Interior Designers Sharpen Sewing Skills to Benefit Healthcare Workers
Bonita Springs, Fla. — By day, interior design teams transform everyday homes into inspired environments. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, the teams at Bonita Springs-based Collins DuPont Design Group have spent nights and weekends honing their skills to help healthcare workers.
On April 10, the company received a surprise donation from a textile vendor: a large box of fabric marked “use for mask production.” Its teams immediately started snipping and sewing in their spare time. Since then, the award-winning interior design firm’s “mask makers” have created more than 100 fabric face masks. The masks have been donated to healthcare workers at facilities including Lee Memorial Health Systems.
“We appreciate the fabric donation, and we are extremely proud of our employees for using it– and their talents –to help others,” said Sherri DuPont, ASID, president of Collins DuPont Design Group.
Design Coordinator Andi Blankenship, Project Leader and Interior Designer Amy Coslet, Design Assistant Jenny Ellis, Design Coordinator Cynthia Grining, Design Assistant Jennifer Murray, Construction Administrative Assistant Natalie Parker, and Customer Service Manager Paula Smith have all been creating masks from the donated luxury fabric, and sharing the fruits of their labor to help those on the front lines in healthcare during this unprecedented time.
“The Walfab fabric donation was very generous, and we are so grateful,” said Murray. “I have made 61 masks from their package alone, and I still have some additional fabric.”
“It is so inspiring to see our teams using their skills in such diverse and thoughtfully helpful ways,” said Kim Collins, ASID, Collins DuPont Design Group Vice President.
The source of the donated fabric, The Walfab Company is a North Miami-based company offering a unique and diverse collection of fabric and wallcovering brands developed for residential and hospitality design. Established in 1985, Walfab began as a small niche company catering to the local marine and hotel industries of South Florida. Throughout the years, Walfab has quietly grown into a major textile resource for interior designers, decorators and architects. Today, Walfab designs and creates decorative textile collections, and represents a variety of other textile companies from all over the world.
About Collins DuPont Design Group
Collins DuPont Design Group has been creating timeless designs in communities locally and internationally for 30 years. The company specializes in offering superb personalized service and orchestrating every aspect of clients’ custom luxury homes, including designing, purchasing, expediting and complete project management to transform everyday living spaces into one-of-a-kind residences. Collins DuPont Design Group enlists artisans and vendors from across the globe to deliver distinguished, custom designs for its clients. The company offers an extensive library of textiles and vendors exclusive to the trade at its 17,000 square-foot Design Center, located at 8911 Brighton Lane, Bonita Springs, Fla. For information, visit collins-dupont.com or call 239-948-2400.
