How to Localize Interior Design
Designing a Memory Care building and keeping it current with the sentiment of the community is really challenging. What kinds of considerations can you adhere to when trying to relate the property to the surrounding families and local resident’s own definition and expectations of familiarity?
“Plan activities to fit a resident rather than finding a resident to fit the activity” written in an earlier whitepaper, “10 Tips from Ecumen for Developing Memory Care Housing” is a great concept. We all have seen small activity areas within Alzheimer’s units that are themed towards things like gardening, a workbench or a kitchen area. Why not develop those themes into something more in tune with your local city or town? Not only would this help localize your interiors, but it also relates better to your residents and family members who have lived in that area for years. For example, a garden theme could be focused on a collection of potted topiaries or a variety of orchids if there is a local arboretum that would have featured these every year. For a workbench theme if your community is up in the northern territory, have a focus of lumber-related tools or memorabilia of the national forestry service’s tree postings or uniforms. Focus on what your resident’s base is, what their occupations were, or what the nearest vacation spot is that would have been frequented by the families.
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Property:
WoodsEdge Senior Living Campus – Trillium Memory Care
North Country Health Services -Bemidji, MN
Image of a Memory Care station designed around fishing including snapshots of local residents holding their big catch of the day out on Lake Bemidji, Bemidji, MN. Other items such as lake maps of nearby lakes identify "hot" fishing spots and a small display of picnic-ware relates to shore lunches that were enjoyed while fishing on the dock. (Look at that Musky!)
Bring the community and locality into everything you use on the interiors. A facility in Pennsylvania should not have images of magnolias for the artwork, a small cottage looking facility in Ohio should not have seashells adorning every shelf in the bathrooms and any facility in most rural towns in America should try to limit the use of brass finishes because it has a tendency to convey formality.
The underlying message: Not only pay attention to what you should design into your facility, but what you should not. Subtle touches throughout will generate huge benefits in the overall big picture. Look beyond accessories and artwork; consider how you can bring community and home into other interior components such as walls, millwork – even kitchen design!
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Property:
Luther Park of Sandpoint - Sandpoint, ID
Image of a stair railing that was designed using the family brands of 17 local horse ranches in northern Idaho. Two of the brands incorporated into the railing even belong to two residents who currently live in the facility. Prior to being welded into the stairway, the brands were heated and seared into thick slabs of hickory and are displayed in the main dining room as artwork.
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