DECOR FILE : FABULOUS UPDATE

PALM SPRINGS- BEAUTY AND STYLE FOR THE LOBBY

above and below: the dated, over-worn lobby of Palm Spring Skilled Nursing Center. Notice the ceiling fans ala 1980. The country Pine furniture and mustard yellow wall colors. Oh the Southwestern Prints as well!

Below: The same lobby after a major overhaul to update the area and bring graceful, edited style. NO more ceiling fans or prints. Hello Philadelphia Honed Stone flooring, eco-chic upholstery, custom fireplace walls and hand-blown glass and bronze pendants!

Again: The after below

Since, approximately, this past February- I have been working diligently on several Skilled Nursing Facilities- or SNF's as they say in the biz. This past Saturday was our first major install in the lobby of my Palm Springs project. It has been such a long time coming but FINALLY I can show some dramatic before and after images. What you should realize is the following:

1. my budget is frugal- considering the task I was handed and the scope of the project/improvements that needed to occur. The building is over 26,000 square feet with 100 beds.

We have replaced all the flooring through out with either luxury vinyl tiles, stone or ceramic in the case of the baths.

Paint Through out.

New bedding, draperies, headboards, nightstands.

Demo'd and rebuilding two nurses stations.

Demo'd and re-poured exterior courtyards. Added fountains and new plantings.

All new lobby furnishings.

artwork in the Lobby

Draperies through out the public spaces.

Renovated the Physical therapy gym-

Created an efficiency apartment for Occupational Therapy...

the list goes on and on and I can still tell you that we are still about $15.00 a square foot if you did the math! This my friends, is unheard of.

2. The details are what matter. Everything that my hand touches or my eye sees undergoes intense scrutiny. This is to say that everything and every detail is just as important as the next. One link on the pendant fixtures versus two. Draperies hanging 3/4" above the floor versus 1". Charcoal stitching on the opalescent leather pillows versus black. Orchid arrangements made my my own hands because the nursery could not get it just right. You get the picture. This is not about finding something retail and plopping it down...it is about a pointed vision and well edited elements.

Here are just some of the great details:

the luxury vinyl was selected to cut down the use of chemicals around the residents.

custom draperies, night stands and headboards, as well as healthcare appropriate bedding are in the patient rooms.

lobby furnishings are custom designs, eco friendly with FSC certified frames and foam that is either of recycled content or soy based.

Fabrics are designer, to the trade- all while meeting stringent standards (This has been most challenging.)

lobby artwork is ORIGINAL paintings! Not prints - Original hand-made contemporary pieces.

3. I have single-handedly facilitated everything. No assistants. No foreman. Meet your General contractor- in a sense.

While there are still many items to tackle, another nurses station to install, and some painting to complete... I am supremely pleased. The aim was to bring style and beauty to individuals who often are ignored. To demonstrate that luxury and grace can be accomplished with out excess if you have a well edited, trained eye and comprehensive know-how. (Imagine if I had generous budgets!) And that we need to change the face of typical health care design to incorporate the refined, upscale aesthetics that the boomer generation has grown accustomed to. Today its about being effortlessly chic.

Happy Monday!