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For Project Redesign, creating a home is about far more than filling a space. It’s about restoring dignity, stability, and hope at pivotal moments of transition. Founded in Nashville in 2008, the nonprofit transforms spaces into thoughtfully designed homes for individuals and families emerging from crisis. We spoke with founder Karen Moore and executive director Rhonda Wellmann about how a single act of service grew into a community-wide mission, and why Project Redesign plays such a powerful role in creating lasting change.
Nashville Lifestyles: Who is behind Project Redesign, and how did the organization begin?
Karen Moore: Project Redesign was founded in 2008 by four women, including our chairman of the board, Karen Moore. After helping furnish an apartment for a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina, what began as a single redesign quickly grew into a shared commitment to meeting a critical need in the community. Today, that same purpose continues to drive the organization’s work, creating spaces that support stability, comfort, and new beginnings.
NL: What inspired you to merge design with community impact in this way?
Rhonda Wellmann: At Project Redesign, we believe furniture fills a space, but design creates a feeling. When we transform empty houses into homes, we’re creating environments where individuals and families can take a deep breath, spaces that feel welcoming, supportive, and truly their own. Many of the people we serve are stepping into housing after incredibly challenging circumstances, often carrying little more than hope for what’s next. Walking into a home that feels thoughtful and complete shows them that they are seen, valued, and deserving of comfort and care.
Our work creates places for rest, connection, and everyday life. A bed, a table, or a living space may seem simple, but together they provide stability and a sense of belonging. That kind of transformation reaches far beyond the home, creating a lasting ripple effect throughout the community.
NL: How would you describe Project Redesign’s mission?
RW: At its core, Project Redesign exists to restore dignity, stability, and hope to individuals and families during pivotal moments of transition. A key part of that mission is transforming empty houses into warm, welcoming homes. Through our REUSE, REDESIGN, RECLAIM program, we partner with nonprofits across Middle Tennessee that provide places to live for their clients. Through our partnership referral program, we furnish and design these spaces using donated furniture and home décor, creating environments that support healing and a fresh start.
NL: Who do you serve through your work?
RW: Project Redesign serves individuals and families in need who are transitioning out of crisis. We work alongside 14 local nonprofit partners, including Healing Housing, Thistle Farms, Operation Stand Down TN, Mending Hearts, NICE, Inspiritus, Nashville Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, RAHAB House, E.L.I.’s House, Safe Haven, and The Mary Parrish Center, which provide direct services and housing support. Individuals and families are first connected through these organizations and then referred directly to Project Redesign for home installations.
NL: How has Project Redesign evolved since its earliest days?
KM: Project Redesign began organically in 2008, when co-founders Suzanne Snyder and Ellie Billington furnished a home for a grandmother and her granddaughters who had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. At the time, while delivering Meals on Wheels, Suzanne and Karen Moore noticed how many houses lacked even basic furnishings. Seeing such need in the Cayce community, they approached the Martha O’Bryan Center to explore a partnership.
Our first official client was a mother and son who were also displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We called friends and asked for furniture, anything that could help make their apartment feel like home. Through generous donations and volunteer help, we furnished the apartment from head to toe, including curtains, rugs, art, and everything in between. The mother’s overwhelming gratitude lit a spark. It wasn’t just about giving furniture, it was about restoring dignity and creating a space where a family could move forward.
What began with collecting donated items from friends and fully furnishing a single apartment quickly grew into a broader mission. In those early days, we stored furniture in our garages, drove our husbands’ pickup trucks to pick up donations, and became movers and decorators all at once. As donations grew, we moved to storage units on Charlotte Avenue, then into a warehouse generously donated by board member Lip Davis, and eventually into our own warehouse in Joelton, Tennessee.
After three years of hands-on work in the Cayce homes, we incorporated as a 501(c)(3) and expanded our partnerships with other nonprofits. Today, Project Redesign collaborates with 14 Nashville nonprofits to install furniture and thoughtfully create homes that meet each resident’s needs.
NL: What role does design play in creating meaningful, lasting change?
RW: For Project Redesign, design is what transforms compassion into real, lasting impact. The support of our donors, partners, and volunteers fuels every transformation, filling each space with hope, stability, and dignity. More than simply furnishing a space, design shapes how someone feels the moment they walk through the door. A thoughtfully designed home can shift an individual from survival mode to a sense of calm, ownership, and possibility. That emotional connection is what makes the impact endure.
Design also keeps the people we serve at the center. Spaces that feel intentional and personal encourage pride and respect, both of which are essential for long-term stability. In turn, a comfortable environment supports rest, connection, and productivity, small but meaningful shifts that contribute to a stronger foundation for the future.
Design communicates dignity without needing words. It sends a clear message: you matter. It also helps tell our story, making each transformation visible and tangible to donors, partners, and the broader community.
NL: What does a Project Redesign project look like?
RW: Each project begins with a community member scheduling a furniture or home décor donation through our website. After a complimentary pickup, items are brought to our warehouse, where they’re sorted, organized, and prepared for future installations.
At the same time, we receive referrals from our nonprofit partners, who are supporting clients moving into housing without the resources to furnish their space. From there, our team designs each home with intention, selecting pieces from our inventory to meet the specific needs of the individual or family.
Install day is where everything comes together. With the help of volunteers, we transform the space in just a few hours, creating a home that feels welcoming and complete. Sometimes we’re there to witness the first reaction, which is often a mix of relief, joy, and disbelief. Other times, families return later to find their space fully transformed.
Last year alone, we partnered with 12 nonprofits to complete 59 installations across 230 rooms, serving 182 individuals. As we look ahead, we’re excited to keep the momentum going as our partnerships continue to grow, because there are still so many individuals and families in need of safe, welcoming spaces.
NL: How can individuals or organizations get involved or support your mission?
RW: There are so many meaningful ways to support our mission. Furniture and home décor donations are always needed. We make it incredibly easy by offering complimentary pickup across the metro Nashville area, including Williamson County. We accept a wide range of items, including sofas and armchairs, coffee tables, dining tables and chairs, barstools, side tables, rugs, art, lamps, decorative pillows, and home accessories.
People can also support financially through a monetary donation or by sponsoring a room or a complete home installation. And of course, volunteering at an installation is one of the most rewarding experiences. Visit our website at projectredesignnashville.com for more information.
NL: Where is furniture sourced from?
RW: Our gently used furniture and home décor are donated from many different sources. We receive donations from individuals who are remodeling their homes, updating their spaces, moving, downsizing, or doing some spring cleaning. We receive donations from home stagers and designers who are updating their inventory or informing their clients about Project Redesign. We also receive donations from moving companies that accumulate items from their services.
NL: What is something that you wish more people knew or understood about Project Redesign?
RW: What many people don’t immediately realize about Project Redesign is that we are not simply furnishing spaces, we are restoring a sense of dignity, stability, hope, and possibility in people’s lives. At first glance, it may look like we provide furniture or redesign rooms, but what’s really happening is much deeper.
Through our partnership collaborations, we create environments that help individuals and families feel safe, seen, and supported. A thoughtfully designed space can reduce stress, encourage connection, and give someone the foundation they need to reclaim and rebuild their life, setting them up for lasting success.
We also wish more people understood that design is not a luxury, it is a critical part of healing and stability. The way a home feels and functions directly impacts mental well-being, routines, and overall quality of life.
Finally, Project Redesign is about partnership and transformation, both for those we serve and for those who support the work. Every project is a collaboration between community members, volunteers, and supporters who believe that everyone deserves a place to call home that reflects dignity and hope.