Welcome

I've been lucky (knock on wood) to have avoided spending too much time in healthcare facilities thus far in my life. I do know that the look of those facilities has truly evolved, especially in the last few decades.

That point was driven home to me recently when a minor health matter led me to an appointment at a world-famous clinic (hint: it shares its name with a popular sandwich condiment) that happened to be in my neck of the woods.

As I walked into the lobby, I was wowed by custom carpeting, low-voltage lighting, Ed Mell oil paintings and, the pièce de résistance, a pianist at the baby grand.

Rather than signing in on a clipboard, I was checked in, hotel-style, at an elegant front desk. The employees all wore formal business attire and addressed me as "Mrs. Trulsson."

Hello? This is a…doctor's office?!

Yes, healthcare design has come a long way from the days of fluorescent lighting and industrial vinyl. Today, the emphasis is on creating a sense of well-being and comfort for the patients—all with a big dose of style. In this issue, we'll be touring three facilities—in Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas—that accomplish just that.

Along those lines, contributing writer Deborah Paddison explores that sense of well-being and comfort in how we design residences for our aging population as the subject of this issue's "Design for All" department. Baby Boomers are turning their backs on traditional "senior living" scenarios and are instead demanding barrier-free housing that still promotes active, involved lifestyles.

Also in this issue, writer Phil Hagen explores a growing niche industry—green consulting—in "Green Scene," and Kimberly MacArthur Graham pays a visit to Albuquerque tile artist Erin Adams.

If you're out and about this fall, check out the numerous happenings regionally—and internationally, for that matter—in our "Datebook" section. For those of you in Phoenix, make time on October 11 to join Sources+Design as we sponsor "Un-Veiled," the IIDA trade show at Bentley Projects. It's a great, well-attended event. Here are the details:

UN-VEILED 07
Oct. 11, Bentley Projects, Phoenix, AZ
(602) 273-6210 or www.iidasw.org
IIDA Southwest Chapter trade show for architects, interior
designers and specifiers, sponsored by Sources+Design.

Photograph by Elliot Lincis