Interior Design Students Design Room for Healthcare Facility

By Lynne Shackleford of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal

In what could have easily been an episode from Donald Trump's "Apprentice," Converse College interior design majors presented their ideas for a complete refurbishing of a New Horizon waiting room Dec. 12.

Converse design students, including, from left, Beth Elswick, Janice Burrell and Shannon Petroski show their designs to hospital officials, including Jennifer Clark, far right.

The nine juniors, divided to groups of three, have been working with staff members of the New Horizon Healthcare Facility in Greer since the beginning of the semester. New Horizon is a medical practice that serves both private pay patients and those with Medicare and Medicaid. The facility includes a doctor's office, medical specialists and a pharmacy.

"We want patients to feel warm, welcomed and at ease," said Aimee Waldrop, a Converse alumna who is serving as a liaison between New Horizon and the interior design students. "The goal was to incorporate a theme and to refurbish the space from top to bottom, with new flooring, new paint, new furnishings -- new everything."

New Horizons wanted to divide the waiting area into two specific spaces: one for medical practice patients and the other for pharmacy customers. Staff also hoped a new design could help the practice feel like an upscale physician's office.

On Dec. 12, the groups gave New Horizon staff members their design ideas. They included maintenance guides for the flooring and walls that matched proposed budgets.

Shannon Owen, spokeswoman for New Horizon, said the company has a "blank slate" with minimal decorations in the waiting room and staff members may choose to use the complete plan of one group or take certain ideas from all three groups. The refurbishing of the waiting room should be complete next spring.

All of the students suggested New Horizons use a "tropical theme" to incorporate children's artwork into the waiting room and children's play area, which would be a new addition to the office. The students suggested using a color scheme with hues of blue, khaki, yellow and green.

Converse student Sarah Marion said the project was unique because the groups were able to work with actual people on a real, not conceptual, project.

Owen said New Horizon staff members were impressed with the students' professionalism and thoroughness. "If you look at these design plans, they're detailed to the penny what we would need to completely refurbish the area," Owen said. "They included the type and color of paint you would use and took into account the environmental-friendliness of a product and whether it was conducive to a health-care facility."

For example, one group recommended New Horizons use a rubberized, soft surface for the children's area that was antibacterial and antimicrobial.

For the waiting area, one group recommended that carpet tile be used so if one area was soiled, the staff could replace just one tile instead of a larger area. Another group recommended using linoleum in the waiting room with a matte finish for low maintenance.

Converse professor Frazer Pajak, the co-administrator of the interior design program, said the project is a "win-win situation" for the college, New Horizons and the community.

"I know people say that a lot, but this really is," Pajak said. "The healthiness of a building is not just what materials you decide to use, it's how one feels of an entire space. These students were able to see firsthand how to create a healthy environment for their client -- in this case, New Horizons."