Hospital design involves much more than aesthetic functions. The architectural characteristics, technological amenities and quality of the materials used can have a profound effect on overall healthcare, including efficiency of hospital workers, patient care and the comfort of families during their times of need. 

The new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston opened in 2013, designed by Boston-based architecture firm Perkins+Will. Acting as the Harvard School of Medicine Teaching Hospital and having been ranked 6th among rehabilitation hospitals for 2012 / 2013 in the United States by the US News & World Report, this facility serves a great purpose in the community. Designed to be a center of healing for both rehab patients and the surrounding public, this modern and sustainable building features many remarkable characteristics, including 378,367 square feet, 132 private patient rooms, eight floors, curved architectural elements and an exterior modeled after ship-making material.

Photo credit: Perkins+Will

The former Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital building layout included steps in the main entrance, compelling people in wheelchairs to use a ramp located at a side entrance. However, a main goal for the new facility was to be inclusive for all, no matter the physical capabilities. Now, six-foot wide corridors and floor-to-ceiling windows provide accessibility and openness. A management system also opens and closes windows depending on weather patterns, ensuring the space is well-ventilated as well as utilizing the benefits of natural light.

Photo credit: Architect Magazine

Uniquely situated, particularly for a hospital, on the waterfront of the Boston Harbor in the city’s historic Charleston Navy Yard, the natural amenities surrounding the hospital were employed to further aid rehabilitation patients. Architects integrated additional therapeutic equipment to allow patients the opportunity to perform physical therapy in an array of landscaped surfaces, combined with the Boston Harborwalk, which consists of various trails and avenues to the waterfront. Also near the water is a state-of-the-art therapy pool, which boasts panoramic views of the harbor and Boston skyline.

Photo credit: Perkins+Will

Owner: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Partners HealthCare
Architect and Interior Designer: Perkins+Will
General Contractor/Construction Manager: Walsh Brothers
Environmental Consulting: Haley & Aldrich Inc.
MEP Engineering: Thompson Consultants Inc. (lead engineers) and Buro Happold
Structural Engineering: McNamara/Salvia Inc.
Lighting Design: AKF
Medical Equipment Planning: Source Atlantic
Landscaping: Copley Wolff Design Group and Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects (roof terraces) 

2. Introduce better outdoor lighting. The lighting industry is also catching on to the improvement of the outdoor landscape and hardscape industries with lighting systems appearing more in pavers and walkways. Use well-placed, long-lasting LED lighting outdoors to softly and subtly illuminate your design.

Photo credit – McKay Lighting

3. Expand with outdoor rooms. Consumers are taking their typical indoor home activities outdoors. Design their spaces to meet these needs. Provide adequate seating and gathering room, countertop space for cooking and even technology amenities like televisions. According to Joe Fields, director of contractor services and sales for EP Henry, a New Jersey-based hardscape company, homeowners are no longer building on a second story or room; outdoor spaces are now being built as an alternative. “This is their addition to their home,” says Fields. “It’s becoming an extension of the family room.”

Casual Living December 2013

For more information about outdoor rooms, or to read the full Casual Living article, click the link. http://bit.ly/1lG6ZsN

Look around the corner for trends

As we stated earlier, it is critical to stay ahead of what’s current and look for what is next. Regularly researching industry news can help a company create a plan that will be successful across various platforms.

Blogs and newsletters from industry associations or publications are essential resources for staying informed. A prime example is our latest ECPR blog post featuring the Pantone® Color Report Spring 2014. Interior designers creating spaces and textile manufacturers incorporating these colors in spring collections are setting their companies and clients up for market sales success, in style! Even greater success could come in taking risks in design and daring to be a tad bit more avante garde in fashion.

Consider the plan in beta

Your 2014 marketing plan is new and in development stages, so it is important to make it adaptable to changes or opportunities, in real time. “What it means is being present for the always-on consumer and sharing a brand story in a relevant way in a relevant moment.” The most successful plans have strategic elements that allow a company to seize advantage of an unforeseen opportunity. A combination of research and a system for quick, active product production and distribution will only increase a company’s ability to react in these moments.

Click the photo to view the full PR News article.

Live collaboratively

A company’s entire team will determine its success in 2014, which includes staff, client and agency partners. Strong leadership and clearly defined roles will help overall strength and competency, while supporting the best ideas will boost morale. At ECPR, we hold weekly company meetings where everyone, from our CEO to our interns, shares their creative ideas on various tasks and client projects. You never know where the next great, innovative idea may come from, so we are always open-minded and attentive to team creativity.

New year, new beginnings. Take these tips, apply them and jumpstart your business’ growth in 2014! Happy New Year!

Pantone® Fashion Color Report Spring 2014

Cayenne: Spicy, yet not intimidating, Cayenne will add a blast of courage to an otherwise neutrally comfortable space. 

Photo Credit – Better Homes & Gardens

Celosia Orange: Named after a stunningly unique flower, Celosia Orange’s vibrant and energetic color radiates warmth throughout this contemporary children’s bedroom.

