Pink with Purpose: An Inspired Redesign

A picture of the Pink House in Charlotte, home to the nonprofit Carolina Breast Friends

“In September 2010, a friend invited me to visit the Pink House, a unique respite for breast cancer survivors and the Carolina Breast Friends organization,” says Cathy Austin, the Charlotte-based designer who gave the home its lovely look. “When I saw the Pink House for the first time, they were in the midst of the renovation that had been donated by J.E. Dunn Construction. They had done a magnificent job renovating this beautiful historic home, but had no funds to furnish the interior.

“We held a ladies-only ‘Pink Party’ in November 2010 to raise money for the interior. The generosity of the Charlotte community was incredible. In one evening, we raised enough to furnish the first floor of the house. From there, we approached several vendors and workrooms to see if they would donate their time and talent to help with the cause. Thanks to the donations of the design community, we were able to complete the entire house, which opened its doors in May 2011.” 

A picture of the Pink House in Charlotte, home to the nonprofit Carolina Breast Friends

When we first began this project, I honestly did not know if we would be able to pull it together,” Cathy recalls. “We had several different rooms that needed to flow together, along with a random assortment of found items and upholstery that needed some unifying element. I finally understood the expression ‘making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!’”

The refined pale-pink color palette, which extends to the covered porch that overlooks a healing garden, became that unifying element.