Inside the New RACC Adoption Center
A peek inside the design of Richmond Animal Care & Control's new adoption center in the heart of the fan
Campfire has been working with Richmond Animal Care & Control since 2017, starting with their brand identity for the municipal department and their foundation.
In the years since, we've stayed close to the brand, helping craft marketing brochures, t-shirts, billboards, and the design of the nearly everywhere #teamTommie Virginia license plate. (Which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for emergency veterinary care at shelters across the state!).
This collaboration gave us a deep understanding of who RACC is and how their brand shows up in the world. So when they reached out to help translate their beloved brand into the interior of their new adoption center, we were stoked. This week, the final design went public, and we're so glad to see it out in the world!
Our process started where it always does: listening. During design discovery, the RACC team painted a clear picture of what this space needed to be. Calm. Cleanable. Joyful. A place that reduces stress for animals and opens up the adoption experience for the whole community.
They talked about wanting coffee-shop energy in the cat lounge, a dog run area that makes a statement, and a reception that feels like walking into somewhere you belong. They loved the idea of skylights and hanging plants, playful patterns and murals, soft seating that doubles as cat cubbies, and window treatments as a brand moment.
Every detail mattered, down to making the laundry and food prep areas feel considered rather than afterthought.
Working alongside JDG Architects and Capstone Construction Management, we developed the full interior design, including furniture, finishes, signage, and branded environments, across every zone of the building.
The space is organized around a natural flow: visitors enter through a refreshed facade into a bright reception area anchored by a custom desk and pegboard feature wall. From there, it opens into a retail zone (RACC's first physical merch space), a cat lounge designed for lingering, and dedicated cat condo and small animal areas. From there, guests move deeper into the kennel rooms, adoption coordination stations, a wash area, indoor dog run, and private meet-and-greet pods at the back.
The material palette blends warm wood tones with cool, grounded colors on durable vinyls, acoustic felt panels, epoxy floors, and surfaces that can handle daily sanitization while still feeling welcoming. Sound-dampening treatments run throughout the kennel areas, because a calmer space means calmer animals. Accent colors complement RACC's brand without replicating it exactly, giving the space its own personality within the shelter's identity.
A few of our favorite details: the cat tree built into the lounge, the arched doorways connecting the front-of-house zones, the branded feature wall behind reception, and the way the dog run reads as a destination with turf, overhead fans, and views into the meet-and-greet spaces.
RACC has been serving Richmond since 1902, and the shelter has long needed more room, especially as post-pandemic animal surrenders continue to climb. It's a meaningful public investment in a facility that belongs to the whole city.
The new center is adoption-focused and public-facing by design. RACC's existing Chamberlayne Avenue headquarters will continue to handle vet services and operations, while the Cary Street space becomes the front door, where Richmonders come to meet animals, browse merch, hang out in the cat lounge, and hopefully fall in love with their new best friend.
