Rivermede Court
Jade Mannion
Interior Designer
"Rivermede Court is a new and beautiful purpose-built care home located in the historic town of Egham, offering expert person-centred care in luxurious surroundings. Catalyst Interiors were commissioned to design an interior that would create a lively environment in the reception and open communal areas, then transitioning to a beautiful and calm oasis on the upper residential floors. Upon entering Rivermede Court you instantly feel the sense of excitement and community spirit the space creates. The reception, coffee bar, piano lounge, and dining room are all a part of the open plan Ground Floor. The fun palette of purples and greens compliments the atmosphere, creating a sense of luxury and opulence with the purples, whilst the green adds the element of fun and excitement. The ground floor communal areas at Rivermede are also open to the public, who are encouraged to visit to spend time with residents who wish to. There are small quieter nooks for residents to sit and watch the world go by, or large open spaces around the coffee bar if they wish to be a part of the hustle and bustle.
Once on the first floor the interior takes a clear change in direction, the large lounge & dining room on the first floor is a more calming palette of pinks with deeper red tones. The large room is sectioned into 3 main areas: lounge area with a TV, library space and a quiet corner with sofas and large comfortable seating in a variety of styles. This then flows to a more informal seating area where residents could sit and enjoy a coffee or after dinner drink and games. A large bespoke unit with glass shelves then separates this area from the more formal dining area.
The other 2 lounges are both situated on the Dementia floor, these are small lounge/diners made for 8 residents each, to create smaller family like communities. One lounge has a palette of cool blues and greens, warmed up with touches of teal to help create a contrast for those residents living with dementia and visual impairments. The other lounge is a warmer palette of oranges and browns. Again, the wallpapers and upholsteries are textured rather than patterns as to not overload the senses of the residents living with dementia. Interest is added into the spaces by using local artwork and accessories that residents may recognise and engage with.
Catalyst used our specially developed “way finding strategy” to help residents navigate their way around the dementia community. Each wing has a different feature colour, with landmark objects at decision making points along the corridors. Residents are actively encouraged to take part in activities in the 4 themed wings; garden, office/study, children’s nursery and music. Seating is available at each themed wing to create small snugs for use with small group activities.
Piping has been used in contrasting colours to help outline the seat pads without being too obvious or brash. The colours complement each other without the LRVs being compromised".
Les
Evans
Project
Manager
"Working on Rivermede Court from a Project Management point of view was Both challenging and rewarding. Firstly We found ourselves working to a difficult client brief of creating a central open plan ground floor Layout that was both open to the public whilst keeping some privacy for the care home users. Secondly we had to deliver this fantastic looking environment in the extremely busy central hub of the ground floor in the middle of full turn key fit out. Fortunately Catalyst never shy away from a challenge and with the usual team effort, Hard work and dedication and working closely with the design team, our delivery team managed to nail the brief with breath taking results. We are all extremely proud to have been involved in this one and being a finalist in the SBID awards just puts the icing on the cake".