This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a comforting care home design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Care Home Interiors Co.
Care Home Interiors were commissioned to design and specify the complete interior of a luxury purpose build care home Deer Park Care Home in Ledbury by Porthaven Care Homes. The design objectives of which were to apply thought and innovation focussing on innovative design features and aesthetics that enable easy navigation and accessibility whilst providing delight for every resident, visitor and staff member.
SBID Awards Category: Healthcare & Wellness Design
Practice: Care Home Interiors Co.
Project: Deer Park Care Home in Ledbury
Location: Herefordshire, United Kingdom
The client's brief was to create a home that went above and beyond the expectations of both the local community and visitors. They wanted the Porthaven Care Homes brand to be evolved through design that encompassed thought and innovation, choice and variety, comfort and homeliness, wellness and calm, as well as navigation and accessibility.
Our inspiration for the project was deeply rooted in our commitment to the holistic wellbeing of residents. With an emphasis on emotional and physical wellbeing, we integrated elements that would resonate with residents on a personal level. Features such as the superior headboards and redesigned desk chairs were not just about aesthetic appeal, but also about creating a sense of comfort and familiarity. The unique lighting elements were designed to provide an ambiance that soothes the mind and uplifts the spirit. Even our gallery-style approach to artwork was envisioned to evoke positive memories and feelings, enhancing emotional wellness. In essence, every design detail was thoughtfully curated to promote an environment of comfort, care, and overall wellbeing for each resident.
The toughest hurdle we faced was the significant project management required due to supply issues. This was a result of complications arising from Brexit, inflation, and constraints on availability. The challenges demanded more from our team in terms of logistics and problem-solving, ensuring the project remained on track.
A major highlight for our team was successfully reimagining conventional designs. For instance, the communal reception areas introduced individual seating pods that maintained openness while offering privacy. We also integrated innovative features like backlit 3D panels in the cinema room and inset light boxes in the private dining room. These design features combined functionality with aesthetic appeal, creating intimate spaces without compromising on the residents' mobility.
We entered the SBID Awards to showcase our innovative and holistic approach to care home design. We felt that the Deer Park Care Home project truly represented a fusion of design and care, and we wanted to share this success with a wider audience, recognising the team's hard work and dedication.
Being an Award Finalist has validated our efforts and design philosophy. Not just elevating our brand in the eyes of potential clients but also reaffirmed our commitment to pushing boundaries in care home design. The recognition has helped in gaining new opportunities and has positioned us as leaders in innovative design for the care industry.
Questions answered by Kerry Southern-Reason, Managing Director at Care Home Interiors.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's design!
If you missed the last instalment of Project of the Week, featuring a colourful and retro restaurant design by Wid Chapman Architects, click here to read it.
This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a luxurious care home design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Catalyst Interiors.
Catalyst Interiors were commissioned by their client Cinnamon Luxury Care to design and fit-out The Gables care home in The Midlands with luxury and hospitality in mind; the first impression of the bright and welcoming reception and piano bar is one of style and elegance. Every detail has been considered to include a coffee bar, piano lounge, hair and beauty salon, cinema and private dining room together with an array of other facilities where residents, their families and friends can enjoy time together.
Practice: Catalyst Interiors
Project: The Gables
Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom
Our client, Cinnamon Luxury Care, strive to provide the highest level of care in a beautiful home, where every detail has been designed with luxury and hospitality in mind. First impressions count and the central communal area should be bold yet elegant, bright, and welcoming. The interior should then transition to a more homely feel within the residential areas. The right environment coupled with the right care and the right stimulation can transform people’s lives, helping them to feel happier and more fulfilled – this was our ultimate goal. The resident was always at the centre of the design from initial room layouts & colour schemes, right down to selecting the final finishing touches in artwork & accessories.
