Fate brought us this wonderful, rewarding project. Fate and a couple of angels disguised as Jane Dagmi, Editor in Chief of Designers Today and Kim Vance of Whyte & Company...
It all began with a pink sink.
Whyte & Company specializes in unique and colorful sinks, and Angie Massa (@pinkgamy) of Cutler Bay, Florida could not get enough. Angie, a self-professed pink fiend, laid eyes on that pink sink and it was on!
Angie quickly became Whyte & Company's biggest fan. She regularly posted and engaged with the account and publicly declared her pink sink love. Kim Vance, (Former CEO and Founder of Whyte & Company at the time) took notice.
Kim and Angie struck up an Instagram friendship (you know how it goes), and Kim soon discovered that she had quite a bit in common with @pinkgamy.
Kim Vance is a single mom of two boys, ages 12 and 15, both of whom are diagnosed with autism. In their conversations, Kim learned that Angie was also a single mother with two adult, autistic children… and the sole caregiver of two precious grandchildren also diagnosed with autism.
So, after a hard heartstring tug, Kim decided that she MUST get a pink sink over to Angie. But that was just the beginning.
What sink doesn’t need a counter? Or a faucet? Or experienced hands to install them? Kim knew a pink sink wasn’t enough, so she started putting out her feelers for a design firm in Miami to assist.
Enter, Fate and Jane Dagmi, the Editor in Chief of Designers Today, who suggested Darla Powell Interiors. We had just been featured in the Fall 2018 issue and (thankfully) were fresh on Jane's mind as a possibility to help with local logistics.
So we gathered up the team and took a field trip to visit Angie and the family.
MIAMI BATHROOM REMODEL
As soon as I walked in, visions of sledgehammers began to swim before my eyes, and I shouted, “Gut it, people, gut it! This is not a drill!”
Or something like that. Who can remember in the middle of all that excitement?
BEFORE
Turns out, the decision to fully remodel wasn’t just my “gut instinct” (nailed it) but would also create an accessible and functional bathroom for Angie’s wonderful family.
Our plan was to give them a zero entry shower for easy entry and exit, plus some helpful accessories to facilitate mobility.
You know what comes next... gut it, we did!
GETTIN’ DOWN TO BUSINESS
This, kids, is a sexy photo of a total gut. ;)
We were lucky enough to receive either monetary or product donations (listed at the end of this post) that supported all of the materials and labor. Troy Shinn of Tileworx Miami did all of the gut and tilework for free with his own sweat, blood, and tears...
Okay, probably just sweat, but still. That’s good people right there.
For the design, we wanted to make the bathroom a love poem to Angie’s affair with pink… but we couldn’t pink-ify the whole thing or her beloved sink would disappear. A palette of light tones and warm brass hardware was just the ticket.
Alright, are you ready for the reveal? I mean, are you really ready? I don’t think you guys are ready.
Let’s look at the Before one more time…
Okay, now you’re ready! Drumroll please… a little louder...
THE PINK BATHROOM REVEAL
SHA-BAM!!
Lighter, brighter, pinker(!), spacious-er! It’s amazing how much larger your bathroom will look with a curbless shower, amiright?
Other space-saving tricks we pulled out of our sleeves… glass lighting from Benson’s Lighting Miami to keep the ceiling open, a light-colored palette for brightness, depth from our “accent wall,” and a partial glass enclosure.
This grab bar has got it going on. Not to mention the backdrop of sexy stunners by Tile Bar.
Here’s the rascal that started it all, the pink sink, donated by @whyteandcompany. We kept the surrounding area neutral with these porcelain tiles by Tile Bar. Now Angie’s sink is the star!
Speaking of stars…
...here’s the woman of the hour! Isn’t she darling?
Guys, we’ve designed dozens of homes, but I have to tell you: this project stole my heart and was our most rewarding experience so far. To be able to give to someone like Angie, who’s so deserving — there’s nothing better.
Who’s got the warm fuzzies?! We do!
We are so thankful to Kim Vance and Jane Dagmi for getting involved, as well as to all the other donors who made this pink paradise possible...
A Bear Hug of a Thank You to the Pink Project’s Fabulous Donors
Whyte and Company (@whyteandcompany)
Tileworx Miami & a special thanks to Troy Shinn
305 Florida Contractors (@305floridacontractors)
Quest Cabinetry
D. Mahan Cabinets
Tile Bar (@tilebar)
Benson’s Lighting Miami
Bishop Realty Homestead (@bishoprealtyassociates)
All Action Glass Miami
Dade County PBA (@dadecountypba)
Janette Olivia Art Life Studios (photography)
If you’d like to donate to Angie’s family too, you can get your warm fuzzies here.
That’s a wrap! So what do you think? Is it as pink as you imagined? Pinker? We would love to hear what you think in the comments.
Last but not least, don't forget to download our guide to budgeting for furnishings below. Go, go, go!
See you next time, peeps…
