I Love Schools Corporate Office
San Diego, CA

Project Overview: This non-profit got a great deal on a 2,400-square-foot office…but one of the contract stipulations was having responsibility for the tenant improvement work. The challenge was creating a functional work environment in a space that featured dirty dark blue carpet, powder-coated gray doors, white walls, and falling ceiling tiles, and also creating cohesion from donated furniture ranging from industrial-style to traditional.

Smart Services (provided pro bono): Space planning, design development (suggesting stained concrete flooring, neutral paint for the walls and doors and accent wall colors), art piece design (a series of colorful boxes that tell the I Love Schools story – to be implemented by the winner of a student competition), and mural design (incorporating the organization logo in a random pattern as a "watermark" — volunteers are sought to implement it).

Client Feedback: "Manda spent a lot of time listening to us to learn what we needed, and that made a huge difference in the project’s outcome. Her enthusiasm and spirit made the collaboration really fun, and allowed us to turn a space with a very bland feel into one with the warmth befitting a non-profit. We’re especially grateful that she provided her services pro bono, as we wouldn’t have been able to afford a designer otherwise."