Welcome to Kirsty Meets!
Each month I meet key stakeholders and business leaders in the social care sector. This month I met Kerry Southern-Reason, Managing Director, Care Home Interiors. I caught up with Kerry to discuss care home design, workforce development, and the importance of co-producing care environments.
So, Kerry, can you tell us a little about Care Home Interiors?
We’ve been working in care home interior design since 2001, but exclusively for the residential care sector since 2017. Now we are a multi-award-winning team of care home interior designers, craftsmen and installers, all experts in their field. Between us, we have 150 years of experience in creating perfectly crafted care home interiors.
Creating outstanding interiors has always been our passion, but now we’re achieving something even greater by working with the care sector to improve the lives of care home residents.
We know there isn’t a one size fits all solution to a care home interior. We work hard to meet project objectives, always keeping the needs of residents and the teams who work there in mind.
As a designer, what drew you to the care sector specifically? And how does co-production influence your approach to interior design?
Unfortunately, my interest in care home interior design stems from personal loss and experience. When my mother was dying from cancer, she spent her last days in a hospice room that was devoid of any comfort or warmth due to its soulless design. Similarly, when my Nan developed dementia, the care home we looked at had very little regard for the impact of the interior on her wellbeing. The only available room was painted green, a colour she disliked, and when I asked if it could be changed, the nurse dismissed my request by saying that it didn’t matter since she had dementia. My son also has sensory processing disorder, which makes his experiences of the world vastly different from ours. His reactions to light, colours, and sounds can either positively or negatively affect him.
These combined experiences have made me realise the importance of interior design to better cater for people’s emotional and physical needs. Care homes in particular should not have to feel like medical institutions; with thoughtful design and styling, they can inspire and relax people, leading to a much better quality of life.
Our designs are tailored to every individual project, they are functional and enabling for those that work in care homes and the residents equally. We create adult spaces, homely in essence but truly functional in enabling independence for the most vulnerable of those living with dementia and for the provision of care to be delivered with ease.
“Care homes should not have to feel like medical institutions; with thoughtful design and styling, they can inspire and relax people, leading to a much better quality of life.”
To what extent do you think being a family-run business influences your approach to not only interior design, but to workforce wellbeing / development?
We’ve grown together. At times our work can be incredibly stressful, but we all pull together. There is a common goal, we support each other to achieve it. We are like a family but rather that than a huge faceless company where you can hide. We can’t hide, we are all accountable and we all take that onboard with the diligence and commitment it deserves.
We are really good at supporting each other, we never take for granted what we have in our team and each other. Everyone is encouraged to flourish through learning and development, there are no barriers to what anyone can achieve at Care Home Interiors.
And it shows. In everything we do we will never stop short of excellence.
And finally, Kerry, where can we learn a little more about Care Home Interiors?
Our website is great place to start https://carehome-interiors.co.uk/ but also our social media is regularly updated for those keen to keep in touch.