Category Archives: Furniture
Healthcare Interior Design Trends
By Mary Bamborough, IIDA
By now everyone knows that the baby boomer generation is graying – the first wave of baby boomers has turned 60. Their expectations of healthcare will be vastly different than those of their parents. Yet one thing is for certain – healthcare will continue to be a growing market for years to come.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen the emergence of what we call “retail” medicine. Have you noticed surgery centers, ambulatory care centers, and specialty clinics popping up in your neighborhood? As much as 75% of surgery is now performed on an outpatient basis. The convenience factor of having medical services available close to home is becoming more and more important, as well as expected.
As a result, hospitals are often left with the sickest patients. Staff members are overworked, and they need to manage interruptions and multitask while still giving the patient the best possible care. Stress becomes a fact of daily life. Many hospitals struggle to attract and retain staff.
These factors create an opportunity for healthcare design specialists to make an impact. Knowledgeable architects, interior designers, and engineers can help a facility use design as a key component in the excellent care continuum. By incorporating flexibility into a design, the hospital can be sure new technological advances will fit in their facility.
It’s an exciting time to be a healthcare design professional. Many new trends are emerging and as an interior designer specializing in healing environments, I find it very rewarding to see so many tremendous advances in this area.
One trend that’s making strong inroads into healthcare facilities is evidence-based design. This is a process that researches and measures how deliberate design factors affect medical, safety, financial, and staff performance levels – or “outcomes.” Good design can affect outcomes related to privacy, noise, access to nature, lighting and ventilation, wayfinding, and staff stress. For example, patients will typically heal faster when they have a beautiful view and a quiet place to rest. They may even require reduced pain medication. Patient falls can be reduced by improved lighting and room layout. Staff is less stressed if they are working in an efficient, functional, and appealing space.
Evidence-based design is largely supported by The Center for Health Design – a non-profit group based in Concord, California – which initiated the Pebble Project in 2000. According to its website, “The purpose of the Pebble Project is to create a ripple effect in the healthcare community by providing researched and documented examples of healthcare facilities whose design has made a difference in the quality of care and financial performance of the institution.”
To date, 44 healthcare institutions have partnered with The Center for Health Design in this research effort. Examples of the findings cited on The Center’s website include: patient falls are down 75% due to the unit’s decentralized design; overall patient satisfaction has increased to 96.7%; nursing turnover rates have decreased to 4.7%; unit design has helped reduce the caregiver workload index, resulting in improvements in nursing efficiency. More in-depth information is available at www.healthdesign.org.
Another trend is the private universal patient room. Designing a patient room using a standardized approach that makes each room identical has several advantages. Patients can stay in one location for their entire hospital stay. These rooms adapt to a patient’s changing care requirements. When each room is set up the same, it reduces errors, because equipment is in the same location in each room. Patient transfers are also lowered, since different levels of care can be addressed and situations as common as not getting along with a roommate are no longer an issue. These can all add up to financial savings for a hospital.
Sustainability is also becoming an important consideration when designing a healthcare facility. Resource consumption can jeopardize the future of our earth and its population. When selecting and specifying materials, designers may consider using materials with a higher amount of recycled content; reducing the quantity of indoor air contaminants, often referred to as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds); using rapidly renewable materials; and using materials produced within the facility’s region. We all need to be good stewards of this earth and work together to eliminate negative environmental effects from our buildings.
As competition continues to heat up in the healthcare arena, hospitals need to consider the design of their facilities as one way of moving or keeping themselves ahead of their competition. Supporting a quality image by enhancing convenience and efficiencies with advanced, forward-thinking design affects not only the bottom line, but also patient satisfaction, in a positive way.
Packing Large Furniture with the Right Supplies
One of the biggest challenges when moving to a new property is transporting furniture and goods from the old house to the new one. Even with a spacious moving truck used in the process, items and furniture can still be damaged in the process. This is why the right set of moving supplies is needed; when packed correctly, you can safely protect all transported goods from damages caused by bumps and friction. If you want to pack your furniture correctly, here are a the moving supplies you need.
One of the best furniture packing supplies to get is the moving blanket. Moving blankets are specifically designed for large items, mainly furniture and home appliances. The moving blanket will help protect your goods from scratches and dirt during the entire process of moving to a new property.
