Photography by Evin Photography
Through her impactful interior designs, Melissa Whitlock’s understanding of the importance of home becomes incredibly evident. Melissa Whitlock, Founder of Bloom Family Designs here in middle Tennessee, is an entrepreneur, wife, mom, adoption advocate, and lover of all things interior design. After watching friends walk through the foster care and adoption process, she noticed a need when it came to preparing their children’s rooms.
When personally adopting a child was put on hold, she asked herself the question, “How can I still support families today who are choosing to foster or adopt a child?” She took the initial step and offered to create one room for a foster family in waiting at no cost to them. From that one project, Bloom Family Designs was born and has now impacted over sixty foster and adoptive families, with the help of the community and dedicated volunteers. They are a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to create beautiful rooms for foster and adopted children, at no cost to the families.
Bloom Family Designs recently created a space for a growing adoptive family in Williamson County along with local interior designer Jenny Reimold, who volunteered her time to co-design this space. The homeowners, with three biological children and three adopted children, Lindsey and Ryan Doyle knew they wanted a space for their children to both hangout and study.
Recently featured in PEOPLE magazine, the Doyles expressed their gratitude and delight with their newly furnished and rebuilt attic space. The entire project was completed in over a week with a $5,000 budget donated by SoFi, a personal finance company. With the help of both designers, the Doyles transformed the dark, wooden room into a light, modern playroom with a fresh coat of paint, built-in shelves and nooks, and colorful seating. Maximizing the space for their teenagers became a top priority with their functional and sleek designs. The built-in spaces allowed for more seating and storage, and even the couches fold out into beds for sleepovers or watching movies. Bloom Family Designs, Jenny Reimold and several generous partners helped provide the perfect retreat for the Doyles family.
Redesigning an entire room can seem daunting, but with the guidance of Jenny and Melissa, small changes lead to a substantial transformation. Obviously, storage is essential. Decorative storage bins offer a functional design to hide toys, crafts and other miscellaneous objects that tend to accumulate around the room. A new paint color or wallpaper can immediately open a room and create a welcoming interior. Another option for updated design is replacing the carpet and lighting. Both elements help set the tone of a room. In addition, plants and pillows add small, yet transformative detail to a space, reflecting character and variety. A makeover doesn’t always require a total redo; sometimes it only takes a creative tweak.
For more information and inspiration, visit bloomfamilydesigns.com!
