Watermeadow Grange
Project
Watermeadow Grange
Client
Cinnamon Luxury Care
Year
2024
Overview
Catalyst Interiors were commissioned by Cinnamon Luxury Care to design and fit-out Watermeadow Grange Care Home in Topsham, Devon. With luxury and hospitality at the forefront, the care home makes an immediate impression with its bright, welcoming, yet bold and elegant reception and café bar, exuding style and opulence. The home features a Piano Bar, Sky Lounge, Hair and Beauty Salon, Cinema, and Private Dining Room, complemented by homely and beautiful living areas. The interior design of Watermeadow Grange goes beyond aesthetics, with a deep understanding of the specific needs of the residents.
Situated on the South West coast, Watermeadow Grange incorporates the coastal environment into its design by creating spaces that feel bright and welcoming during the day. At night, the outdoor terraces are transformed with lighting, creating a dramatic visual backdrop for the lounge, bar, and restaurant. The home offers residents luxurious amenities such as a beauty salon, private dining room, and cinema, ensuring they can enjoy independence while remaining within the safe and secure environment of the care home. As residents move from the reception and piano bar deeper into the home, the design transitions into a more homely and relaxed atmosphere, ensuring comfort and warmth.
A key design feature at Watermeadow Grange is providing access to outdoor spaces for all residents, even those on upper floors. Each communal lounge or dining room connects to an outdoor area, allowing residents to enjoy fresh air and nature. Upper-floor terraces offer safe, accessible outdoor spaces, challenging the common perception that care home residents lose access to the outdoors. The design ensures that everyone can experience the simple pleasures of feeling the sun or wind, enhancing their daily lives.
Watermeadow Grange features five different Lounge Diners, each with its own style and colour palette. This variety ensures that the home caters to the diverse preferences of its 86 residents. For example, the Ground Floor lounge features a pastel palette of greens and pinks, paired with traditional design elements, while the Second Floor Sky Lounge uses bold taupe and yellow tones with modern design elements. The striking sloping ceilings of the Sky Lounge house a bespoke bookcase and bar, creating an opulent atmosphere where residents can relax, enjoy after-dinner drinks, and take in the views from the 3m apex window.
The communal lounges at Watermeadow Grange are designed to break large open spaces into defined areas, giving residents multiple options for spending time outside their bedrooms. Larger social areas are arranged around TVs, while smaller seating hubs near bookcases or coffee bars offer quiet spaces for reading or games. This thoughtful layout promotes both social interaction and personal relaxation.
From the initial room layouts to the final finishing touches, residents were always at the heart of Watermeadow Grange’s design. The colour schemes, bespoke furniture, and thoughtful details were all chosen to be both functional and beautiful. Even the selection of artwork and accessories was guided by a desire to make the space feel homely while meeting the practical needs of care home living.
Though Watermeadow Grange is home to 86 residents, it is also a commercial building that must adhere to safety regulations. For example, signage was designed to feel more welcoming and homely. Instead of ‘Staff Only’ signs, the care home uses ‘Team Area’ to reduce the sense of barriers between residents and staff.
The design also reimagined the ‘Assisted Bathrooms’ as ‘Spa Bathrooms’ to remove the clinical stigma often associated with care homes. The use of neutral colours, non-slip tiled flooring, and decorative privacy screens create a relaxing and dignified environment for residents, allowing them to bathe with greater independence and comfort.
Sustainability was an important consideration in the design of Watermeadow Grange, particularly within the dementia community. Meaningful and decorative items, such as retro food signs and ‘rummage items’ like old travel brochures and records, were sourced from local charity shops to create authentic, memory-evoking spaces for residents with cognitive impairments. For hard-to-find items, platforms like eBay were used to maintain authenticity while promoting sustainability.
Project Brief
Cinnamon Luxury Care aims to provide the highest level of care in a beautiful home, where every detail reflects luxury and hospitality. The first impression from the central communal area should be bold, elegant, bright, and welcoming. As residents move further into the home, the atmosphere should transition to a more homely feel, especially within the residential areas. The ultimate goal of the design was to create an environment that, when paired with the right care and stimulation, would transform residents’ lives, making them feel happier and more fulfilled.
We try to create unique experiences & styles for every room
The eboards
