“My goal for this project was to transform the Big House into an environment that reflects Nuevo South’s mission.” That means giving young people a space for collaborating, innovating, and creating in the fields of technology, civic engagement, and leadership development. 

Before you embark on a redesign, think about the movement you’re trying to build.

“The most significant thing to work out is the entry. That’s your first look at the house. From the get-go, you need to tell people what you’re about.”

Keasler felt this first peek at The Big House was a missed opportunity for communicating the innovation that happens in this space.

She recommended a mural with a bold welcome message to visitors, incorporating “technology as a visual element… Since the days of the bow and arrow, technology has been about trial and error, risk and failure. We should teach these young adults that it’s okay to get something wrong and to keep trying and exploring.”

“The next step, especially when you’re designing a space for a community, is to look at each room’s functionality, really understand what it’s doing, and make sure that it’s serving a purpose. Don’t let any space go to waste. More than that, how do you want to use the space? What do you wish you could do?” 

Keasler sketched out floor plans to encourage this process.

Keasler felt this conference room had a “masculine, college professor, suit jacket” attitude that ran contrary to the spirit of the innovative gatherings that happened within it.

To relax the room, she wanted to brighten it with energetic paint colors, along with meaningful artwork. 

“I try to use colors that are pretty classic. And that’s not often the newest, hottest freshest color. Something that is going to have some staying power for five years, maybe 10 years…. Black and white is a bold aesthetic that’ll also look great forever.”

“The last room I wanted to touch is the front room, a living room that wasn’t really used that much. Jorge and I talked about giving this room a cafe atmosphere. You walk in, get a juice from RootDown, [the organic garden out back], and get in there and do some homework, talk with your buddies. You pull tables together and share these stories you’ve come up with, share what you’ve been doing.”

To help the room achieve its purpose, Keasler and Nuño made it interactive with a chalkboard wall, and included visible light bulbs as a visual metaphor. 

“These kids get that A-HA moment… Like, ‘Whoa, I’m doing something really really amazing and I’m inspired by the space that I’m in, it functions for me, and there aren’t any bad ideas in this space. They all strengthen me in what I’m doing.’”

Before the redesign, The Big House only had one smoke detector.
“We had a really great opportunity to work with Nest to provide safety and security for the house, secure technology, make sure the kids are safe, secure the house.”

The final “cafe room” gives local neighborhood kids lots of opportunities to interact with each other and with the space itself. 

Check out the full before and after on Nest’s Pinterest board.