Members of the Greater Lansing Optimist Club channeled their inner interior designers to transform the teachers’ lounge at the Lansing School District’s North School from sad to spectacular this summer. Paint, carpeting, furniture, artwork, and cozy touches provided teachers and staff at the K-8 school with a warm welcome when they returned to school at the end of August.
The idea for the project came about when the club hosted a teacher appreciation breakfast at the school in May. As they set up in the teachers’ lounge, club members—many of them retired teachers—commented on how dingy and uncomfortable the space was. Cluttered with boxes and office equipment, it was not exactly a serene retreat from the classroom.
With permission from school principal Stephanie Kooiker, the club had free rein to make over the space however they wanted. With a limited budget, however, the group had to be creative. Thrift store and garage sale finds, personal donations, bargain shopping, and lots of elbow grease combined to turn the lounge into something new. This slide show chronicles the work the club put into the project.
Building on the school colors of blue, white, and silver, the club painted the walls a soft blue (covering up old beige-pink paint) with a midnight blue accent door. New area rugs in shades of blue covered the existing industrial gray carpet. A comfortable blue couch became the focal point of one wall, accented with whimsical throw pillows and inspirational posters. Other room accents provided pops of color inspired by the lounge’s existing lime-green chairs.
Based on suggestions from teachers, the makeover included a new coffee and tea bar; bookcases with reading material that teachers can borrow; a basket with magazines, puzzles, coloring books, and fidget toys; and a staff “shout out” bulletin board where teachers can leave encouraging messages for each other. This online photo album showcases the dramatic before-and-after pictures.
One teacher, who got to see the room just as the finishing touches were made, started to cry as she looked around at the new space.
“I’ve been teaching for 24 years, and no one has ever made me feel this special,” she said.
