My Interior World

The three first stages in the design process for my concept

1. Define the problem in nursing homes

Nursing homes are often associated with depression, where sterile buildings with white walls, grey vinyl flooring and bright medical lighting is a common design. Most nursing homes give the impression of a hospital where the focus is to treat the residents, and not so much in giving them a comfortable home for the last years of their life.

The target audience in nursing homes is older people aged approximately from 65 years old, who are not able to live at home full time or part time caused by disabilities.

2. Research the history of the design problem, end user research and opinion-led interviews

I have done two small case studies where both have tried to solve the problem. One succeeded, the other did not.

Managed to solve the problem:

Belmont nursing home, located in Dublin, is a private nursing home with 141 shared and private rooms for long-term and short-term residents.

The material use in the building gives it a homey feeling. There are a mix of warm timber floors and vinyl floors. In the main dining room there are beautifully decorated pillars and almost double ceiling height. Most of the walls are painted white and every bedroom has a feature wall with nice wallpaper. The residents are allowed to bring in their own furniture’s to make it as close to home as possible.

In the public areas there are used mostly light pendants to bring a warm light in the building. Corridors and employees medical rooms there are used medical lighting, which makes it hygienic.

Belmont has solved the problem with making a nursing home that feels just as good as home.

I had a talk with one of the long-term residents that lives at Belmont, this is what she told me:

She has lived at the nursing home in about 2 years and says that it has been two really good years of her long life. The atmosphere between residents and staff is wonderful, and she could not have been closer to home then at Belmont. She has gained new friendships with many of the other long-term residents. They play bingo and work out in the exercise class together. Her family is often on a visit, but she suspect that they are there to eat the delicious food and not just to see her, she says while she is laughing. She loves the traditional home cooked meals she gets at Belmont from the homes own chef. There is nothing she would have wanted to change about Belmont, but if she had to say something it would have been more day trips. She loves the Irish nature, and misses to have the opportunity to walk along the beach with the fresh air and feel the wind in her hair whenever she wants to. She moved to Belmont because it got harder for her to make her own food and clean her old house, and since her husband died for four years ago she felt lonely. So it was not a difficult choice for her and her family to move in to the nursing home after getting a great survey from the employees when first time visiting the home.

Did not manage to solve the problem:

House of the elderly, located in Portugal, is a local nursing home with 45 shared and private rooms for long-term and short-term residents.

The material use in the building gives it a hospital feeling. There are stone floors in every room, which is hygienic but also very slippery and dangerous for the disabled. All the walls are painted white and look very sterile and cold. The lighting is mostly natural light from big skylights and big windows in every room. With light grey floors, white walls and white ceilings the lack of visual contrast increases tremendously. This could make the life difficult for the elderly.

The nursing home have tried to make a innovative nursing home that seeks to comprehend and reinterpret the combination of social and private, answering to the needs of a social life, and at the same time of solitude. You get a feeling of being in a hospital and for that reason the House of elderly do not manage to solve the problem. Even though the architecture of the building is at a high design quality, and has big landscaped garden where the residents can enjoy themselves, the building is still very cold and sterile and gives no homey feeling at all.

3. Ideate end users motivations and needs are identified

To make a good nursing home I have to do case studies of what accommodations and activity facilities the residents need to increase their well-being. I also have to follow my concept by bringing the harmony and calmness into the building, as well as a safety environment that stimulates the brain and makes the residents feel relaxed and at home.

I have done a survey of accommodation on what I think will satisfy the residents on best possible way: