The healthcare landscape is shifting towards patient-centred care, recognising the profound impact a hospital's design has on shaping patient experience and recovery. By strategically integrating some vital architectural and design elements, like colour of hospital paints, healthcare institutions can cultivate a healing environment. Here are five key design principles that can transform a sterile, clinical space into a place focused on patients’ wellness and recovery.
1. Calming Colour Palette
Move beyond sterile whites and pale blues. Embrace a colour scheme of soft greens, lavenders, and light blues. Incorporate these colours on walls, furniture, and artwork to create a serene environment that reduces anxiety and promotes better sleep for patients. Paints with low-VOC work best for healthcare painting.
2. Natural Light
Maximise natural light by adding ample windows and skylights throughout the hospital. Complement this natural light with hospital paints that mimic the calming hues of nature. Colours like soft greens, blues, and light yellows can evoke a sense of being in the open, enhancing the connection with the natural world.
3. Patient Privacy
Prioritise patient privacy through design. Utilise private rooms whenever possible or make partitions in shared rooms to create visual and auditory barriers. Designated areas for personal hygiene routines and consultations enhance patient dignity and comfort during their stay.
4. Healing Gardens
Integrate indoor or outdoor healing gardens filled with plants, trees, and natural elements like water fountains. With pleasing outdoor paints, these spaces offer a refuge for patients, families, and staff. They provide opportunities for quiet reflection and social interaction and promote a more holistic approach to patient recovery.
5. Dedicated Relaxation Spaces
Create dedicated relaxation spaces throughout the hospital. Furnish these spaces with comfortable chairs, mats, and calming artwork. With soothing hospital painting colours, these will allow patients to relax, de-stress, and do yoga and meditation, which will ultimately contribute to a more positive recovery experience.
By integrating these design principles, hospitals can create spaces that nurture patient well-being. This comprehensive approach encompasses dedicated relaxation areas bathed in natural light and painted in colours that evoke the calming hues of nature. By incorporating elements like nature-inspired outdoor paints or scenery, these spaces can foster a connection to the outdoors, further enhancing the healing experience and potentially shortening recovery times.
