Designwire Daily: from the editors of Interior Design magazine

The Desk Project Supports Education for Nepalese Orphans

by Deborah Wilk | Monday, May 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

Stephanie Beamer and Lauren Maccuaig of MADE; Andrew Raible of Standard41

A dress shrouded in secrecy. A ceremony in an exotic locale. A dizzying number of dollars spent on flowers and food. Certainly couples should be allowed to celebrate a marriage with any amount of fantasy or extravagance, but we always take pause when we hear of those who mark their union by helping others. Such was the case with furniture maker Andew Raible and photographer Jami Saunders, who spent their honeymoon volunteering in a Nepalese orphanage. The experience led them to organize the nonprofit Kids of Kathmandu, which raises funds for the education, food, shelter, and immunizations, as well as awareness about the country’s rapidly changing environment. Kids of Kathmandu’s inaugural fundraising gala takes place on May 12 in New York, and, in addition to food, music, and libations, the $75 ticket will include an auction of the 11 one-off designer pieces that compose The Desk Project. Initiated to support the nonprofit’s education mission, the program entailed the creation of unique children’s desks, from Raible’s interpretation of the classic school desk with teal accents to Stephanie Beamer and Lauren Maccuaig of MADE’s building-block construction. The list of designers donating their time and talent includes:

Mark Righter of Cambium Studio, cambiumstudio.com
Daniel Moyer of Daniel Moyer Design, danielmoyerdesign.com
Brian DeRosia, brianderosia.com
Stephanie Beamer and Lauren Maccuaig of MADE, made-nyc.com
Eric Manigian, manigian.com
Andrew Rumpler of Nine Stories Furniture Co., ninestoriesdesign.com
Andrew Raible of Standard41, standard41.com
Ben Strear of Strear Built, strear-built.com
Bill Hilgendorf of Uhuru, uhurudesign.com
Alejandro Cabrera and James Cohen of Wadaly, wadaly.com
James Harmon of Workshop, workshopdesignbuildllc.com

Bill Hilgendorf of Uhuru; Mark Righter of Cambium Studio

Images by Jami Saunders.