As some of society’s most critical built environments, healthcare facilities must constantly adapt to changing medical patient and professional needs. More than ever before, designing for healthcare spaces is fusing form and function, creating well-organized places that operate efficiently and evoke feelings of being welcome and cared for, not unlike hospitality environments.

We asked commercial designers who specialize in healthcare spaces to tell us more about their recent projects, the trends they’re seeing and anticipating, and the most important things for designers to know when designing to inspire healing, calm, and positivity in spaces where those outcomes and outlooks are needed most.

For Deanna Martinez at Design + Implementation Group, healthcare design is a combination of critical and abstract thinking. For this therapy gym design, they needed to incorporate state-of-the-art physical and occupational equipment into an energizing, optimistic, and inspiring environment to promote patient healing both mentally and physically, allowing them to return to everyday life quickly and with good care.

“The paint colors (Silverplate SW 7649 (239-C5), Great Falls SW 6495 (172-C6), Peppery SW 6615 (117-C6), Peppercorn SW 7674 (236-C7), and Pure White SW 7005 (255-C1)) were inspired by the jewel tones of existing stained-glass windows in the main lobby of the building,” Martinez says. “This combination of colors provides the energy and optimism to support the inspirational ‘road to recovery’ theme of the therapy gym.”

Color is proven to have an impact on well-being, and the right finishes and palettes can promote and support the evidence-based research designers like Martinez turn to when specifying for these spaces. “Appropriate materials and finishes must be considered for infection control, as well as durability, cleanability, safety, and the environment.” There are many resources designers can turn to for both color harmony and cutting-edge coating technologies that can help provide safe and soothing medical care facilities, like Sherwin-Williams Full Spectrum Possibilities.

A cutting-edge medical or dental facility requires cutting-edge design solutions, and Z Dimensional delivered just that for the Sculpt Center for Implants and Periodontics in Maclean, VA. “Designing healthcare spaces is a truly fulfilling experience,” says designer Zehra Arif, “as it carries a profound impact on the quality of the healthcare environment and, in turn, how patients, families, and staff perceive and interact with the physical space.”

While practitioners at Sculpt Center offer dental implants and periodontics that are their own artform, patients find themselves surrounded by a space that feels elevated and artistically designed, using the striking contrast of Ceiling Bright White SW 7007 (257-C2) and Ink Well SW 6992 (251-C4). Z Dimensional designed for a patient-centered experience at every turn, and with, as Arif puts it, “a deep sense of empathy and a profound understanding of patients’ physical, emotional, and psychological needs as well.” 

Sculpt Center for Implants & Periodontics designed by Z Dimensional.

When Eskenazi Hospital expanded their physical and occupational therapy services, Four Point Design was tasked with creating a feeling of openness in a challenging space that received no natural daylight. The design called for an exposed ceiling and structural elements that left designer Jamie Raymond with an echoey environment that could prove difficult to light.

Four Point Design used Pure White SW 7005 (255-C1), Harvester SW 6373 (129-C2), Dynamic Blue SW 6958 (161-C6), and Decisive Yellow SW 6902 (131-C3) throughout the space, with bold graphics and uplighting on the walls, along with acoustical panels to absorb noise, which were painted Felted Wool SW 9171 (245-C4) to match the concrete and blend into the space. The result is a beautiful and extremely functional environment where every challenge was embraced and neither safety nor aesthetics were ever compromised.

Eskenazi Health Outpatient Rehabilitation Center designed by Four Point Design. Photos by Wade Carignan, Square Mouth Studios.

Heddy Bing of Vancouver-based Urban Spaces Design Co. specializes in healthcare spaces, retail spaces, and store merchandising displays. For the Fellburn Care Centre, a long-term care facility in Burnaby, BC, Canada, Bing put the needs of the residents first. “I stopped referring to them as ‘patients’ a very long time ago,” she says, acknowledging that the people who will live in the spaces she designed could reside in them for many years.

“I wanted their spaces to be more residential in nature, for them to have a pleasant and stimulating environment with great use of lighting sources: natural, task, and decorative,” Bing shares. She carefully researched the psychology of color and how it can affect human moods and behaviors, and she worked with the color direction and palette that suited the space. 

Special Gray SW 6277 (226-C5), Egret White SW 7570 (255-C4), Pure White SW 7005 (255-C1) (left); After the Rain SW 9047 (166-C3) and Extra White SW 7006 (257-C1) (right). Photos by Chris Trantina, Ocean West Media.

The safety of both the healthcare worker and the resident was a key consideration. Anti-slip finishes, infection-control requirements, fire codes, and general maneuverability were all part of the decision-making process. It’s a delicate balance between meeting crucial guidelines and keeping human capabilities in mind. “By focusing on the resident/patient experience, we give them greater strength, and by providing them with a more home-like environment, we help them to more quickly adapt to their new surroundings.” 

“There are so many considerations,” she concludes, “and yet while sometimes challenging, it is an honor to provide a wonderful space for a resident—one that they can be proud of.”

Design + Implementation Group designed a dialysis unit that occupies the building’s basement. Because of its naturally dim and gloomy setting, the lighting and finishes were carefully selected to create a bright and airy environment and mimic the outdoors. “A fresh punch of green (Envy SW 6925 (146-C5)), combined with a living feature wall, is used in the waiting area,” the designer tells us. “The resulting design projects an indoor-outdoor refreshing feel with Pearly White SW 7009 (254-C2), Ceiling Bright White SW 7006 (257-C2), and Cityscape SW 7067 (236-C5) providing a neutral backdrop for the natural materials and nature-inspired imagery. The design is intended to remind us that nature heals.”

Williamsburg Dialysis designed by Design + Implementation Group. Photos by Jay Cadet, Studio JPC.

And while communicating this message, she notes that the reverse is also true. “Conscious design has impacted our material choices, especially if our clients are asking for it,” Martinez says of sustainability trends holding strong in this field. “The cost of sustainable materials has come down dramatically in the last few years, and cradle-to-cradle materials are more available than ever.”

At Carabella Dental, Z Dimensional aimed to create an environment that was both comforting and uniquely inspiring, which is not always an easy task in healthcare design.

“One of the primary challenges lies in the inherent anxiety associated with medical visits,” Arif opines. “Comfort emerges as a pivotal factor in this context. Transforming medical spaces to evoke a sense of home or spa-like lounges, rather than the clinical, sterile-looking traditional medical offices, becomes crucial.” 

To achieve this, Z Dimensional set about incorporating elements such as cozy seating, abundant natural and decorative lighting, and carefully selected colors: Extra White SW 7006 (257-C1) and Cyberspace SW 7076 (235-C7). “By placing patients at the core of their designs, medical interior designers can craft environments that not only promote healing but also alleviate stress, ultimately elevating the overall patient experience.”

Carabella Dental designed by Z Dimensional.

Explore trending colors for your own healthcare or other commercial projects in Colormix^® for Commercial Spaces 2024. To receive your complimentary lookbook and fan deck, just use your PRO+ account or reach out to your Account Executive.

Top image: Ceiling Bright White SW 7007 (257-C2); designed by Z Dimensional.