Wellness Archives ~ INTERIOR DESIGN & CONSULTANCY FOR PROPERTY SUCCESS

How to Get the Best of Your Care Home Refurbishments

The Importance of Refurbishing Care Homes: Enhancing Comfort, Satisfaction, and Value

Have you thought when you are going to next refurbish your care home? Care homes play a crucial role in providing a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment for elderly residents. As the demand for quality care increases, the appearance and functionality of care homes become significant factors in maintaining high occupancy rates and ensuring resident satisfaction. Regular refurbishment not only enhances the well-being of residents but also strengthens a care home’s reputation and financial viability.

Creating a Comfortable and Homely Environment

For many residents, a care home is their permanent home, making it essential to provide a warm, welcoming, and aesthetically pleasing environment. Outdated interiors, worn-out furniture, and poor lighting can create a clinical and uninspiring atmosphere, which may negatively impact residents’ mental and emotional well-being. A well-planned refurbishment can introduce calming color schemes, modern furnishings, and comfortable communal areas that foster a sense of home and belonging.

Improving Safety and Accessibility

As residents age, their mobility and sensory abilities may decline. A refurbishment project provides the opportunity to upgrade facilities to accommodate these changes. Installing slip-resistant flooring, improving lighting, adding handrails, and ensuring wheelchair accessibility in all areas can prevent accidents and promote independent living. Investing in ergonomic furniture and user-friendly bathrooms can also enhance the quality of life for residents.

Enhancing Staff Morale and Efficiency

A well-designed care home not only benefits residents but also improves working conditions for staff. Upgrading staff areas, optimizing the layout for smoother workflows, and incorporating modern technology can help caregivers provide better and more efficient care. When staff members feel comfortable and supported in their work environment, it reflects positively in their interactions with residents, leading to a happier and healthier atmosphere.

Maintaining High Occupancy and Competitive Rates

Families seeking care for their loved ones consider the overall ambiance and quality of a care home before making a decision. A freshly refurbished care home with inviting interiors, well-maintained outdoor spaces, and modern amenities stands out in the market. This investment can justify higher rates while ensuring that occupancy levels remain high.

Sustainable and Cost-Effective Solutions

Refurbishing doesn’t always mean a complete overhaul; even small changes can make a big difference. Incorporating energy-efficient lighting, durable materials, and easy-to-maintain surfaces can reduce long-term costs. Sustainable design choices, such as using non-toxic paints and improving ventilation, can create a healthier living environment for residents and staff alike.

Final Thoughts

Refurbishing a care home is more than just an aesthetic upgrade—it is an investment in resident comfort, staff well-being, and business success. By prioritizing a welcoming atmosphere, enhanced safety features, and efficient layouts, care home operators can ensure they provide the highest standard of care while maintaining strong occupancy rates and financial stability. Keeping up with modern trends and regulations ensures that care homes remain competitive and desirable, benefiting both residents and their families.

Traditional Style and Contemporary Elegance with Oak

Solid Oak Internal Doors …are not just for cottages

Contemporary Oak Door from The Heritage Collection

Solid oak internal doors certainly complement a traditional cottage interior. However, as with any product, their ability to make a distinctive contribution to the ambiance of any interior is one of the hallmarks of that quality.Solid Oak Doors are a design classic that have continued to evolve. Contemporary designs, made with the same craftsmanship and attention to detail as traditional designs simply add a new range of style options to the original concept. This just extends the contexts in which they look good. Traditional manufacturing methods married with modern designs have seen an increase in the number of contemporary oak doors available in the market which now allows for quality doors to be installed no matter what style interior you have.