You can also pick up large, premium moving pads. These pads are usually made of premium paper with proper strength and quality finish, which means you can also use the premium moving pads to protect your furniture from dirt and scratches. If you can’t find a moving blanket large enough for your item, then the moving pads are the moving supplies you need to get.
If you are transporting mattresses as well, you can pick up a good set of mattress covers. The mattress covers come in different standard mattress sizes and they will fit commercial mattresses perfectly. Find a good mattress cover that is vented so that you can pack your mattresses without hassle.
With these superbly designed moving supplies in hand, you will find packing your furniture and other large items very easy to do. Contact a good retailer today and find out more about the moving supplies that you can use to pack larger furniture and goods safely for transporting.
Contemporary Dining Room Furniture
Contemporary dining room furniture includes classical, urbane and unique designs that give a different look to your dining room. Nowadays, dining furniture is available in different types, styles, colours and materials. Today dining furniture is not just a table and chair it is also includes matching stands, sideboards, and cabinets. These furniture items are available in small, medium and large sizes in beautiful colours for different needs. Smart furniture items are available in various metal and/or wood combinations to match the surrounding décor. Fornisca a great selection of all sizes so finding a perfect dining set to fit your room and budget should be easy. Our contemporary dining room furniture is not just durable but also very attractive, beautiful and stylish.
Henley 4 Seater Dining Set
An individual range crafted from fine American white Oak with a Walnut accent. Henley 4 Seater Dining Set is beautifully made from solid veneers in a walnut finish of enormous character combined with clean give Henley a bold contemporary look. Henley 4 Seater Dining Set comprising of table and 4 chairs with cream fabric-effect seats. This beautiful contemporary-style Dining Set is ideal for every type of dining room or breakfast room, offering an eating space perfectly sized for four.
Bali Dining Table
Beautiful Bali Dining table with a generous glass top is perfect for every dining room. Compact, stylish and timeless, Bali Dining table decorate your dining area in a contemporary way. Stylish Bali Dining table is a combination of glass and steel that create an elegant look. Ensure our stylish contemporary design dining table will compliment your dining room.
Athena Dining Chairs
Athena Dining Chairs to compliment your dining room decor. Athena Dining Chair is crafted from soft leather and provides high quality at affordable cost. This beautiful dining chair available in two beautiful black and brown colour. The shapely legs of chair is made of solid oak wood grain and finished with Danish linen oil, which gives the wood a warm look. The combination of wood and leather gives it a unique and modern delicate look.
Derwent Sideboard
If you want a sideboard with a contemporary, sophisticated feel to it, Derwent Sideboard could be for you. This practical sideboard is part of a vast range of contemporary that provides fornisca. Derwent Sideboard is crafted from tropical hardwood and is finished in beautiful Antique Oak. With natural colour and design it will match any of the dining tables and chairs. Elegant and stylish Derwent Sideboard is best choice for your dining room.
Kristina 2 Door Display Cabinet
Kristina 2 Door Display Cabinet is perfect for all types of presentation displays. This is a smart way to show off your beautiful crockery. Kristina Cabinet is constructed from solid wood in a beautiful white colour with glass doors. Elegant and smart 2 door display cabinet will be a perfect attribute in your living room and dining room.
Fornisca offers a complete range of contemporary dining room furniture for your dining area. These are complete blend of style and perfectly fit in your budget. So what to wait for? Visit- http://www.fornisca.com and make your dining room stylish and beautiful.
Furniture Wardrobes – Creating Space in Your Bedroom
I am fairly fortunate in the fact that although my bedroom is quite small, whoever designed and built the house that I currently live in had the good sense to incorporate large built-in wardrobes.
There are of course pros and cons to all furniture wardrobes which will vary depending on the size of your home and the size of your bedroom. Ultimately it is these things that will dictate which wardrobe you end up buying.
I am sure the ladies will agree that bigger is better. Please stay on topic here! Bedroom furniture wardrobes! Even as a male member of the species I can see the benefits of having a much larger wardrobe. For starters, it makes a great spot for the weekly hide and seek championships or somewhere to store the barbeque! Oh and great for clothes too!
You don’t have to have large built-in or walk-in wardrobes to have a great piece of furniture though. If you utilise or manipulate your room space a little bit, there are many different kinds of bedroom wardrobes that may suit what you are looking for.
