The newly renovated Boyne Lodge Personal Care Home, a long-term care facility in Carman, Manitoba, opened its doors to residents and staff. The Lodge’s central mission is to create a living environment that reflects the needs and values of their community while supporting the highest standards of accessibility to create a place that truly feels like home.

Community at its Core

The Lodge is comprised of a series of smaller neighborhoods which house between 8-10 residents, each with their own private bedroom and bathroom. The individual rooms are situated around a common kitchen space that serves as each neighborhood’s social core. The smaller living model supports intimacy and connection while providing a safeguard against viral and seasonal outbreaks. The common space provides a breadth of opportunities for sensorial engagement — large, bright, operable windows provide access to nature, while an open layout provides residents with opportunities to engage with the preparation of their food; whether that be through hands-on involvement in its preparation or through the simple pleasure of experiencing the aromas of whatever is in the oven or on the stove.

“They wanted texture and warmth and a connection back to the geography and place that surrounds them.” Joanne McFadden, Principal, ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design

Building from the Outside

In It was important to the designers of Boyne Lodge to create a place that would support the work flow and living expectations of the people who would be using it. Early in the planning stages, interviews were conducted where staff and future residents and their family members were asked to envision a space that would best reflect the needs and values the community. Joanne McFadden, Principal at ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design, explains, “This is a mostly rural community. They didn’t want anything pretentious. They wanted texture and warmth, comfortable and inviting furniture, and a connection back to the geography and place that surrounds them.” The tiling around the fireplace in the Great Room, which connects to the Boyne Lodge and surrounding living facilities within the complex, mimics the river rock that surrounds the Boyne River. Wood-like finishes evoke the surrounding forests, and the lodge’s airy architecture combine with contemporary residential-like furnishings to create a place that feels intimate yet spacious enough to support wheelchairs and walkers.

Designing in Points of Connection

On the importance of furnishings within this space, Lisa Shelton, Interior Designer, ft3 explains, “Furniture that supports independence while still working functionally and aesthetically with what surrounds it is where meaningful connection to space happens.” Each resident’s bedroom at the Lodge includes a spacious freestanding Global wardrobe instead of a closet to enable each resident to configure their room in whichever way makes the most sense for them. The communal living spaces that bring the residents together, namely the Great Room and kitchen spaces, offer a range of Global seating options including recliners, wingback, lounge and guest chairs. Shelton continues, “This diversity of furniture compilations provides residents with the choice and autonomy to find their own place in which they can feel secure and supported.” Ultimately, a design vision is only as strong as the details that hold it together. McFadden concludes, “It’s the residents, their families and staff who will determine the success of this Lodge, and happily their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive; this is a place they can call home.”

Article originally published by Global Furniture Group here.