. We were so excited when we found this turquoise lamp.

A new screen showing world landmarks was added to allow for some hidden storage. (There is a very nice popcorn machine behind this screen.) The ficus trees found other homes.  (Later we placed an end table in this area also.)  Their club chair was brightened with a new throw pillow.  Grey chevron valances were added to the windows.

The cabinets were painted, and it certainly did make a difference.

The freshened cabinets now match the walls.  New accent pieces were added to the top of the cabinets.  (In real life, the glass jug is turquoise.)

Twenty-three (But who is counting?) maroon chairs were painted grey, and the stained chair pads were recovered with gold material.  We did Scotch-Guard the cushions, so maybe they will resist stains.

The cup rack was painted black, and new white mugs were added to the coffee bar.  The sign was found at a thrift shop.

Light and bright accessories were added to the cabinets along this wall.

Painted shutters gave a modern look over this bookcase.  New grey lampshades were bought for their lamps.  The turquoise burlap flowers on the lampshades are held on by magnets.  A globe and mercury glass jar complete this tablescape.  The jar holds pencils for note taking at the telephone.

The teachers need this chest to hold two of their microwaves.  The area was dressed up.  When we saw this Never Give Up picture, we thought it perfect for this room.  At times, students also use the lounge,  and we thought it a good message for them also.

The teachers seem to be so appreciative of the new lounge, and that is a good feeling.

I am here to tell you.  In all my years of teaching, I never worked at a school that had a lounge this pretty.

It was a blessing to try to create a pleasant retreat for the teachers of Northrich Elementary.  We want them to feel loved and appreciated.

Blessings to you and yours,

Kathy and Lisa are in the office at Northrich.  We so appreciate their help and support during this project.

This is just part of the gang that worked on the lounge make-over.  All of the members of the Living Stones and Men’s class supported this project, and First Baptist Church Richardson supplied the funds.