WOMEN FOR COMMUNTY
Hello! My name is Deri Washington. Some of you may already know me and may also know and remember my wonderful husband, Alex Washington. But for those who do not, I want to share a little bit about us and Tranquil Designs. Alex and I co-founded Tranquil Designs LLC, in 2009. Over time, we were blessed to build a successful business. Throughout the years, our hearts were also focused on community. So, in addition to running our business, every year we would choose a nonprofit organization and donate our services and resources to that organization. I want to share a particular project with you, to provide you with a little more insight into our love for community and how we worked to assist those in need.
Women and families have always been a main priority of ours. When we heard about a project for women in transition, we knew this opportunity came to us for a reason. We always believed God led us to where he wanted us to be, and we found ourselves presented with a need where our talent and resources could make a difference. Aligning Tranquil Designs with a Nu Vision Foundation project, Alex and I became a part of the Nu Beginnings House. This allowed us to turn a house into a home for women in transition. Many of the women were leaving incarceration, re-entering the workforce, and needing a safe place to call home. With our design and business backgrounds we engaged with several of our associates businesses, who also shared a goal to donate their services. From here, we transformed the house into that home, offering women a bright and welcoming atmosphere, and giving them hope and happiness for a new beginning to their lives.
"NOTHING LOVED IS EVER LOST"
OUR STORY
Fast forwarding to 2022, our lives turned upside down. God had taken us to a place where we were challenged beyond anything else we had encountered. Alex received a diagnosis of cancer. Many months of treatment and hospitalizations were unsuccessful in changing the path set before him. Many prayers were said along the way – hoping God would give us more time together, not only as a family, but also to help other families in need. However, God had another plan. My dear husband of 25 years left this world and passed away in March 2023. It was the most difficult time in our lives.
During the time that followed, I questioned God – a lot. And one of the most important questions I kept asking was “What is my purpose?” I then would ask “How do I go through life without my best friend?” I fasted and I prayed. And the scripture that continually came to me was Jeremiah Chapter 29, Verse 11 “For I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord. ”They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Seems easy, right? Where is the hope in this future? Because when you are going through a storm, your only means is to try your best to get through it. But then one day, it became clear. While praying, God revealed to me “your purpose and plan never changed.”
You see, Alex was my biggest fan and supporter. He always pushed me and always saw things in me that I was sometimes unable to see in myself. He was my Guardian Angel on Earth. I know now that God used him to show me my real purpose – our purpose – to continue loving others and helping those less fortunate within our community. And that was how I was able to move forward. My first step in making progress was to reach out to others who share the same passion Alex and I shared. With that, I founded the organization “Women for Community.” My goal for this volunteer group is to help as many people as I can, with the gifts that God has given me, before He calls me home. Alex will forever be a missing part of my heart. I want to keep his memory alive so that others will always know the vital role he played in my life and the lives of others. With this desire, I am dedicating this website and the future of Tranquil Designs to Alex. May you rest in peace my love and continue to be my Guardian Angel, now from heaven.
HOW TRANQUIL DESIGNS STARTED...
Tranquil Designs LLC was born 15 years ago.
And I always say… God breathed life into it.
It didn’t start the way people think. My husband was actually the visionary behind the name. We were going to open a nail salon. He wanted to call it Tranquility. That was the original plan. Nobody knew at the time that I had met my husband or the journey God was about to take us on.
But when God shifted the path… when He started unfolding something bigger than a nail salon… my husband looked at me and said, “Why don’t we keep the name?”
And that’s how Tranquil Designs LLC was born.
Let me give you the real backstory…
I’ve always been the one rearranging something. Painting something. Changing something. Every time my husband came home, the house looked different. Different wall color. Different layout. Different vibe. He was about tired of me changing that house. But that was the seed.
I was working for a pharmaceutical company at the time, doing well. We had a bad ice storm one year in Pennsylvania and a tree fell on the house. Tore some siding off the side. So we started calling siding companies.
One company came out while I was at work.
When I got home, my husband said, “This guy came to look at the siding… but he walked inside and asked who did the inside of the house.”
My husband told him, “My wife.”
The man asked, “Your wife is an interior designer?”
My husband said, “She dabbles.”
He gave my husband a business card and told him to tell me to call him.
I took that card… and I never called. A whole year passed. Then one day, I was going through my bag and saw that card again. Something nudged me. I called him. He answered. He invited me to a business networking meeting with Business Network International (BNI).
I was skeptical. I had a good career. Benefits. Stability. I wasn’t looking to start over. But I went to that meeting. And I never turned back. My business grew from that point on. That was the real ignition. That was when it shifted from “dabbling” to destiny.
Then 10 years later, we were tired of the snow in Pennsylvania. But it was deeper than snow for me. There was this burning in my soul. I knew interior design wasn’t supposed to stay a side job. I prayed and said, “Lord, I want to give this 100%. If this is what You gave me, I want to steward it fully.”
And clear as day — Apex, North Carolina.
I had never even been there. I Googled Apex. Told my husband, “We’re moving.” He said, “What?” I said, “God said North Carolina.”
He thought I was crazy. But he always backed my vision. Always my biggest cheerleader. If I said we’re going somewhere, he’d say, “Okay.” He never questioned what God put in me.
We moved. And in North Carolina — it took off. Because when God aligns you, it works. He sends the right people. The right opportunities. The right rooms.
We started in a co-working space. My husband said, “Why are you paying rent when you could work from home?” But I’ve always believed if you’re going to build something, build it the way you see it. I never wanted it to feel small.
From there we opened in Raleigh. Then Wake Forest. Now we have the furniture store in Garner.
Our story is dynamic. It’s layered. It’s faith-filled. Nothing was a mistake. Not the ice storm. Not the business card. Not the year delay. Not the move. Every step was ordered.
And now my responsibility is to carry the vision forward. To honor what we built together. To protect what God breathed into existence 15 years ago.
Because Tranquil Designs LLC isn’t just a company.
It’s obedience.
It’s partnership.
It’s risk.
It’s legacy.
It’s proof that when God says move — you move.
And He handles the rest.
NU BEGINNING HOUSE UPDATE
WFC