With The Gables, on a suburban site with panoramic views across the Clent Hills & further Midlands, a key element we looked to achieve with the interior design was to make the space feel warm and welcoming whilst also being bright to bring the landscape and greenery into the surrounding rooms by day and then to transform the outdoor terraces at night using lighting to create a dramatic visual backdrop to the lounge, bar and restaurant. Residents also have the luxury of an onsite beauty salon, private dining room and cinema – this offers residents a life of independence without leaving the safety and security of the care home. However, this is the place the residents of The Gables call home, and as you journey into the care home from the piano bar the design style transitions to a more homely and relaxed atmosphere. Having a new home should always be exciting and something to look forward to and this is what we looked to deliver with our design, without compromising on the practical elements required in a care setting.
The main communal hub at The Gables (Reception, Piano Bar, Salon & Private Dining Room) was a total of 130sqm – fitting in all the amenities whilst ensuring the space didn’t feel too cramped or busy and allowing appropriate space for walking aids/wheelchairs was challenging at times. We overcome this by working in collaboration with the architect before construction started to amend the main building layout by moving doors, internal walls and creating illusions of separate areas using varying types of flooring & ceiling coffers that are even wallpapered in some areas instead of physical walls. And of course, construction of The Gables started at the end of 2020 – this meant that Covid & the after-effects of Covid caused a few delays and stock issues along the way!
When designing The Gables I used ‘outcome based’ design techniques to create an environment that fully supports residents living with age related health and mobility conditions as well as dementia. These include ‘Invisible Design’ , ‘Homeliness’ & a ‘Wayfinding Strategy’. Invisible Design included installing electric scent diffusers in Dining Rooms and Bathrooms. Half an hour before mealtimes, the scent diffuser will start to diffuse smells of fresh baked goods for example to entice residents to the dining area – prompting hunger and thoughts of mealtimes. Scent diffusers are also used in the Assisted Bathrooms where the scent of essential oils is released into the air to create a calming atmosphere and to help relax residents.
Also in the Assisted Bathrooms homeliness is implemented, there is a very apparent stigma that care homes are clinical environments – especially bathrooms. One way we tried to break this stigma was with signage and the language used. Instead of ‘Assisted Bathrooms’ we have created ‘The Spa’ – with a very soft palette of beiges and natural woods, non-slip tiled flooring instead of safety vinyl and privacy screens that are designed using decorative fretwork screens with mirrored back and shelves. This helps residents in the bath to feel more relaxed and to shield them from the door and reduce the feeling of being watched by staff in the room for safety reasons. However, through the open shelving design staff can keep a watchful eye without affecting the relaxation of the resident.
The Wayfinding Strategy is used to help residents navigate their way around the dementia community. Each wing has a different feature colour, with landmark objects at decision making points along the corridors. Residents are actively encouraged to take part in activities in the 3 themed wings: Fashion, Music, Travel/Transport. Each bedroom at The Gables has a media unit. Each media unit has a chamfered display on the end that faces out into the doorway. Not only does this promote wayfinding in helping residents recognise their own room with their own photographs/ornaments on the shelves but it also makes their bedroom feel more homely.
Once The Gables was complete, I visited with several copies of a document highlighting the importance of these design techniques and held a half day session with staff including Home Manager, Care Staff & Housekeeping. The importance of educating the people who will be responsible for the day to day running of the care home is invaluable as it helps to ensure after cleaning for example that wayfinding landmarks are returned to their original location. When designing for care – I always think it is vital to ask yourself “would this be something you would have in your own home?” because after all – it is someone’s home! Of course, we all have personal style and colour preferences – but I feel design is not only about looking beautiful. It is about functionality first – then beauty. To create a successful interior (especially within a care environment!) is being able to drape the functionality with the beautiful elements to create a home for the residents where they will be safe, happy, and given a helping hand where needed.
A Wayfinding strategy tailored to each dementia community is just one of the ways we help to achieve this at Catalyst. Bold and contrasting colours yet still complimentary of each other, traditional patterns and textures with subtle locational cues and wayfinding items such as the artwork, retro kitchen accessories, montage of retro food signs and plaques. These are the sort of items that offer a helping hand to people living with dementia to emphasise the use of a space without compromising on the style and homeliness of a space.
