As if I needed another reason to love Jon Bon Jovi, I have recently learned that his Soul Foundation has partnered with HELP USA and the city of Newark, NJ to open 51 new affordable housing options. Called the JBJ Soul Homes, these apartments with “green” features are available to low-income and special-needs residents. The residence also includes community computer labs, an art gallery, and a graphics facility. JBJ Soul Homes opened in December 2009.
JBJ Soul Homes isn’t just beautiful in it’s mission. It’s beautiful on the inside, too. One of my favorite designers, Elaine Griffin, teamed up with Help USA to decorate a model apartment within the complex. You may remember that I reviewed Elaine’s newst book Design Rules a few months ago and loved it. Photos of her wonderful Soul Home design can be found in the March issue of Elle Decor, but Elaine sent me a few sneak peaks for you that didn’t make it into the magazine.
Elaine really has a way of taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary. Take this bathroom for example.
With the addition of the fun shower curtain, textured wallpaper, and table for necessities, you hardly notice the exposed plumbing under the sink or the budget-conscious light fixture. I’m amazed at how expensive she has made this understated bathroom look.
Elaine dresses up this long, plain wall with a beautiful metallic wallpaper, which serves as a perfect backdrop to this console table filled with colorful accessories. I love the grouping of blue and green together, and I think this is an excellent way to fill an empty space that otherwise might end up being a bit awkward.
The sink in the kitchen has been lowered to make it wheelchair accessible. I’m assuming that there are no cabinets underneath the sink area so that a person in a wheelchair could more easily use the counter for food preparation. I love that Elaine has taken a fun fabric to make a little curtain in that space. If you hate your kitchen cabinets or if you are a renter who cannot do much to change the way your cabinets look, take those lower cabinet doors off the hinges and put together a little cabinet curtain of your own. This is a perfect spot for one of Nester’s mistreatments.
I also love that the kitchen lighting has been replaced with a pendant and drum shade. So much nicer than the florescent lighting I was expecting!
It’s so great to see such wonderful artists and organizations working together to create beautiful spaces for those in need. Thank you to Elaine for sharing her photos with us! Could you apply any of her designs to your own home?
Photo Credits:
Photos 1 & 2 by Adam Chinitz
Photos 3 & 4 by Todd Plitt
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Me too, sistah! His wife should thank her lucky stars E.V.E.R.Y day! What a beautiful place for the residents to live. Love the shower curtain, wallpaper, and glass bottle/vases!
I'm with you, makes me love him even more.
WOW! i had no idea this was going on, but kudos to everyone involved for creating something so cool. thanks for sharing!
Love that…but I can't believe I never realized that JBJ and I have the same initials. I've loved him for years!
I love what she did with that bathroom!
That bathroom is fabulous! And I love that they were considerate in making the shelves lower and open in the kitchen. They did a beautiful job!
I'm a Jersey girl so it's required that I love JBJ! I'm going to see Bon Jovi in concert on 3/19. Jealous?!?!
Sarah
How could you not love Jon Bon Jovi ???
My heart hurts when I think of all the years I should have been married to this man. We are just perfect together. I know it!!
He does such amazing work and I don't typically hear of him sharing this information, he's just humble and wonderful and lovely and …sigh….I love him.
These apartments are amazing! Love all the great design work.
This place is pretty cool and eclectic looking and the foundation and its work seem like a worthy cause. But most of the funkyness of this place is brought on by Decor via decoration, furniture. I doubt that they supply this so its probably DRASTICALLY different from what people who live there have. Wall paper will end up looking terrible in a few years (I ran a low income building and people just don't respect the place at all) which is a real shame since it looks so nice.
I really like that they put the accessible sink in the kitchen. Thats really great that finally people are making more accommodations for wheelchairs in buildings. of course being a tall person I would not want this but its great they have the options there for people who need it. Though I have to say I loath curtains in kitchens. Not that i dont like the look so much as there is just a skeevie dirt factor to them in my mind. all the grease in the air etc I would be washing them twice a week. but then I am a weirdo like that.
Wow, those homes are nice.
In our community there are some nice lower rent apartments available; but if you’re poor, there are very few alternatives. These are beautiful and will be a blessing to some very fortunate people.