Isla escaped her abusive husband and moved into a new home with her children. They had been given some second-hand furniture as a temporary measure by friends and family but everything was damaged and needed replacing to give the family the fresh start they needed. The children only had one broken bed between them and Isla was sleeping on blankets on the floor, even though she has mobility issues and experiences pain in her joints.

There was carpet in some rooms but not others and none on the stairs, and the house needed painting. Isla is unable to work due to complex health issues and didn’t know how she was going to afford to buy beds and essential items for the children, or to make the new house homely.

“At first I had huge reservations about the process because change gave me huge anxiety, but the team was warm and reassuring throughout,” says Isla.

“Out with the old and in with the new has been an emotional rollercoaster, but the process does prompt a new attitude of looking forward to a bright future. I had no idea just how much I needed that push and the end result was absolutely amazing. The transformation of my home is beautiful, and has brought me to a new headspace. The happy smiles on my family’s faces is all I could ask for but we gained much more.”

Local trades painted Isla’s home using COAT paints, and new flooring was laid. Furniture was donated by Anthropologie, Seen Studios, Soho Home and Laura Ashley.