Having said that its very important when buying new wardrobes that you have your room measurements spot on. There can be very little worse than lumping your brand new state of the art wardrobe up those ridiculously tight stairs and squeezing it through the door, only to discover your measurements were out by the smallest of fractions and your brand new piece of furniture wont fit in your room, unless you decide to sleep in it!
If money is no object then there is probably no limit to how aesthetically pleasing your new wardrobe can be but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a huge selection of best selling wardrobes to fit within all price ranges.
There are literally hundreds upon hundred of places you can buy your next wardrobe and if you prefer to shy away from the high street and its prices then you may prefer to buy wardrobes online where the choice and range will be almost limitless.
Interior Decorating Idea – Do Colors Have To Match Perfectly In Every Room?
Did you grow up with the interior decorating idea that colors had to match? Whether that idea was in reference to colors in home decor, shoes/purses, makeup, or any number of other areas of our lives, everything had to match! That thought is not as prevalent today but still merits attention especially as your home decorating idea begins to develop.
You might say that color is an imperfect science. If you don’t believe me, try looking through a paint sample display for that “perfect” color. Remember, the lighting in the store is much different than the lighting in your home which also changes with the weather conditions and the time of the day and year.
Let’s look at the pros for matching colors in your interior decorating idea:
* You have a favorite color
* Your favorite color makes a statement and you want lots of it
* You don’t want to make so many decisions-you know what color you like and stick to it
* You love the challenge of perfectly matching colors
* Matching colors is second nature to you and you don’t want to change
Now, let’s look at the cons for matching colors in your interior decorating idea:
* It’s difficult to match color because of texture
* It’s difficult to match color because of light
* You want to incorporate several colors in your decorating plans
* You like the challenge of mixing and matching colors
* There is more flexibility and freedom to change your home decor over time
Consider a “middle of the road” approach to your interior decorating idea:
The “middle of the road” approach includes coordinating and grouping colors as well as paying attention to lighter and darker shades and tones. Putting three varying shades of purple together will look magnificent. Putting five reds with the same tone together will certainly give energy and pizzazz to a room-get the idea? What a great way to implement your interior decorating idea!
As you walk from room to room, color makes a home flow comfortably; it is the connecting component. In your mind you unknowingly take the color scheme from room to room for a few brief seconds. Use a single color as a theme that runs throughout the house while still providing each room with its own color persona. Keep that in mind as you are embarking on your next home decorating project.
As a side note, I read in a recent newspaper article that matching shoes and purses are making a comeback, but not as perfectly matched as in the past-food for thought!
Used Hotel Furniture for Sale: What to Ask
So now you’ve found some used hotel furniture for sale that you think you want to buy, but you want to make sure that you’re getting good merchandise. What should you ask? Let’s go over some important things to consider so that you can feel as comfortable with your purchase as you will lounging on your new furniture.
Always be sure to find out the quality of the merchandise and when it was originally purchased. Ask about any dents and scratches, stains, and if the item is made of wood then ask if there were ever any pest problems. Used hotel furniture liquidators need to keep their reputations clean, so if you ask they will tell you, but if you don’t ask they might accidentally overlook something. Since these liquidators rarely have a return policy and merchandise is sold as-is, you may regret it if you don’t ask everything.
Look for items other than furniture too. The best deals can often be found on the more portable items to encourage spontaneous purchases. Items like alarm clocks, microwaves, coffee makers, linens, silverware, and bathroom accessories can often be bought for an incredibly good price. I’m talking flea-market low for products that are almost as good as new. Depending on the extent of their remodeling, you may also discover more unusual items like lighting and bathroom fixtures that you might be able to commandeer to do a little remodeling yourself. Remember that even if the items are older, they have been used in a hotel that cleans and repairs them daily so they’re probably going to be in better shape than they would be after the same amount of use in a home.
If you keep an eye on what’s happening with the local hotels you might hear about one bragging about its upcoming remodeling. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to contact the hotel directly and ask about looking at the used hotel furniture before they send it to the liquidators. You might be able to purchase items directly from them for even less money than you would otherwise. If not they will at least let you know which liquidators they plan to use so that you can purchase the goods you’ve just inspected before anyone else has had a chance to get their hands on it.