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At this year’s Care Show Birmingham, Kerry Southern Reason, CEO of the Care Home Interiors Group, shared her invaluable insights on the evolving landscape of care home environments. One of the key topics she discussed was the increasingly important question: how to make care homes feel like home.
As an expert in designing care home interiors, Kerry offered a perspective rooted in both practicality and compassion. “My experience of dementia is that it’s quite scary,” she said. “When you go into a home that looks like a hospital, that’s not where you want to live.” Her point highlights a critical issue in care home design—balancing the need for clinical functionality with creating a comforting, homely atmosphere. This is especially important for residents living with dementia, for whom a hospital-like environment can exacerbate feelings of confusion and fear.
A central element in achieving this homeliness lies in the textiles chosen for the space. Items such as home-grade duvets, sheets, pillows, and towels—like those showcased by Care Home Bedding and More at the Care Show—play an essential role. These textiles offer warmth and comfort, bridging the gap between a clinical setting and a place that truly feels like home. They are thoughtfully designed not only for comfort but also for practicality, making them ideal for care environments without sacrificing a cosy, familiar feel.
Health and hygiene are paramount, and these textiles address those needs without compromising on appearance. Anti-microbial and easy-to-clean fabrics that are resistant to bodily fluids are used to meet health standards, but the textures and colours chosen give a home-like, non-institutional look. Kerry emphasised this by noting, “The fabrics are easy to clean, yes, but they don’t look like sterile, industrial materials. We ensure everything still feels and looks like home.”
Kerry’s vision resonated deeply with her audience, as she underscored the need for care homes to be more than just functional spaces—they must also offer emotional comfort. In her view, providing high-quality, homely textiles is a powerful step toward creating spaces where people want to live, not just where they need to be. This approach is shaping the future of care home interiors, emphasising environments that support the well-being of people on every level.
As the care sector continues to evolve, Kerry’s ideas serve as a guiding light, advocating for environments that foster both safety and a genuine sense of home. At the end of the day, as Kerry so eloquently put it, “It’s about creating a space where people want to live, not just where they need to be.”
