DESIGN ON A DIME MIAMI RAISES MORE THAN $400K

Britto Charette Celebrates Hope and Wellness in the 3rd Annual Design-Inspired Fundraiser

Picture courtesy of DOAD

It all began with an idea…and a meeting in New York with Design on a Dime manager and event coordinator, Mel Alvarez. The nonprofit group Housing Works holds annual Design on a Dime fundraising events in New York and Miami to address the needs of people who are living with AIDS and homelessness. The mission? To end AIDS by 2025. It’s a tall order, so the nonprofit enlists the help of top interior designers to create richly decorated room vignettes that people “shop” for terrific bargains on high-end home décor.

“Yes, yes, and yes. When Mel asked us, we jumped at the chance. We were so honored to be asked to participate,” says Jay Britto, co-principal of Britto Charette. “It’s a terrific cause and we are happy to help.”

“After we came up with the theme of Hope and Wellness, I knew it was important for some design elements of our vignette to reflect the purpose of Design on a Dime,” says David Charette, co-principal of Britto Charette. The first? A custom wall covering that features a little blue pill: Truvada, the lifesaving and life-changing medication that’s used to prevent HIV. (In fact, Florida is leading the country in providing Truvada prep. You can read about it here.) With manufacturer Gilead’s permission to use the image, David designed the wall covering and then met with the wonderful Rosemary Dimodica from Eykon who created and donated the oh-SO-not-your-grandma’s-typical-wallpaper. The second element? Framed art from Artlifting, an organization that promotes the work of artists like Scott Benner who are homeless or living with disabilities. “It’s a perfect way to highlight Design on a Dime’s dual mission to end homelessness,” says David.

Our team reached out to friends, colleagues, vendors, and manufacturers in the industry and we’re happy to say that they overwhelmed us with their generosity and eagerness to help

From tables, lighting and pillows, to accessories, coffee table tomes and rugs, the donations made our booth a showstopper.

courtesy of Tess Washburn

CH Construction and Yulian

Jay prepping the booth

It was a huge undertaking and we are SO grateful to everyone who had a hand in the project. Thanks to HighQRenders for helping us visualize the finished product before it had even begun. A huge thank you to CH Construction for transporting items, hanging the wall covering and pictures, moving furniture (again and again), and keeping chaos at bay!

And our heartfelt thanks to our many clients and friends who attended the opening night event and helped us raise more than $400k for Design on a Dime. It’s something we can all feel really good about.

In the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting each of the businesses that donated to our vignette. We believe these leaders in our community deserve our support, so we hope you will show them some love.

Last, but certainly not least, a big shout-out to the incredible team at Design on a Dime, including Mel, Andrew, Katherine, Maria, and Lily. Thank you for all that you do to help our community.

For more information about Housing Works/Design on a Dime, please visit their website.