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S-Cape safe house revamp – Final Reveal

S-Cape safe house revamp – Final Reveal

S-Cape safe house revamp

For the past few months, I’ve been working on a rewarding community project with Melissa of Studio Melissa Louise. We were given the opportunity to revamp and transform a safe house and create an uplifting space for young women coming out of trafficking and sexual exploitation.
 

Did you know that there are approximately 27 million people who are trapped in slavery at this very moment? Did you also know that only 1-2% percent of these 27 million victims are ever rescued?

 
Earlier this year I met with the inspiring Brooke from S-CAPE, a local non-profit who works with these 1-2% of rescued victims to provide a place of safety and restoration for young women coming out of trafficking and sexual exploitation. S-CAPE also provides individualised therapeutic programs, skills development and services to empower and equip their residents to reintegrate into society. They currently have two safe houses in the Cape Town region. One house operates as a first stage home for residents with the capacity to have eight ladies living there, including a room for a mother and her child. The second house is a transitional one which the ladies have the opportunity to move into and be more independent as they prepare to move out of the safe house and live on their own.
 
The second home desperately needed some TLC and a major refresh and as Melissa and I are both passionate about interiors, we jumped at the chance to tackle this project.
 

We had zero budget and relied solely on donations, so a BIG THANK YOU to all our sponsors – this would not have been possible without you.

 
Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to view the BEFORE photos and let us know what you think of the new look!

S-Cape safe house revamp

Our first step was to repaint all the walls and ceilings and Prominent Paints came to the rescue. The living room really came together thanks to some generous donations – a TV unit and standing lamp from Vamp as well as scatters, rug and ottoman from Superbalist.

S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp

We gave the study nook a fun pink accent wall and removed all the mismatched shelves. We added lovely wooden floating shelves and a repurposed pegboard. Plantify donated all the hanging plants which also make such a difference to the space.

S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp

We gave the Counselling Room a duck egg blue accent wall and repurposed one of the shelves that had been in the study. The table and bedside unit were repainted and bold cushions from Handmade by me added a fun touch.

S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp

The kitchen was probably the worst space before and considering our lack of budget, I love the final look! By adding quirky decals from My wall tattoos we instantly lifted the space and gave it a younger and more contemporary feel. Simple kitchen blinds replaced the ugly green curtains and a peg board was repurposed to conceal the electrical board. Cute fabric pots from Zana matched the decals perfectly and kitchen towels from The Cotton Company added a classic touch.

S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp

The bedroom also had a huge refresh mainly thanks to all the neutral elements from Superbalist – curtains, rug, throw, lamps and laundry basket. Scatters from Zana and Handmade by me finished off the look and we created a simple cork pinboard.

S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp
S-Cape safe house revamp

There wasn’t too much we could do in the bathroom but just removing all the pink made a huge difference! We had plenty of bath towels and bath mats donated which was lovely and thanks to a lick of grey paint and round mirrors, the bathroom now has a much more up to date feel.

S-Cape safe house revamp

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS:
Prominent Paints / Superbalist / Vamp / Handmade by me / Zana / My wall tattoos / Plantify / The Cotton Company / Suzi Wallinder / Leila Badshaw / Emma Philips / Vivian Raath / Ellie Lawrence / Nicole Dalton / Nicole Costa / Liz Collins / Andrew McPherson / Nikita Bandli / Anna Weylandt / Megan Kenney / Gail Kenney / Nadia van der Mescht / Leigh Pietersen / Nicole Costa / Caroline Hickson
 
Thank you to Brooke and her team of volunteers for getting all the painting and DIY jobs done.
 
And lastly thanks to Melissa for collaborating with me on this project!

BEFORE PHOTOS


  1. Lynne McCreath

    21 November

    Hello there from Jozi. I follow and thoroughly enjoy your Blog. This revamp of the safe house is FABULOUS. Just had to send you a note to let you know. You are so talented. Well done. I am sure that this will go a long way to lift those poor womans spirits.

    Kind regards,
    Lynne

    • Lana

      21 November

      Hi Lynne
      Thank you so much for your kind words and for stopping by.
      Luckily I had a great team to work with on the revamp, it was really such a wonderful, collaborative effort!

  2. Yvonne

    21 November

    Fabulous transformation! Well done!

  3. Marian Ferris

    21 November

    Well done, what a lovely project, and such generous sponsors.
    So glad you didn’t show the “before” pics first. It was quite a shock seeing them at the end.

    • Lana

      21 November

      Thank you Marian! Absolutely, our sponsors were crucial and we made sure to get in touch with sponsors whose aesthetics we liked. That was the problem the safe house encountered before… people kindly donated goods but none of the items matched at all! We’ve now created a more neutral base and if there are donations in the future, they will hopefully blend in more easily!

  4. Kathryn

    24 November

    This is amazing, amazing, AMAZING!!! You girls outdid yourselves with this makeover. And what a worthy cause. So inspiring on every count. Well done my friend xx

  5. Gail

    24 November

    What a FABULOUS makeover!!! The house looks so beautiful & tranquil & will be such a lovely space which the ladies can enjoy. I can hardly believe the makeover when I see the ” before ” pictures. Congratulations to you & Melissa on an amazing job!!

  6. Miryam

    28 November

    Dear Lana and Melissa, when I stepped in our 2nd stage house after your last visit, my mouth just dropped!!! I was so overwhelmed by such beauty! It is simply amazing what you.ve managed to do with our space and we are forever grateful – to all of you – who helped this project and dream become true. Our residents love their new looking home and we know so many more will do! Love and thanks on behalf of S-CAPE

    • Lana

      4 December

      Hi Miryam
      I’m so happy to hear that you are all loving the outcome! It was really such a wonderful project to be involved in. Thank you for trusting us and giving us the opportunity to create a more uplifting home for the young women you help.
      Many thanks
      Lana

  7. Yolandi

    7 December

    Wow. How wonderful. Congratulation. The colouring & simple decor is so beautiful. May this home be the blessing & kickstart to a new blessed chapter in the lives of these women. x

  8. Prenika reddy

    21 April

    Dear S-CAPE
    Please advise if you are in need of any volunteers at your organization.

    I am a full time employed professional, currently studying towards my masters qualification. I am a mother of 2 kids who are based I Durban with their dad due to my job requirements placing me in cape Town. I want to make a contribution to our country and more especially to the lives of women.

    I await your reply.

    Regards
    Prenika Reddy

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