The highlight of any project has to be going back to visit the home when residents have moved in. Seeing the space being used and enjoyed by residents, their families and even the local community – encouraging more visitors and creating more social opportunities for residents who otherwise may not get these opportunities living in their own home. Witnessing and hearing about how residents live a more fulfilled and enriched life at The Gables because of our design techniques is the most rewarding part of the project and the reason I love what I do!
The SBID Awards are one of the most prestigious Interior Design awards globally and to be recognised for this award is a huge achievement that we are very proud of. I also think it is important to highlight the Care Home design sector and the design constraints associated with care homes within such a reputable design community – I am grateful to SBID for including our sector in the International Design Awards alongside some of the best interiors in the world.
As Healthcare Interior Designers we have been nominated for and won many Healthcare Design Awards. However, as SBID is considered one of the most prestigious accolades in interior design by the best in the industry, the SBID International Design Awards are awarded purely on the quality of the design, innovation, and aesthetic. This means that being a finalist in the International Design Awards has really put us in the spotlight as a company for our Interior Design capabilities – it is an achievement were very proud of!
Questions answered by Jade Mannion, Lead Designer of Catalyst Interiors.
If you missed the last instalment of Project of the Week, featuring a Colombian inspired restaurant design by Bishop Design, click here to read it.
With rising costs, is a “five-star” luxury space what residents want and need?
One of Just Imagine Interiors' favourite parts of designing a care home is the ability to design an exciting new cinema room for residents. As you will see not only is this a vibrant and fun space to be but its benefits are endless when it comes to bringing people together. This is where our design and creativity really flows, in order to achieve a fun space for residents to relax and enjoy the movie.
Why are cinema rooms so important in care homes, specifically dementia care homes? Who doesn’t love a feel-good movie? Being able to switch off from the outside world with a good movie, in a comfortable chair or preferably a recliner, cosy blanket and a bag of popcorn can revert a bad day into a good day. For residents living with dementia – something as simple as watching a comedy movie or a nostalgic film of the past can help ease stress and anxiety by being so immersed in the film it can be a form of escapism.
We start with the design and choice of funky furniture. We like to be more daring with our colour choices, using vibrancy to add to the fun! The installation of interesting lighting design wholly contributes to an authentic mood in the room. We like the design to be bold and nostalgic or simply a mixture of both! We try to create the full cinema experience in terms of design, look and feel including the smell of popcorn! When designing a home we obey our ethos of creating home from home interiors; the opposite of our design ethos applies in a cinema, as residents can enjoy the experience of stepping out and taking a visit to the Cinema.
Movies provide a great conversation starter, anticipation before the film begins, film enjoyment whilst it is been watched and an after the film review. What’s better than going to see a movie? It’s probably going to see a movie with a friend or loved one! Being able to share the experience of watching movies is a definite relationship booster. When visitors arrive, residents can enjoy taking the family ‘out’ to the cinema, a Birthday celebration or revel in a private film viewing for an everyday treat.
Movies can act like time capsules to a lost era, and the feeling of nostalgia is a powerful tool. Residents can watch old movies from their childhood to unlock memories that have long been buried over the decades. As nostalgia is a way of remembering, talking about and sharing the important events and memories of one’s life, watching nostalgic movies can help provide comfort and meaning to a person’s experiences, as can the cinema itself. This is why décor is so important to every experience that we create. As part of designing for care homes, it is important to accommodate for those living with dementia. We consider landmarks, as research shows that people living with dementia use landmarks as their way of navigation - signage with good contrast text and background, well-lit entrances and utilising natural light. Care and attention are given not only to the fabric and wallcoverings but often it is the accessories and finishing touches that complete the room. There is an emphasis on Artwork this could be old film reels, black and white movie star photos, signage and west end show prints. Well placed accessories such as a popcorn maker, drinks trolley or clapper boards make each room as realistic as possible. Each of these details generates a memory and completes the cinema experience.
