September 2009 • Productsphere
Design Prescription
A selection of products to cure an inhospitable health-care environment
By Paul Makovsky
While the government mulled over solutions to our plagued health-care system, we turned our eye to the troubled hospital environment. Hospitals have had cutbacks of their own, so the products designed for them must not only be inexpensive but durable, easy to clean, and long lasting (an acute-care interior shouldn’t need to be replaced for 15 years). The good news is that designers and manufacturers are meeting those criteria, creating products that are well designed, responsive to the user, and even green. The selections shown here, from vibrant Asian-inspired textiles to inviting furniture, acknowledge that patients heal better and more quickly when they are relaxed and comfortable.
Click the image at right for a slide show of the products.
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The recently opened Dupont Corian studio in New York City includes a mock operating room outfitted with Corian’s new medical-cabinetry technology, SolidCare. It comes in 14 soothing colors designed to help relieve anxiety in patients and their families. www.designstudio.corian.com
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