Today we’d like to introduce you to Octavia Norris.
Hi, Octavia. Can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My family and I volunteered at a transitional home in Austin, Posada Esperanza, that served unhoused women and their children. We swept, we mopped, we cleaned refrigerators. But, I wanted to do more to improve their living situation. And I’ve always had a passion for decorating interior spaces. Why don’t I follow my passion for decorating homes while helping these ladies get back on their feet? So, amid the pandemic in 2020, I started the non-profit organization Benevolent Home Design.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
My primary struggle is raising the money needed to purchase the items necessary to make their house a home.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Once the family has transitioned from homelessness and secured permanent housing, I start to work. I gather used furniture donated to my organization and new items I purchase with donated money to create a beautiful, tranquil living space for the mother and her children. I’m proud of the rooms I’ve created because I’ve taken items others have viewed as trash and turned them into a treasure for another family. I’ve always had a knack for decorating on a tight, tight budget. The goal of Benevolent Home Design is to break the cycle of poverty. We help families get a fresh start by providing them with a fully decorated home. They don’t have to come home to an empty apartment with mattresses on the floor. They walk into an apartment that they could be proud to call home. That’s one less obstacle they have to face.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is when my two sisters and I would “play house,” as most young girls at the time did. We each would create our own separate house. My sisters could not compete with my decorating ideas. They would often ask, “How did you do that?” I’d shrug my shoulders to respond, “I didn’t know.” The next time we played house, they would run and grab everything I used in my previous home to put in their home. But much to their chagrin, they could not make their home as beautiful as mine, even using all the items I had used before. We laugh about that to this day. I was blessed with the innate ability to make rooms look great while using limited resources.
Contact Info:
- Website: BenevolentHomeDesign.org
- Instagram: @Benevolent_2020
