Home & Style

N Street Village and the DIY Network Unveil Renovated Shelter Kitchen

Celebrity designer Alison Victoria, host of “Kitchen Crashers,” planned the new facility.

Alison Victoria takes a sledgehammer to the old countertop as employees from SCK Contractors look on. Photograph by Paul Kim.

Last week, N Street Village directors, board members, and friends gathered to unveil
an inspired collaboration with the DIY Network: a brand new kitchen to serve their
residents. Construction wrapped up last Friday.

According to N Street’s executive director,
Schroeder Stribling, the kitchen hadn’t been updated since the 1970s. The renovation, funded by DIY Network’s
parent company, Scripps Networks Interactive, includes new appliances, storage areas,
and a more efficient layout.

Alison Victoria, host of DIY’s
Kitchen Crashers, attended the unveiling.

“This meant more to me than just a ‘crash,’” says Victoria, who has renovated dozens
of kitchens for DIY and HGTV. “These women don’t have a home. I wanted this space
to give them a hug when they come in.”

Locally based SCK Contractors handled the construction, which was completed in less
than a week. Victoria praised them for, among other things, replacing the old floor
in under three hours. Following the unveiling, Victoria conducted a workshop for the
women of N Street Village called Creating an Empowering Space. She shared ways they
could enhance their productivity, perspective, and overall quality of life by making
small changes and improvements in their living spaces.

“Having a new kitchen that’s a little more like home is going to give them greater
peace and greater comfort,” says Stribling. “We’re so grateful to be the beneficiaries
of a ‘kitchen crashing.’”

To learn about volunteer opportunities at the shelter, visit the N Street Village
website