Willow Lodge: Furnishing an 80-bed dementia care home

Furncare has delivered the complete FF&E package for Willow Lodge, a purpose-built 80-bed care home in Redhill designed specifically for people living with dementia, turning Stylesmith Interiors’ design vision into 2,319 individual items installed while the building was still under construction.

The project involved 400 bespoke product styles, 130 windows dressed with made-to-measure curtains and blinds, and coordinated furniture supply across all 80 bedrooms. More than 30 van loads were delivered over the course of the fit-out, adding up to over 725 driver hours on site.

With a large number of bespoke elements, the home required detailed planning across product development, manufacturing, procurement, logistics and installation. The project shows both the scale of a modern care home fit-out and the coordination needed behind the scenes to bring a detailed interior specification to site successfully.

From moodboard to furniture package

Willow Lodge was developed by Zephyr X, is operated by EQ Care Group and was designed by Stylesmith Interiors. The designers established the creative vision for the home and defined the schemes used across it.

Furncare’s involvement began while Stylesmith Interiors were still developing the initial moodboards. Its role was to turn that specification into a tangible furniture package. The aim was for the final furniture to closely reflect the designers’ original specification while also meeting the practical requirements of a care environment.

A bespoke specification

The specification did not apply a standard scheme across the building. Instead, it included considerable variation between rooms and areas. Bedrooms formed a major part of the work, with both fitted and freestanding pieces supplied throughout the home.

One of the more distinctive elements was the bespoke fitted bedroom furniture. It included substantial 2.1m-high triple wardrobes in a cashmere finish. Their scale gives the bedrooms a strong, built-in appearance, and they also provide the storage each room needs.

Fitted elements need more coordination than a straightforward freestanding furniture order, because they have to work with the dimensions and layout of the building. Manufacturing tolerances and site measurements had to align before installation could be completed.

The finer details

The bedroom furniture was only one part of the bespoke specification. Across Willow Lodge, a number of pieces needed further development to achieve the details set out in the interior scheme.

In total, 130 windows were dressed with bespoke curtains and blinds. The café is one of the most distinctive examples, where curved pelmets were produced instead of standard straight ones. The curved design highlights the architecture and character of the interior, and it needed a more bespoke approach to both manufacture and installation.

Delivering at scale

With more than 2,300 individual items to bring to site, delivery and installation were a significant part of the project. More than 30 van loads were coordinated over the fit-out, adding up to over 725 driver hours on site.

Installation took place while work was still progressing across the building. Decorating was under way in some areas, and external groundworks were at an early stage. Because rooms became available at different times, deliveries had to be carefully planned around progress on site.

Furncare’s white-glove delivery service went beyond getting furniture to the door. Drivers took each item directly to its intended room, where they assembled it and positioned it ready for use. On a project of this scale, that approach helped keep installation as smooth as possible for the home.

The completed home reflects the level of detail carried through the project, with each bedroom and communal space showing its part of the overall scheme.

What the partners said

Justine Kirkham, Design Director at Stylesmith Interiors, said: “Stylesmith Interiors had a good experience working with Furncare on our recent care home project. The communication throughout the project has been key and our dedicated project manager has been responsive and helpful at each turn. The team work throughout the process made the process run smoothly and gave us confidence at each stage. The fit out team were professional and a pleasure to work with, nothing was too much trouble and they approached each adjustment and request positively and with a solutions focused attitude. We will be working with Furncare again!”

Carl Southall, Managing Director at Furncare, said: “Willow Lodge has been a fantastic project to be part of. Stylesmiths have designed something truly impressive, setting an incredibly high standard throughout, and we’re proud to have brought that vision to life.”