Class is Permanent

Solid oak internal doors offer unrivalled quality. Hand built to order, solid oak doors fashioned by craftsman will last for centuries. The traditional reputation oak wood enjoys is due in no small part to its ability to convey an air of stability and permanence within any interior. Modern designs have added greater tactile elegance and flexibility to these traditional qualities. It is now possible to purchase a solid oak internal door to complement any interior setting

Style and Versatility

Solid oak internal doors often look attractive as they are but al lend themselves to a whole host of finishes. The oak can be stained in a range of oil finishes from clear oak through to dark oak (ebony). This can be a useful way to get oak doors to blend in with other furnishings. Of course, a good paint finish will achieve a similarly good blend. Oak doors can also be extensively customised by adding suitable handles and latches, glazing panels, mouldings and bracings to suit the demands of different interiors.

A Solid Investment

Solid oak internal doors are rarely the cheapest option, but their deserved reputation for durability

and long life means they are a wise long-term purchase. Oak doors can be energy efficient too; a solid wood door is a good insulator and will help stabilise room temperatures all year round whilst also helping to reduce heating bills by keeping warm air exactly where you intend it to stay.

A Thing of Beauty

Heritage Solid Oak Door from The Heritage Collection

Above all, the sheer beauty and character of an oak finish must remain the most appealing feature of solid oak internal doors. Whether it is the timeless & quality appearance of a cottage interior, or the sheen and minimalist finish of a contemporary design, oak has the matchless abil

ity to make that definitive statement of class and character.

This piece was written by Liam Pettinger, writer for The Heritage Collection an online shop specialising in solid oak flooring, doors and stair parts.

Hotel design Spa bath Spa design Spa design Swimming Pool Wellness

Make A Splash!

This blogpost infographic is courtesy of Michael Phelps Signature Swim Spas!

swimming spa

Designing Your Hotel VIP Suite to Maximise ROI

A private spa bath is a necessity for a VIP or Bridal Suite in a luxury hotel today in order to maximise your return on investment and be able to offer private spa treatments, but what facilities should be provided around this?

Well let’s enter into our suite via a lobby for example, which would have a focal point with an elegant piece of furniture such as a console with a beautiful bowl or objet d’art upon it. Aside from the reception lounge and dining area and guest w.c. what would a VIP guest expect?

The suite should be located adjacent to a couples treatment room that has two treatment couches, storage for spa equipment and a wash hand basin for the therapists use. Guests would also need access to two separate showers as if they were for example both to have a body wrap treatment they would need to wash this off to finish the treatment process.

Attention should be paidby the interior designer to the materials used in each of the rooms; so that it is in keeping with the location, period and context of the hotel, region and country. Authenticity is key to providing as luxurious experience as possible.

Spacious vanity areas for grooming and double wash hand basins should be provided in the area with a w.c. and a separate dressing area should be provided if possible.

There should be a relaxing area for post spa time with furniure such as daybeds or chaise longues to lounge on in bathrobes. Also in a warmer climate an outdoor relaxation area should be provided with a panoramic view where possible. If there is a private pool area then care needs to be taken to choose elegant water resistant furniture for the poolside with loungers and small tables.

VIP guests expect spa toiletries of good quality to be complimentary to their stay as well as small luxury gifts such as wine, flowers and chocolates.

If there is room a small sauna and steam cabin may also be provided but this is not always possible.

Smart technology can also be incorporated so that the guests stay can be tailored to greet them on the the flat screen tv, they can easily dim lights to suit their moods and open large blinds or curtains without having to get up. It can also be used for the different lighting scenes needed in the VIP couples treatment room.

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Rachel Bogdaniec of Spinriver Design ltd can provide spa design to hotels incorporating these important factors plus many more to make the most of the space available in your hotel and ensure that every square metre is making you the best return on investment. We work closely with local furniture, smart technology (availble to new build and retrofit) and soft furnishing suppliers to ensure that you get the best possible design and a finish to impress.

We’d love to hep you get it right! Ask a question for free on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/SpinriverDesign or leave a comment here if you prefer!

