Stressed out? Maybe Your Walls Are to Blame.

A cloud mural adds a natural touch at a plastic surgeon’s office

You’re at home, and you just want to relax. Or maybe you’re spending more time than you’d like in the office, and you’re feeling like you can’t catch a break. In either case, your environment can make a huge difference in how smoothly your day goes. And art might play a bigger part than you’d guess.

I recently attended a helpful panel called “The Intersection of Art & Design in Healthcare,” led by two art consultants and a researcher who studies the effects of art on the patients and staff at medical offices. Naturally, the old, stereotypical hospital art came up: framed posters, amateurish animals graphics in pediatric wards and the like.

The idea used to be, “There’s a wall – can’t leave it blank, so better put something up.” The result was rarely polished or thought out. Unfortunately, the same can be true for many corporate offices and even some homes.

A pulmonary/pain specialist’s office uses visual effects to open the space

However, a decision as seemingly simple as wall décor can have a tangible impact on stress, emotions and healing, as the researcher at the panel pointed out. When hospitals selected pieces with challenging or abstract pieces such as the styles of Vincent van Gogh and Jackson Pollock, patients noted increased anxiety and agitation. Nature themes with soothing color palettes appeared more calming, however, and when hospital delivery rooms used those types of pieces, the average delivery time decreased by 2.1 hours.

We’re in a high-tension world, and New Yorkers know that as much as anyone. Our surroundings impact our anxiety level, our productivity and our overall mental and physical wellbeing.

My suggestion is to decorate in a way that helps bring the outside in. A nature-based painting, mosaic, sculpture or participatory piece (with moving parts to grab infants’ attention) can make the difference between soothed and stressed. Nature, after all, can be our best healer. Incorporating calming music can take a carefully thought-out design even farther.

If you’d like advice about choosing the right art for your home or office, feel free to call me anytime. With just a quick consultation, I’ll help you start making the most of your space – and hopefully reducing your stress in the meantime.

The Surprising Design Connection between Kitchens and Labs

A glamorous Long Island kitchen

Work – especially in New York – takes up plenty of attention in life. Some people believe that your design style from home can’t interfere with your design in the office, and vice versa. But that’s not the case, as many of my clients find out. Sometimes, design decisions naturally cross over from work to home.

Let’s take the example of medical offices. A laboratory is shockingly similar to a kitchen, when it comes to design.

The kitchen is known as “the hearth of the home”. No one wants to leave the kitchen during the festivities. But for all that socializing, there are critical design considerations that can make all the difference between safely enjoyable and carelessly dangerous. The same can be said for a laboratory, whether for research, medical testing or patient exams. A few small changes to layout, lighting and materials can keep the day running smoothly and safely.

When laying out a kitchen, it’s generally best to work within the favored triangle configuration for the sink, stovetop and refrigerator. This creates an open, non-congested traffic pattern, and it cuts down on steps to avoid repetition and wasted effort when preparing and cleaning up meals. The same holds true in a medical situation, with a distinct layout of the sink, prep area and storage space. On top of the kitchen layout, though, a lab layout needs a clean/dirty space distinction to avoid cross-contamination with sterile and non-sterile instruments.

In both a kitchen and a laboratory, design choices need to be made with sanitation and cleanup in mind. Good lighting is also crucial in both places, to avoid mistakes. For both a kitchen and a laboratory, you’ll need to avoid seams in floors to prevent dirt and bacteria from collecting. There should be enough spring in the flooring material to avoid back fatigue and to offer some resilience if a wine glass (or a Petri dish) drops.

A plastic surgeon's operating room

When designing medical exam or procedure rooms, I lean toward either CaesarStone or another non-porous material such as lavastone. Lavastone was developed in France for use in laboratories to avoid contamination when working with bodily fluids. Use a similar stone in the kitchen, and you can work with raw chicken without as much fear of contamination. One point to note: because natural stones are porous, they require sealing periodically.

For sinks, I recommend cast iron with a non-porous glaze. It can chip, but it scrubs up nicely. Stainless steel is a comparable option that’s less sensitive to chipping. Both do require polishing, but they have a clean, beautiful appearance in the kitchen.

Whatever your design needs, be strategic – and don’t worry about letting your style from home influence your style from work (or the other way around). If you need advice, feel free to email me or call me at (212) 532-2569 to set up a consultation.

It’s Time to Take Chances with Art

A scene from the CBS/Fox Video offices

When I was a student at Parsons, one of my instructors said that there’s neither good design nor bad design – just a better solution. I think that’s true, and it can be true with the art you keep in your home or office, too.

As both a designer and a painter, I look at my clients’ properties and blank canvases the same way. Art is a matter of interpretation and problem solving – speaking to an artist’s preferences on light, balance, texture, color, materials and more. When you choose a piece to display, you’re picking up that interpretation and adding your own voice to it.

I cringe when a client says, “I love that painting, but it doesn’t match the color on my walls.” You should choose art that makes you react – whether a piece raises your senses, provokes thought or arouses you. Take your first reaction to heart.

An artfully decorated home in Long Island

Adapt your art to the setting, but collect what you like. Although it might not be appropriate to hang nude paintings in an office, you can still cater to the style you like, be it modernist, Impressionist or anything else. Your preferred style of art can complement your setting or room design, or it can contrast it in an interesting and carefully considered way.

Think beyond the stretched canvas. You might come to love baskets, sculptures or glass work. In my own home, I have a collection of rocks that I took from beaches I visited around the world, and they sit center-stage in my entry foyer.

