THE BRIEF
Elderswell in Bedfordshire is the latest development in Inspired Villages’ portfolio of retirement villages. True to its philosophy that quality of life should flourish as we get older, the village has a focus on community, independence and lifestyle.
Following design principles for hospitality venues rather than more clinical settings, Elderswell’s new Village Centre offers all the facilities that actively retired people are looking for, such as a restaurant, wellbeing facilities such as gym, studio and swimming pools, and hairdressers.
Sonia Parol, design director at Inspired Villages, explained: “We understand that many people can be reluctant to leave their community and family home, which is why we focus on inclusion and wellbeing. Our promise to residents is that they will have the best years of their lives when they move to our village.
“Our aim is to cultivate inclusive intergenerational villages, so our facilities are also open to the local community. For example, our restaurants feel like high street restaurants rather than care home dining rooms. For us it is key that our villages don’t feel like a gated community with a controlled environment.”
Client: Inspired Villages
Architects - Pozzoni Architecture
Main Contractor - Vistry Group
Flooring Contractor: Unite Flooring
Interior Designers: Space Invader Design
Sector: Retirement Living
Area: 1,495m2
The above image features Golden Brushed Oak in herringbone from our Van Gogh collection.
THE CONCEPT
True to its ethos of quality and practicality, the interior design provides a comfortable atmosphere and a premium finish. Inspired Villages takes a consistent approach to design whereby 80% of its specifications are standardized to support easy installation and meet deadlines and 20% contextual with furniture, art and other elements that reflect each unique locality.
Manchester based design consultant SpaceInvader was inspired by the Elderswell development’s rural location to create a timelessly elegant space with an organic style. Earthy colour palettes and classic clean lines have been paired with wood design flooring for a practical surface and homely atmosphere.
Karndean flooring has been specified throughout the Village Centre as well as in the kitchens of each residential unit, providing an attractive natural wood look and meeting all the technical specifications for older living and the demands of the Centre’s commercial spaces.
The above image features Mid Limed Oak (left) from our Knight Tile collection and Golden Brushed Oak in (right) from our Van Gogh collection.
THE LOOK
In the Village Centre restaurant, a honey oak design flooring has been used to introduce natural textures and warm tones to the soft colour palette of grey, beige and green. Choosing Golden Brushed Oak herringbone from the Van Gogh dual format range, a European oak design with a delicate balance of long straight grain and beautiful ‘flowery’ grain, has resulted in a floor that oozes authentic charm and adds interest with a sense of movement.
In the wellbeing facilities, Bleached Tasmanian Oak from the LooseLay Longboard range brings a fresh contemporary feel appropriate to its activity setting. The design’s loose lay format, which features an enhanced acoustic layer, comes with all the practical benefits of Karndean flooring but also serves to reduce noise transfer by 13dB. Held in place with a combination of weight and our K-Wave grip backing, ongoing maintenance and repairs are straight forward as damaged planks can be simply lifted and replaced.
The above image features Bleached Tasmanian Oak from our Karndean LooseLay Longboard collection.
Sonia Parol said: “We use Karndean flooring across all our new villages. While each village has its own unique character and features different flooring designs, we know that Karndean will give us the variety of style and finish we are looking for alongside standardised technical specifications, durability and low maintenance.”