As a part of a huge movement called Design for a Difference – Madison, a national campaign focused on design makeovers for non-profit charities, Vicostone, located in Dallas, TX, Bella Domicile design firm, located in Madison, WI, and fabricator Badger GraniteWerks Inc., located in Verona, WI, came together to provide a new kitchen for a Madison, WI, Respite Center at Center for Families. The Respite Center is a part of a non-profit organization that provides 24-hour care and a safe place for families in crisis.

Design for a Difference is the only community-driven designer movement in the U.S. and Canada that brings local business owners together with interior designers to makeover much needed spaces at local charities.

“To be able to be part of transforming their space from drab to fab was extremely heartwarming,” said Christie Thompson, designer at Bella Domicile. “Bella Domicile took on the redesign of the kitchen, where their staff provided three meals a day for children and families. When we first saw the space, the kitchen was tired and in desperate need of an update. The laminate countertops were deeply worn and peeling. Immediately we knew that they would need to be replaced with a material that would be durable, nonporous and maintenance free. Without a doubt, quartz was the solution.”

Vicostone donated one and a half slabs of Alaska White quartz and a slab of
Coffee Brown quartz. “Alaska White is one of Vicostone’s best-selling quartz tops with the beautiful look of granite without the maintenance, while Coffee Brown has a nice dark, rich look of natural granite without the maintenance,” said T.J. Schroeder, senior sales manager for Vicostone. “The designer Christie Thompson had the full line of Vicostone colors and chose these colors for her design. Vicostone is committed to giving back to the communities that we serve. We believe in paying it forward.”

According to Thompson, Bella Domicile reached out to Vicostone to see if they would be interested in the project and they eagerly got on board. “They were able to provide us with gorgeous slabs of Alaska White and Coffee Brown that went beautifully with the color palette of the space,” said Thompson. “We then reached out to a local stone fabricator, Badger Granitewerks, who were as equally excited to embrace this project. We quickly and seamlessly worked together to get tops into production and installed.

“The most amazing thing about this project is that we were able to create a beautiful and functional kitchen in only one week, from demolition to completion,” Thompson went on to say. “Typically, that is unheard of in the design industry, but with a little help from caring and generous local businesses, we pulled it all together and made a difference in many people’s lives.”