Maryborough, Queensland
Hospital, Mental health
Featured Team
Terry Wallace
Hartley Pedersen
Through purposeful, human-centered design, Maryborough Hospital has transformed its mental health spaces, prioritising comfort, safety, and emotional support to help older Australians on their journey to recovery while promoting connection and dignity.
At Maryborough Hospital in Queensland, a transformative shift is taking place, changing the way they approach mental health care for older Australians. Moving away from the cold, clinical aesthetics often associated with hospitals, the facility is embracing a warm, homely design that prioritizes emotional well-being, restores dignity, and fosters meaningful connections. This powerful change is reshaping the hospital’s spaces, creating environments where patients feel safe, comfortable, and supported.
For older adults dealing with mental health challenges such as dementia, depression, or anxiety, the environment plays a crucial role in their recovery. Traditional hospital settings, with harsh lighting, sterile finishes, and hard surfaces, can contribute to confusion, agitation, and distress. In contrast, spaces that feel familiar and homelike promote comfort, reduce stress, and help patients orient themselves more easily.
The Australian Health Design Council and NSW Health Infrastructure’s Mental Health Facility Design Guidelines advocate for creating environments that are calm, familiar, and domestic in character, particularly for older adults. Such spaces foster psychological safety, providing a sense of security that is critical in mental health care. A study published in BMJ Open demonstrates that redesigned mental health facilities with homely elements improve both staff morale and the quality of care, allowing healthcare professionals to devote more time to patient well-being.
At Crown Furniture, we’re proud to contribute to Maryborough Hospital’s transformation with carefully designed pieces that merge safety, comfort, and style. Our Juniper Tub Lounge and Noosa 2.5-Seater Mid Back Lounge are more than functional—they’re therapeutic. Every piece we create is thoughtfully engineered to meet the unique demands of mental health care for older adults.
Our design priorities include:
Safety Without Compromising Comfort: Our tamper-proof designs feature rounded edges and anti-ligature elements, providing a secure environment while maintaining the warm, inviting feel of a home.
Ease of Maintenance: We understand the importance of hygiene in healthcare. Our furniture is built with durable, easy-to-clean materials to meet the strict cleaning standards of medical environments.
Aesthetic Appeal: By incorporating warm tones and familiar textures, we help hospitals move away from sterile, institutional looks, creating spaces that feel comforting and familiar.
These welcoming environments benefit not only patients but also their families. Loved ones play a vital role in recovery, and when spaces feel more like home, visitors are more inclined to stay longer and connect more deeply. Comfortable lounges, natural light, and access to outdoor areas create spaces that encourage emotional engagement and support.
As Australia’s aging population continues to grow, the demand for tailored mental health environments will only increase. Crown Furniture is ready to meet this challenge. We believe that great design is more than aesthetics and function—it’s about improving lives.
At Maryborough Hospital and beyond, our furniture is part of a bigger vision: to build healthcare spaces that care.
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