This post is in a series where we talk to healthcare interior designers about their work in the healthcare market.
Jessica Whitlock is an Interior Designer at RS&H.
What is one book, person, or talk that has been most influential in your career?
This would have to be Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead book. I have read her other books as well that have helped me grow as a person which has then influenced my career; however, Dare to Lead is a book about leadership, braving work and having tough conversations. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in leadership or contemplating a leadership role.
What products have you been excited about recently?
Oh man! This is a tough one. There are so many new products that come out every year, and it’s our job to always stay in front of the trends. The incredible flooring designs that have been surfacing lately through the flooring industry have been amazing as well as the upholstery options. When working in the healthcare industry we tend to be limited on the finishes and upholsteries we can specify due to the harsh environments we are designing for. The upholsteries coming out recently have been really cool and interesting designs that are manufactured with the healthcare facilities in mind which doesn’t always happen.
Do you have any go-to design solutions or techniques for creating healing environments?
When creating a healing environment we should always focus on bringing in biophilic elements and design features that support the research behind evidence-based design. When pulling in certain architectural elements, finishes, and fixtures we need to understand the impact these design features make on the patient and their families, and how they support the healing environment by reducing the possible anxiety and stress of a patient and family members occupying the space. Creating positive distractions through design elements is a key technique I always include in projects that support the design driver for reducing stress and anxiety in a healthcare setting.
If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
No matter where we are in our career path, we should always be learning and growing. The day your career stops challenging you is the day you stop learning new things. Always follow a career that challenges you and encourages you to grow every day.
What is one product that doesn't exist but should?
I wish a flooring system would exist where you could select your own thickness based on the project. There are so many great products coming out now that are all in 5mm thickness; however, when you are designing a renovation project where the floor will be terminating into an existing flooring system you are limited on which products you can use based on the thickness of the existing floor. We can use flooring transitions, yes, but everyone loves that seamless look!
We've also talked to Elisha Lorenzi (EML Interiors), Sarah Tetens (Baskervill), Becky Trybus (Forum Architecture & Interior Design), Kari Allen (Guidon Design), Crystal McCauley (CallisonRTKL), Jennifer Bahan (Hoefer Wysocki), Char Hawkins (DesignGroup), Pete Agnew (Perkins Eastman), Deirdre Pio (Gawron Turgeon Architects), Amber Williams (KDA Architecture), Jenny Manansala (Stantec), Andrea Kingsbury (FreemanWhite), and more.