Having trouble getting started? Keeping your favorite pieces in storage because you’re not sure what to do with them? Give me a call. We’ll talk about your style and start wiping the dust off those frames.

Isn’t a New Layout Enough?

If you are a commercial business, you have sought, found and leased commercial space.  Sometimes the space is completely unstructured giving you the opportunity to design your space from scratch.  Other times the space reflects the office layout of the previous tenant and may even include furniture.  If they are going to design a space that works for their employees and for their business, we need to work together to plan for their future. 

For example, a potential client has leased new space.  The space is available “as is” including a high-end furniture system.  Two thirds of the office space is an open plan, while the rest is offices, storage, kitchen, reception and conference rooms.  The company plans to hire an additional 10-15 people by July.  The clients needs can be summarized as follows:

• Define work space for existing employees and create pockets of space to accommodate each new employee in their appropriate role
•  Arrange existing furniture to reflect the business culture and functional needs of existing and future staff – or remove existing systems furniture and get free-standing furniture (known as case goods)
• Assign one permanent work station for visiting employees
• Define an entry without need for a staffed receptionist

 As I review the space, measurements and plans are critical.  When plans are not available, a field survey is required for scaled measurements and structural details.  This is my tool to create the best options for layout.  When a space comes with existing furniture, I investigate the furniture system to understand the ability to re-use or reconfigure to meet a clients needs, especially if these systems service the electrical and telecommunication feeds.  This means that replacing such systems is not as easy as replacing desks.  Both an electrician and the  telecom service provider must also be engaged to install the relevant solutions.  My proposals make recommendations related to architecture, electrical, furniture and layout.

My proposal to this client focused on 2 things:  (1)  provide them with a design that would work better communications-wise amongst employees and accommodate growth; and (2) evaluate the re-use of the furniture system left behind. At the moment, this proposal has not been accepted.  The client was thinking only in terms of physical layout with an unreasonable budget.  The existing  furniture system is a high-end system.  Unfortunately, while the system ia a great product as originally installed, it is not easily adapted or re-configured.   The client will have to consider if it is the right system for their needs.  And, in the current economic climate, there are already too many systems laying dormant in warehouses looking for resale.

I am encouraging this client to think about

• their growth plans
• how they do business and how their people work
• how the furniture (existing or new) impacts functionality of their people     
•  electrical and telecommunication needs

Throwing out a system and getting “cheap” furniture is not always an easy solution – it may cost you more in the long run!  As you consider new space or a redesign of existing space, keep these thoughts in mind.  They will help you collaborate with your interior designer (hopefully me!) to create a space that helps your business succeed!

Is space planning an aesthetic or a necessity?

Some of you may know me as working on residential projects – however, when I first started in this field, I was working with firms that specialized in corporate interiors and had the opportunity to work on some of the major law firms and professional organizations in New York City. I want to share a few tidbits that I have learned from working on commercial interiors.

I was bidding on a project for a growing tech company who were expanding to a second floor and also refitting their existing occupied floor. One person was assigned to act as the point person in the selection process for assessing and interviewing design firms. I was the first to be invited to participate. During my initial telephone conversation, it was clear to me that they were also working on their lease while this selection process was underway.

In today’s economy, it is understandable that all companies, big and small, look to save money, especially when the company is growing in uncertain times. I always find it amazing that these companies will forego retaining the services of designers or architects,  as they consider it to be a “luxury” and unnecessary since the landlord has offered a monetary concession toward the build out of their space. The build out can be done by the prospective tenant who will hire a contractor or having the landlord take responsibility for the build it out by retaining  a contractor.

It’s a simple scenario – and this is how it goes. The landlord:

• evaluates the lease term, square footage and basic construction costs
• comes up with a formula and adds this to your rental
• tenant does not spend incremental budget on construction

The landlord has “saved” your company the effort of allocating additional budget for construction. You believe this is a win-win, BUT, the landlord has calculated a rental that is in his favor and your company has not necessarily thought through some important issues. In many cases, more pertinent to smaller businesses, questions are not asked by the negotiators for the company, as they are not usually directly affected by what is required for the daily operation of their organization.

For example, how many electrical outlets are required? What type of connections, electrical or otherwise, is required for your IT operation? The hours of your operation will determine what additional requirements you may need ( i.e., additional security, coffee area, etc., receiving deliveries, filing capacity). Depending on the nature of your business, the productivity of your staff may be affected by the type of lighting that the landlord is going to install. If you are negotiating for a lease term longer than 7 years – hire a professional to do a needs evaluation. They will help you formulate ideas for the best use of the space. It is risky to rely on casual assumptions such as,  “ well we have five offices, a conference room, etc. etc. – I guess we should have 7 offices, and double the size of the conference room–yeah–that’ll work”. Now you have a  conference room to accommodate a meeting you have once every 6 months, but its too big for meetings with 6 or so occupants every two weeks. What a waste of valuable space!

Hire a professional, let them evaluate your needs and your growth potential. They can incorporate your needs and future plans into the design. They can offer ideas for the best lighting and determine what your equipment needs electrically. Then you will be prepared when you  sit down at the negotiating table with your landlord,  with a list of priorities to discuss and gain commitment from the landlord,  before you settle with  the landlord’s standard offer. These are uncertain times, and everyone is being cautious, so you won’t get everything – but get what will save you headaches, mistakes, and unnecessary money. You are not like ”every other tenant in the building” – this is your company and it has to function for you to succeed in your business!

If you find yourself approaching a new lease in a new or existing space,  think of your company’s needs, and if you find yourself in a quandary – feel free to give me a call, I’d be happy to make suggestions.