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Ultra Chic Hotel Design

Ultra Chic Hotel with Shutters (inage courtesy of the California Company via Facebook)

The hospitality market is becoming more and more varied these days, and those who are designing hotels need to be aware of the latest trends as they develop their own ideas. Inspiration for designs can be taken from almost anywhere, but there are a number of features found in chic hotels which can help generate ideas for those who are designing a new commercial space.

General design details

It is important for a chic hotel to avoid any clutter. Too many knick knacks and the guests will begin to feel as though the walls are closing in on them. A feeling of spaciousness, even in a small room, can be achieved by just having one or two pieces on show. One or two pictures on the wall and perhaps a vase on a side table for holding fresh flowers will be enough.

The colour scheme should also be kept simple. Neutral walls provide the perfect backdrop for any room. Additionally colours can then be picked out for the other features of the room, such as soft furnishings. Wallpaper is once again becoming fashionable, and a modern spin is to create a feature wall instead of wallpapering a whole room.

Light fittings can be used to bring out the sparkle in a room. A chandelier fitting as the room’s main light source is a good idea. Chandeliers are available in a variety of styles, so the hotel could feature one in a traditional style or opt for a more modern design. The correct lighting can also help create a welcoming atmosphere in the hotel through the use of adjustable lighting or lamps.

Features of popular hotels

Interior design inspiration can be taken from other chic hotels. There are a number of hotels around the world that have opted for unique and stylish features, and studying them for inspiration can help when putting together a design for a new property. Some hotels have decided to include unique items in their guest rooms, such as pencils which have been made from recycled CD cases and hand-made stationery.

If the budget is unlimited for a chic hotel design, it may be possible to include remote control features around the room and bathroom. For instance, a hotel in Tokyo has equipped its bathrooms with remote controls so that the technology in the room can be operated while the guest is relaxing in the tub.

A chic hotel should also ensure that the most is made of the views. In a city, this generally means large windows which not only offer great views, but also let in plenty of natural light. In other areas, such as hotels on the island of St Lucia, it might mean that a whole wall is absent. The design allows guests to see out, but others cannot see in thanks to the strategic positioning of the suites.

Careful consideration should be given to the type of guest that the hotel is intended to attract. Keeping the design simple and neutral will ensure fairly broad appeal, but if the aim is to bring in one particular demographic, then the design will need to take this into consideration.

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Interior Designer Rachel Bogdaniec has previous experience of working with award winning, leading five star hotel brands and understands how to create the luxury look on any budget. Give her a call on 07590 530806 01637 872247 for an informal discussion of your hotel refurbishment needs or email her at rachel@spinriverdesign.com. Alternatively write on our facebook wall and we will respond for free as soon as possible!

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Splash Out On a New Pool!

Multicoloured Glass Mosaic from Acorn Tiles

Swimming pools are made of four basic components the tank, the circulation system, the filtration system and the chemical treatment system. Commercial swimming pools are generally made of reinforced concrete to BS8007 which requires that the tank is watertight when constructed rather than relying on waterproof finishes after construction.

Finishes and lighting really make a huge difference to the look and feel of a more luxurious spa pool. For example underwater lighting using fibre optics or LEDs are effective. Architectural features such as coffered ceilings, rafts or uplighting textured walls can really dramatically change the mood of a pool surround lifting the appeal to a new level rather than the more utilitarian approach so often used.

There are some beautiful tiles to choose from to finish your pool in style one of my favourites is this eyecatching Basalt and Glass mosaic below from Acorn Tiles at £69.95 per metre exluding VAT and delivery as well as the top image featuring the Multicoloured Metallic Glass Mosaic at £92.65 a square metre.

Barr and Wray are the leading commercial pool consultants in the UK (they’ve done the Paralympic Pool at the Olympics recently) – I had the pleasure of working with them with ESPA and it is worth visiting their site to see some of the wonderful spa pools and custom shower experiences they’ve helped to create.

http://www.barrandwray.com

http://www.acorntiles.com

Basalt and Glass Mosaic Tiles from Acorn Tiles