Photo Credit – Haus Line

Dazzling Blue: While endearing and bold, Dazzling Blue can be used in small accessories or large furniture pieces. If you truly love this color, splash it on the walls, too! 

Photo Credit – Rue Magazine

Freesia: Also influenced by a flower, Freesia is sweet and optimistic; this color is great for the innovative workplace, in paint or plant form.

Photo Credit – The Flowers Avenue

Paloma: Paloma’s contemporary tone is reflected in this concrete building, and both are sleek and timeless. 

BOMA Magazine – November / December 2013

To our horticultural industry readers, this week’s blog post is specifically for you. Some of you may have noticed a severe decline in the bee population in recent years. The November 2013 issue of Nursery Management delves deeper into the possible cause of the drop in bee mortality. 

The domesticated honey bee population has declined nearly 50 percent in the last 50 years, and this year was one of the worst on record with some bee keepers losing 60 percent of their hives. This is disturbing news to many because bees account for one-third of the food we eat, including any vegetable, fruit or nut that grows from a flower. Examples of these are blueberries, almonds, squash, and tomatoes – all of which require pollination. The Pollinator Partnership says that pollinators add $217 billion to the global economy, while honey bees alone are responsible for $1.2 billion to $5.4 billion of agricultural productivity in the U.S. 

One of the possible causes is Colony Collapse Disorder – the phenomenon occurring when worker bees disappear, leaving behind a queen, food and a few nurse bees. Other causes that affect bee health are mites, viruses, bacteria, disease, poor nutrition, beekeeping practices, transportation of hives across country, habitat loss, genetically modified plants, lack of genetic diversity, weather, and pesticides. 

“Why Bee Health Matters” Nursery Management – November 2013

Of all the pesticides bees can be exposed to, one class has been in the media and regulatory spotlight – neonicotinoids. A bill has been submitted to Congress for the suspension of four neonicotinoids until their EPA registration review in 2019 – dinotefuran, imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam. To help regulate the issue without putting companies out of business, the EPA announced label changes to “better protect bees and other pollinators” from the four specified neonicotinoids. The EPA intends to have the new language placed on “as many products as possible by the 2014 use season.”

Joe Bischoff, director of government relations at ANLA, says, “In general, the language used in the new EPA labels is flexible enough for the green industry to work within the new guidelines and still be able to use neonicotinoids…As an industry, we are stewards of these chemistries just as we are of the land. We must be responsible and use them for their intended purpose and for their benefit.”

To read more of Nursery Management’s coverage of bee health, click on the photo below.

Social media marketing has skyrocketed to become a necessary element in any business’ brand. Reaching your company’s target audience through a strong online presence has never been easier, yet strategy is still crucial. Hashtags make messages more searchable; similar to a mini search engine optimizer within just 140 characters. By using the symbol, keywords associated with your industry become more than just words, but turn into hyperlinks that millions of potential consumers can easily find. Thus, creating the opportunity for countless digital impressions.

The hashtag also crosses virtually every medium. It can be utilized on social media platforms such as its origin, Twitter, as well as Facebook, Instagram, Google+, and Flickr. The hashtag is also always making its way into non-interactive mediums like billboard messages and commercials. By using this symbol as a tool for brand awareness, business-to-business or business-to-consumer interaction is effectively elevated.

Interested in learning more about hashtags as well as the benefits of social media marketing? Please feel free to post your questions and comments below, or contact the ECPR team at info@eberlycollardpr.com.

Julia Molloy presenting the “7 Secrets of Top Luxury Interior Design Firms.”

What is Luxury?

It all begins with the question, “what is luxury?” Julia defined luxury as the ability to “satisfy every need and go beyond the ordinary into the realm of the extraordinary. It is about elevating the mind, body and spirit.” Luxury must be developed inside an organization before it can start providing luxury as a service and viable reference to clients. The seven secrets provide the necessary elements to becoming luxury internally, and then servicing with luxury externally.

Luxury Starts from Within

In terms of internal business operations, a design company’s brand vision sets the foundation of what it stands for and provides. Brand Vision should be instilled in a firm’s staff as well. As soon as employees are hired, the company structure must be set to evoke brand-aligned staff members and a true sense of internal organization.

Clear roles and accountabilities must be established for each teammate, with centralized and easily accessible information that requires limited presence of the principal designer when needed, allowing for a streamlined approach. There must be short-term tasking and team meetings where everyone can discuss their completed, current and upcoming tasks. From there, documentation of regular company practices and forms should occur, whether internally or in the field. This will help uphold the standards of quality and efficiency for the company.

“Designers and showroom managers visit ADAC for Julia Molloy’s presentation.”

Branding and Public Relations are Essential

Once the brand vision, company structure, and documentation processes are solidified, then brand development can start to take shape. Branding should authentically reflect a design firm’s key characteristics. The key characteristics are a firm’s “navigational compass,” which directs the decision making process and, ultimately, aligns all actions to the brand vision.

Top luxury interior design firms place public relations and press as high priorities. A publicist can help a designer become an active and renowned figure in their community, which will help them gain popularity and publicity. Design firms and their public relations teams should develop a list of targeted publications, websites and blogs for submitting the designer’s well-planned media kit and build relationships with all of the publications’ editors and writers. If an interior design firm desires the most return on investment, it will work with a reputable public relations firm who specializes in the industry.

