New National Coalition Aims to Deliver More Rooms in 2025

Savvy Giving By Design is proud to announce the launch of its national Design Coalition whose goal is to build on the success of the over 200 room makeovers already completed by the Savvy Giving By Design teams, expanding the impact across the country. 

As one of a handful of national organizations offering a direct, design-focused way to give back to local communities, the Coalition has a wide spread appeal to like-minded designers who want to put the power of design to work helping families with children in medical crisis get through difficult times.

Providing recovering children with a positive, stress-free home environment can make an incredible difference in their healing journey. *According to long-established studies, access to a comforting space contributes to up to 30% of the healing process. (Robert Ulrich, Journal Science, 1984)

Savvy Giving by Design was founded by Interior Designer Susan Wintersteen to bring comfort and healing to in-need children recovering from serious illnesses by creating healthy and personalized bedrooms or play spaces for them. Features like window blinds that block out sunlight during daytime naps, or soft lighting that makes nighttime medical treatments less intrusive are some of the many features Savvy Giving by Design teams use to transform rooms through their trauma-informed design.

Founder Susan Wintersteen is confident that the Savvy Giving By Design mission is one that can be scaled up and expanded.

The heart of Savvy Giving by Design has always been about creating spaces that promote healing and comfort for children in need. With the Coalition, we have the opportunity to amplify this mission by uniting designers and industry partners nationwide. Together, we can scale our impact, transforming more lives and proving the incredible power of design to make a difference."

– Susan Wintersteen, CEO/Principal Designer, Savvy Interiors and Founder, Savvy Giving by Design

The Coalition aims to 1) pool resources to expand and accelerate the mission’s reach nationally and 2) foster collaboration amongst designers and industry partners to make completing projects efficient and less costly. By pooling resources on a larger scale, the Coalition can deliver more healthy environments faster to children who need as much support as possible on their medical journeys.

The “secret sauce” of the Coalition is that its growth is fueled by a crowd sourcing momentum. A small contribution by many will scale into completing first a single room in early 2025 and then as many as one per month. Membership costs are minimal, a total of $600, which can be spread over 3 months or 3 years. For approximately every 50 new members that join, a new room can be created. With 500 members, the Coalition will be able to create a new room every month. This is our goal for 2025.  

“These kids …don’t deserve the cards they were dealt, but they DO deserve to have a thoughtful, intentional space that sets them up for success to heal - mentally, physically, and emotionally.” 

Kali Sudbrook, Designer & Contractor, Beachside Interiors and Coalition Member

Coalition members receive a range of benefits. If a room recipient selected is near by, designers will have the chance to be part of the hands-on design and installation process, creating the “big reveal” moment for a child and their family. Involvement could be full-on, or less so, perhaps adding finishing touches to the room, or donating un-used fixtures from previous projects or helping to source just the right window treatments. This collaboration will offer multiple designers the chance to work together towards a common goal.

"I work by myself, so I don’t get to collaborate with other designers. This is a joyful way to have a project with people who love design as much as I do.”  

Constance Hall, Owner, Constance Hall Design and Coalition Member

Upon joining, Coalition members receive a digital badge they can proudly promote on their website and social platforms indicating to their own circle of influence that they are committed to a higher purpose - to seeing their time, talent, and treasure used to design for good. In addition, the room transformation and finished project will be well documented and whether they suggested a specific vendor, donated a surplus fixture, liked a photo, helped fundraise, or actually provided the design plans, members will be able to share these visual artifacts and honestly say, “I helped make a difference in this child’s recovery.” 

We warmly encourage industry partners to join the Coalition in supporting designers as they give back to their communities. By contributing in-kind products or services for room renovations, partners can play a vital role in these transformative projects. Additionally, we invite industry partners to consider offering Coalition members benefits such as trade discounts, exclusive invitations to networking events, seminars, and more, fostering a collaborative and impactful partnership.

More details about the Coalition can be found here. Please join us in bringing comfort and healing to more in-need children in 2025.