Spreading Pride with a Special Project
This project is unlike anything we’ve done before - and we’re really excited to share it with you. The vast majority of our projects have taken place in our own home, and occasionally for a friend or family member. But as we approached Pride Month this year we started to think of ways we could create real impact in our community.
After a little exploring, we found The Landing Place & OUT Maine, two independent organizations with overlapping missions and physical neighbors! OUT Maine is a national leader in designing rural, community-based, prevention-focused programming and training that lifts up queer youth in Maine’s isolated and under-resourced regions. The Landing Place is a drop-in space and resource center for at-risk teens in the Mid-Coast Maine area. Kids can access everything from wifi, showers, supplies/clothes, food, to free therapy and transitional housing. It’s a safe space for everyone, and hosts many events for the young LGBTQ+ community. The people who run these organizations are selfless, kind, and passionate people - and we were so happy when they agreed to let us help out. And, as we talked about this project with friends or around town, almost everybody seemed to have a connection, awareness, and a soft spot for these organizations doing big big things.
We want to thank AllModern for giving us this opportunity and supporting us throughout this project. AllModern generously provided all of the furniture and decor for the entire project and their contribution made a huge impact. We’re proud to collaborate and partner with them. If you’re interested in their previous “Modern for All” projects, check out the Summer of SASS.
Project SOURCEs
Furniture
Sectional Couch and Coffee Table | Sectional Cover | Outdoor Rug | Green Lounge Chair | Dining Table and Chairs | Umbrella | Adirondack Chairs | Fire Pit | Storage Bin
Decor
Wireless hanging light | Black Rectangle Planters | Cooler | Fluted Planter | Geometric Beige Pillow | Green Flower Throw Pillow
Getting Started
The first time we were invited to visit The Landing Place, we were immediately struck by the wrap-around love and support that happens in and outside of their building. Not only do kids come here to get support, but they come for friendships, crafts, trail excursions, and dance parties! Within these walls, there is a lot of life lived. However, their large outdoor space wasn’t functioning as efficiently as it could, so this seemed like the perfect spot for us to jump in and help out.
The most valuable stakeholders in this space are of course the kids, so, we had to go straight to the source - what did they want in an outdoor space? The overwhelming response was SHADE followed by having places to sit and hang out.
To give you an idea of how it started, they have a huge yard, shaped like an L with a dirt patio off the back door. In the long, grassy part, they have lots of garden projects going on, a bike shed, and most importantly - their nerf gun battles. In the middle, they had a really cool fire pit set up that was an anchor point for our own redesign. Centered around the fire pit were plenty of cut logs for seating. All of the yard is in direct sun all day so as the days get hotter, the kids spend less time outside.
The Design Plan
Probably our biggest consideration when designing this space was having everything be low maintenance. We didn’t want this additional space to feel like another to-do list item for the staff or kids. So, this meant choosing durable (aka hose it down) pieces and materials that didn’t require much upkeep.
Another design challenge was the overhead coverage. At first we considered a pergola, but after learning that it would need its own permitting and permanent groundwork, we decided to go in another direction - massive umbrellas.
A local friend of ours offered to donate his time and materials to come in and level/grade the area. Two full days with an excavator on site and we had our new starting point. He finished up by adding gravel to the fire pit and lounge areas. Similarly, we had donations of pea stone and soil from a community member. And of course, there was a countless number of people who offered their time.
The most amazing part - we approached ever person involved anticipating full payment - but they refused. One person, after describing the organization, said that he wished a place like this existed when he was a kid. The other, confided that her daughter utilized The Landing Place when they needed it most. We were overwhelmed by the support and warm spot the community has for this organization.
The updated Fire pit
The first thing we did after transporting the products from our garage to the project site, was dig into the Adirondack boxes - these chairs are beautiful! We have been really impressed with our own Polywood Adirondacks and these rainbow colored ones were perfect for this project. They are pretty straightforward to put together and if you have two sets of hands, you can get them all done pretty quickly. Our hack was to attach the allen wrench bit to the drill - wayyyy faster!
Then to soften up the area we added a few pots for planting (to keep these from cracking in the winter, simply lay them on their sides) and of course we brought in a HUGE fire pit. We have one at our own house and we knew it would be required for this project as well.
Throughout this project, we kept coming back to the question: how do we make sure we’re keeping the feeling of the Landing Place in each corner and space of the redesign. So for the fire pit area, we brought back the logs that were originally seats and used them as side tables for the Adirondacks. We’re really excited for the kids to be able to enjoy this space all summer, toast s’mores and stay warm outside all the way into the Fall.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a fire pit without extra wood storage! We used the same storage bracket system that we have at the cabin because we’ve been really happy with ours.
A Space to Lounge and Gather
We have to start with the elephant in the room…. these umbrellas. They are every bit as amazingggggg as they look. Also, despite their size, one person can easily tilt, swivel and open/close them no problem. Having the nice-looking base is also an added bonus and it’s manufactured wood, not teak, so it won’t need annual care. The umbrella comes with four sand bags to be put in the quadrants of the base. We used the heaviest bag of gravel/sand we could find and just slipped the plastic bag right in - no mess or filling it up with water!
Similarly, this outdoor dining table cleans off like a dream! We did lots of planting on here, laid out directions and tools for the various projects here and hosed it all off at the end! Because it’s plastic, be cautious of scratching it with anything sharp that you put on there. To know David is to know he loves furniture pads… so these went on the bottom of the beautiful terracotta planter centerpiece. The table also comes with a leaf and there’s storage for it under the table if needed. Also, we really liked that shade of green for these dining chairs and they got pretty good comfort reviews from the kids.
Welcome to the lounge! We’re loving this outdoor sectional. It’s low profile, comfortable and it’s also modular so it can be broken up into love seats - major bonus for when they have different events/needs. We have 1.5 sectionals in this space. Add in some throw pillows, an adorable cooler, and an area rug, and it really feels like an outdoor living room!
One of our favorite touches in this project were these wireless, rechargeable globe lights that give off a camp kind of feel. We went back and forth between hanging them from the inside of the umbrella like a chandelier, or on the plant hooks along to the fence. Hopefully they get moved around and enjoyed in many different spots!
Final Thoughts
We’re really proud to share this project not only because we feel fortunate to be able to give back something so tangible to our community, but because we got to work with such powerful advocates and allies - AllModern, The Landing Place and their parent organizations, too. Having a space like this one, readily available can be life-saving. So as Pride month comes to a close, we hope this inspires you to make room and hold space for LBGTQ voices every month, not just in June!