Residents should always have a say in the movies being shown in their cinema. Popular films relate to those shown during a residents 30s and 40s, so age is a consideration of film choice. Staff need to know what is “meaningful” to each individual resident as they will have a wide range of viewing preferences depending on what they have done and what they like. Many residents love to sing along when they watch movies, so a good musical is always a winner! Providing residents with varied activities and social opportunities can improve their quality of life. Cinema rooms are installed with smart TVs in most instances so that residents can also access other entertainment online if they prefer. These options can be offered as an alternative or as well as watching movies. Galleries and museums offer virtual tours, which will appeal to the art lover. Whilst Google Earth lets you ‘travel’ all over the world. Simple online games can stimulate the mind, generate memories or help engage with grandchildren on a whole new level!
The cinemas we love to create are bespoke and tailored to the client needs. One of the main challenges when designing is the size of the room allocated. We can be limited to our choice if it’s a small area, but this just adds to the challenge. The seating layout is of a similar style to that of a commercial cinema, whilst where space allows, giving ample wheel chair access. Seats are arranged for maximum viewing. Comfort is key here as a standard film many be 1 1/2 long. Seating must be relaxed and fully support a resident through legs, back, arms and neck. Between each chair sits a table for ease of use and access to popcorn! To save any stressful spills, our specified carpets are impervious and so are the seats. It is difficult to assess the role of the environment in the transfer of infection, therefore our specified impervious finishes allow ease of cleaning and stronger infection control.
The TV screen size is vitally important! Too large or too small can cause a lack of visual clarity. Seating is always placed in proportion to the screen size. We can specify a number of screen options depending on the space. For example, in a more compact space a projector screen can work better. This screen is superior to a plain white wall, as the screen has a coating with reflective properties that help make the projection come out clear and will display every last detail of the projection.
Lighting or lack of lighting are carefully considered in each space. Firstly black out lining is standard on all cinema curtains as showings are mostly during the daylight hours. We need an element of darkness to create the nostalgic ambience, however, safety always comes first. With this in mind, the rooms have options of ambient lighting, task lighting and feature lighting all of which can be adjusted to suite the mood. In some instances the cinema room is used as a training room due to its ability to screen content and comfortably occupy a number of staff. This is where adaptable lighting becomes significant as natural light in addition to ambient light must be optimal.
Finally care is given to the sound quality in each cinema. Again, there are a number of options depending on the size of the room, number of occupants and occupant ability. Depending upon the venue, noise may significantly impact our experience, whether positively or negatively. Understanding the rooms’ acoustics and finding the right balance of sound absorption material, without compromising on our aesthetic is very important. A comfortable acoustic environment can improve well-being and motivation. Sounds are reflected off walls and surfaces in the room; sound coming directly from speakers is flat and even. The size of the room, wallcovering, curtain thickness and length, and items in the room will affect how the sound waves travel and overall quality of projection. Here we can assess location of speakers, add sound bars or, if it’s too much, sound proofing panelling can be installed to the walls. As it is well recognised that noise may be distressing for a person living with dementia it is important that exits are clear, visible and non-hazardous e.g. non slip/ trip.
So why have a luxury cinema in a care home? Having a social space where residents are able to relax, switch off from the outside world and unlock memories that have long been buried is extremely important to improving their quality of life and mental health.
About Just Imagine Interiors
With many years’ experience and a passion for functional and beautiful design, Jo Goddard is a highly motivated Director with a hands on approach to every project. Her team is at the core of each and every project they undertake. Every member brings something special to the table from in-depth knowledge of fabrics & textures, to a comprehensive understanding of designing for comfort and functionality.
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When it comes to designing floors for care homes, there is much more that goes into it than pure aesthetics. The flooring also has to be safe, durable, easy to maintain, as well as provide comfort for the residents and visitors.
Opting for a contemporary traditional style with quirky twists, Sunrise Senior Living achieved its home from home setting when specifying Karndean Designflooring in its Assisted Living Bistros. Looking to refurbish four of its properties located in Surrey, Chorleywood, Cardiff and Bassett, inhouse interior design manager Danica Mrozek looked to give each location its own individual personality with different colourways and design aspects.
The latest Sunrise Virginia Water in Surrey features Karndean’s characterful Da Vinci Blended Oak laid in a herringbone pattern throughout its Assisted Living Bistro and open plan residents’ dining area, giving a seamless sense of continuity.