Luxury Has the Potential to Grow and Evolve

A brand and business development team such as Molloy Management Group, and an industry-experienced, full-service public relations firm like our own Eberly & Collard Public Relations, can help take a firm from its “start-up” phase to celebrity standing.

Active public relations and press coverage help design firms remain present, known, seen, heard, and available.

According to Julia, when an interior designer’s clients see his or her name published, it makes them feel good and say, “That’s my designer!” This equates to an elevated position and feeling for the client. As a result, the client acknowledges the luxury of the design firm, even after the project has been completed. In turn, this can generate customer loyalty and referrals. Coming full circle, the purpose of public relations for a designer involves positioning the designer as a “go-to” expert resource for creating both beautiful and useful living spaces, but also to provide the client a truly luxurious experience.

These are only a few of the tips provided by Julia Molloy. Her knowledge is impressive and vast; to learn more, visit the Molloy Management Group website at www.molloymanagement.com. To view other events at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, visit www.adacatlanta.com. For more information about Eberly & Collard Public Relations, visit our website at www.eberlycollardpr.com.

Our most sincere thanks to Julia for enlightening the Atlanta design industry, and our appreciation to the highly talented and devoted staff at ADAC for hosting the event.

Members of the ECPR team with Julia Molloy of Molloy Management Group and Amy Musarra of ADAC.

The November 2013 issue of Architectural Record features six noteworthy buildings set on university campuses across the country. The article titled “Object Lesson” is about the University of Arkansas’ Fay Jones School of Architecture built by one of its own, while combining the campus’ historical elements with modern flare.

Fay Jones School of Architecture – University of Arkansas

When the university was granted $10 million to update the School of Architecture, it came with a very tight schedule, requiring initial plans to be submitted within weeks. With the limited amount of time available, school leaders turned to its own architectural department.

A combination of old and new

Furniture Today is a leading news source for furniture industry market analysis, product trends, and retailer and manufacturing news. Recently, the magazine released its “2013 Consumer Buying Trends,” stocked with statistics varying by region, buyer demographics, amount spent, and specific populations. For furniture manufacturers and retailers, this informative information is crucial for business advancement and potential new product development. Stemming from the report, below we have dissected some key points for observation in the upcoming quarters as well as provided marketing tactics for each trend.

Master Sales for Master Bedrooms

The master bedroom is the inner sanctuary of the home and it is evident that homeowners are not skimping on the expense of their serenity. In 2012, U.S. households bought $8.8 billion-worth of master bedroom furniture, where all the buyers spent a median of $599. Midwest households spent the most with a $999 average, while Northeastern households spent the least with an average of $525.

Baby Boomers comprised two-fifths of all buyers in 2012. Younger Boomers (ages 49-57) spent a median of $849 and Older Boomers (ages 58-67) spent the most, a median of $1,549.

In 2013, 5.5 million households plan to buy master bedroom furniture. Adult Millennials, currently ages 18 through 32, are 65 million strong and are excellent master bedroom prospects for 2013 because many are in the process of designing their own homes and personal spaces. Comfortable luxury is the desire of most Millennials. Strategic marketing catered towards these interests can boost a company’s revenue significantly.

Master Bedroom Trends

Casual Dining for Millennials

Millennials love to eat out, but it appears that many more are opting for dining in the comfort of their own backyards. This year, 4.1 million consumer households plan to buy casual dining furniture, with Millennials and Young Boomers purchasing at considerable rates. In 2012, on average, Millennials spent $199 and Young Boomers spent $349. The highest amount of buyers came from the middle class, with incomes between $50,000 and $99,999.

When creating a marketing strategy, it is important to not only consider the consumers’ age and income, but also the location of the buyer and the purpose of the product. The South spent the most on casual dining furniture with a $299 median, while the West spent the least with only a $99 median. Targeting a specific region can help cover a large demographic efficiently. 

Casual Dining Trends

Millennial Entertainment

The commonplace of flat-screen TV’s and household gaming equipment caused the peak of entertainment furniture sales in 2004 and 2006. In 2012, the top-selling case goods product and the fourth-most popular furniture product overall was entertainment furniture, with 5.2 million U.S. households investing an estimated $5.5 billion in retail. By generation, Millennials (ages 18-32) and Generation X (ages 33-48) are the best prospects for buying entertainment furniture in 2013.

Last year, Millennials spent an average of $199 on entertainment furniture and Generation X spent $225. As many retailers and manufacturers are aware, casual dining and entertainment furniture go hand-in-hand for providing comfortable luxury items for the home. Marketing products to specific age groups allows the consumer to purchase products that are well-suited for their own lifestyles. Once that vision is seen and accepted, then a sale can be made.

Entertainment Furniture Buying Trends

Trend spotting is meant to raise awareness and inspire action. Targeted strategic marketing can help address these new findings. We hope this revealing information sparked our furniture retailer and manufacturer followers’ interest and drives toward exponential business growth.