Designs On Care: From Furnishing to Fabrics
Designs On Care
Our award-winning interior design team creates exciting spaces, ensuring rooms, receptions, lounges, and corridors all look amazing and contribute directly to residents’ quality of life,”
Head of Design Georgina Colwell says “We constantly aim to push the boundaries, using new ideas and technology to deliver homes that are safe, comfortable, and inspiring – places we would all want to live in. A beautifully designed space can have a hugely positive effect on the well-being of everyone who lives, visits, and works in it.”
“Everything has to work easily and seamlessly for the resident,” says Georgina, who came to Colten Care after senior management roles in fashion design and creative advertising in London. “Interior design always involves a learning curve. You learn from the previous home you have done. As care is constantly evolving, every time you come to design a home there are different challenges. It’s never one-size-fits-all.”
One of the team’s current projects is Stratford Court, the forthcoming next-door extension to Braemar Lodge in Salisbury.
Covering 2,700 sq m or 29,052 sq ft, the new building will house 40 bedrooms, each with an ensuite wet room, split over three floors, including a garden floor.
There will also be training and staff rooms, a second-floor guest suite, and a main entrance and reception area accessed from road level.
On the design aspects of the Stratford Court project, Georgina says: “In one sense it’s easier because we have a home there already. It has a strong design signature and personality, very arts and crafts. We’re taking into account the views of residents and how They’re all very social at Braemar Lodge so we want to ensure that the reception is a really accessible space for people to gather in, a hub.”
Stratford Court is a different proposition to the most recent home we opened, the art deco-themed Bourne View in Poole. “As it was a completely new home, there was no signature there already,” says Georgina. “We started from scratch with the concept of a secret art deco oasis near the seaside.”
“The home’s double height reception and its lovely high ceilings and chandeliers came directly from that.”
When it comes to choosing furniture, Georgina and her team go for a lot of solid wood items that can be revamped, and prefer to make use of trusted, local suppliers who understand specific care home needs.
“Local sourcing helps to reduce our carbon footprint,” she says. “We’re often looking for bespoke items. Perhaps a certain style of bookcase or coffee table. Sometimes, mainstream or off-the-shelf can tick all the boxes but you still have to make clever choices. You have to work harder on interior design and layout for a care home than in many other settings. That’s because, even if it’s hidden, you have to accommodate the clinical side. We’re likely to want to avoid sharp corners on furniture, for safety, and we always need to ensure there are sufficiently big turning circles for people using mobility aids and wheelchairs. That can be quite a challenge when you are planning furniture.”
On colour, Georgina says choices come down to the personality of a home. “Every home has a different starting point. At Bourne View, it begins with the art deco-style lights. At Braemar Lodge, the arts and crafts personality leans naturally into greens and warm blues. We have a broad palette to choose from; calmer colours for a calmer space, more vibrant ones for a space full of activity. Bedrooms are calmer in design whereas communal areas tend to be more vibrant.
One of the lovely aspects of my role is the opportunity to have fun with choosing beautiful fabrics.”
“I feel really strongly that residents should be able to enjoy lovely fabrics. We know when we see one that will work well.
“There are further considerations when a home is to provide dedicated dementia care. People who live with dementia can still have a good long-term memory so at homes such as St Catherines View, Linden House, Fernhill, and The Aldbury there are themed rooms and lots of memory prompts that keep the mind active. Easy, safe navigation, a homely and comfortable setting, visual aids, and a mix of simple, contrasting colours are typical features of design in a dementia-specific home.”
Designing Stratford Court means Georgina has, in her words, almost gone full circle. “Braemar Lodge was the first home I worked on for Colten Care. Now Stratford Court is the eighth new one I will have done. We’re striving to create the most inspiring places full of attractive furniture, fabrics, art, and colour.
People are often blown away when they walk into a Colten Care home!”
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