Fleur Carson, commercial sales director of Karndean Designflooring, said: “With a simple border pattern, the flooring adds depth and texture to the pared back scheme. The 36” x 3” planks give a floorboard effect with authentic aged oak hues, distinctive grain textures and wide bevelled edges but have been laid in herringbone pattern for a modern look. It complements the bold blue kitchen units and statement mirror tiles with a neutral grey and taupe colour palette perfectly.”
Inhouse design manager, Danica explains the Assisted Living Bistro is where residents can socialise and welcome visiting friends and family. She said: “The comfortable homely spaces feature a self-contained kitchen area and informal cafeteria seating which enables residents to prepare and enjoy a drink and light snack.
“The homely atmosphere is enhanced with the use of domestic kitchen units which offer additional reassurance and encourage independence. Contemporary colour schemes in blues and greys, highlighted in accent colours such as yellow, orange or green, have created elegant yet cheerful interiors that reflects the Sunrise brand.”
When considering flooring for the refurbishment project, Sunrise needed a product that could meet both the aesthetic and technical specifications of a residential healthcare setting. With a hard wearing, waterproof and hygienic surface that offers a slip resistance rating of R9, Karndean flooring from the Da Vinci collection amply met this brief.
As Danica, added: “The flooring needed to have the correct slip rating and wear layer suitable for use in a high traffic area. Karndean products have the aesthetic of real wood without all the impracticalities of maintaining wood.
“We’re really keen to specify sustainable products where possible that are not only environmentally friendly in their manufacturing process but are also durable to ensure longevity. With everyone spending so much more time inside due to the pandemic, indoor air quality has become really important so it’s great that Karndean products are low emitting in terms of VOCs.”
About Karndean Designflooring
Our design process begins with a meeting…with nature. We see flooring differently. Pushing the boundaries has to be an adventure of discovery. It’s why we travel the world for inspiration. From the ancient European woodlands to the Australian outback, we pack our bags and go there. Every time, we connect with something extraordinary that shapes our every step. It’s how we bring the unimaginable, inspired from the outdoors, indoors. Design is an endless journey.
If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.
Founder of HomeSmiths and member of the SBID Healthcare Council, Jacqui Smith shares her expertise in the art of care home design as an experienced healthcare designer with a deep understanding of dementia-friendly design.
Relevant and engaging art makes an enormous difference to communal areas in care homes. Whilst colour contrast, good lighting and furniture layout are key to supportive design for older people, well considered art will elevate a scheme from one that works to one that truly enriches the lives of residents. To me, art has a key role to play in making an environment homely and relatable. Whether you are designing a care home or a retirement living scheme, carefully chosen art will help to provide the building with its personality and often enable it to stand out from the competition. For new builds I think that this is especially important since art will help to root the building in the local community by establishing links with what was there before or what residents will know the area for, and therefore be familiar with. I would also say that in some cases, engaging the wider community within the content of the art can be an advantage, not only by reinforcing those community connections but by engaging with a group of people who otherwise might not have necessarily welcomed the upheaval of construction on their door step!
Whilst budget of course plays a role with art, there is so much material to be found on eBay and in charity shops. Art provides a fantastic opportunity to re-use and recycle. At Henley Manor Care Home we commissioned Soozi Jenner from Stitch Creative to create some tactile art panels for the sensory lounge in the dementia community. Using remnants of Sunbury Design, Panaz and Agua fabrics, kindly donated by Steve Nixon at Edison & Day, Soozi created two stunning pieces of art including features such as removable clouds and boats.
One of our clients, a recently opened home in Middlesex, asked us in to transform one of their residential areas into a dementia friendly wing. Pinner Fair has a history dating back to 1336, so we adopted this as a theme for the main lounge. We again engaged the services of Soozi for this project, asking her to create some colourful bunting using remnants from the upholstery fabrics. Hanging the bunting on two levels so that both mobile residents and those in wheelchairs could interact with it, the bunting leads you from the corridor into the lounge. Keen to make this as sensory as possible, we used tactile fabrics and of course the anti-microbial properties of the material will help the bunting to withstand regular touching.
Plenty of famous people hail from Pinner so we were rather spoilt for choice when it came to notable people. Framed Elton John and Tony Hatch albums feature in one of the corridor areas as well as black and white vintage photographs of Ronnie Barker and The Shadows.
At Great Horkesley Manor in Colchester, we embraced a cricket theme for their newly refurbished front of house communal areas. Comprising two adjoining rooms we designed one area with a bar/pub feel and the other as a tea room. Scouring the internet for Essex County Cricket Club memorabilia which we could put to good use, rewarded us with some fantastic old team photographs, a signed cricket bat as well as a vintage cricket sweater, all framed to suit the pub style of the scheme.
Framing vintage catalogues, magazine spreads, books or knitting patterns can provide another sustainable and cost effective way of producing engaging art. An Extra Care scheme we designed in Reading for Home Group, included some 1970s seed catalogues which we found on eBay. Sutton Seeds started life in Reading so one of the corridor wings took on this theme with old black and white images of the original headquarters, an historical time line detailing key points in the company’s past, botanical art and spreads from flower and vegetable pages. It actually took me right back to my childhood where I would sit in my father’s greenhouse, soaking up the warm and the comforting scent of tomato plants, flicking through the Sutton Seeds catalogue, helping him make his selections for the next season.
At Henley Manor, as part of the craft themed lounge and corridor end in one wing of the dementia community, we framed old Patons and Sirdar knitting patterns as well as copies of 1960s and 1970s women’s magazines. Sifting through my eBay haul of crochet and knitting patterns from Women’s Weekly, I came across one of those perfectly posed “catalogue man” shots, sporting a blue cable knit sweater which my mother knitted for my father many moons ago. I also remember us popping into the local newsagents each Thursday after school to collect my mother’s reserved copy of said magazine. Engaging art will prompt memories and start conversations so much more than a generic hotel style watercolour.
Working with Hallmark Care Homes, throughout the dementia community we added framed questions in simple and easy to read, black on white text. These questions encourage engagement with the art by asking questions of the residents. For example, in the Farmhouse Kitchen at Henley Manor, we framed vintage Family Circle magazine covers with classic 1970s dinner party recipes, next to which the question of “Magazines like these were full of recipes, what did you enjoy cooking most?” So the art prompts memories and the question encourages engagement.
Not all projects will have the budget for bespoke and locally themed art, nor the talent within their client team which we had at Henley Manor Care Home, but having an element of it within a design scheme, makes an enormous impact to both residents, care team and people visiting the home. Hollie Allen, Assistant Designer at Savista Design and Build, is hugely creative so it made complete sense to engage her talents for this project. This 80 bed care home, with accommodation over three floors offering residential, nursing and dementia care, presented many opportunities for bespoke art. Hollie’s work included watercolours of iconic Henley shops, vintage tea pots and cake stands for the Riverside Café, to suit the soft green and blush pink of the scheme and soft botanical drawings for the hair salon to echo the fig design of the curtain fabric. Hollie’s work also extended to the Farmhouse Kitchen in the dementia community, with art featuring bread baskets, old fashioned weighing scales and traditional mixing bowls.
Arguably, in the pursuit of interesting angles and approaches to the art, I do spend a great deal of time researching themes, delving into the history of the local area, but the feedback from care teams, residents and relatives does really make it worthwhile. Who knew that Edward III, frustrated that all the Romney Marsh wool was being exported to Europe to be woven into cloth, invited the weavers and dyers from Flanders over to Tenterden in Kent, to teach the local men their art, heralding the start of a decade-long prosperous weaving industry? Or that George Orwell was from Henley-on-Thames? I certainly did not until I started researching themes for an assisted living scheme and care home. Never thought that my role as an interior designer would boost my pub quiz knowledge but there you go!
About the Author
Jacqui Smith, founder of HomeSmiths, is an SBID Accredited interior designer who permanently lost vision in one eye in 2012. Jacqui specialises in healthcare design and uses her experiential knowledge of visual impairment in her designs for care home projects.
If you'd like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.
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