Headstrong Psychology - Malvern East

"They are a pleasure to deal with - attentive, responsive, and respectful." Sarah – Headstrong Psychology

Headstrong Psychology - Malvern East

As you take the last step up from the stairs into the tenancy, a sense of ultimate peace & quiet descends on one’s conscious. Designed using a combination of best practice methodologies, inclusive design & the science behind the 5 Well-being Pillars, the mental health care centre provides a soothing retreat. Curved walls hug the space, creating a calm fluidity. Seamless bulks of deep blue, Dulux Odyssey, act as a tonic to our technology & stress- fried brains. On the floor, a subtle pattern echoing an aerial view of fields adds slight texture & a touch of biophilia without overwhelming. Part of the overall acoustic mitigation strategy, which is so crucial in a healthcare centre, the carpet treatment to the floors is combined with acoustic panelling to reduce acoustic reverberation. Multi -layer walls & specialist door seals work to create a tranquil hush & a sense of privacy. The overall acoustic strategy employed prior to the build ensures the disruption of speech intelligibility, enabling clients to unburden without fear of being heard.

Headstrong Psychology’s new workplace in Malvern East is an oasis for team members & clients alike, a welcome relief more than ever in a COVID coronavirus crazy world.

Each colour & texture within the Interior Design Finishes Schedule was highly considered before we put the design concept forward to our wonderful client Sarah. An interesting study, the science of colours is crucial in a Healthcare environment, whereby each shade has a different impact on individuals’ emotions. While neutrals (black, white, grey) are typically considered inoffensive, monochromatic colour schemes can easily appear unwelcoming & clinical in this application.  With a focus on mental health & preventing the space from feeling stark, the in-house DesignTeam settled on blue as the base colour for the Healthcare fitout in Malvern East. Being a calming & non-threatening colour, navy blue is also not perceived as a specific gender by many people in an interior application.  Encouraging trust, loyalty & openness, blue is ideal for a Health & Wellbeing Clinic. The space is also interspersed with small pops of mustard yellow. A bright yellow is a colour that many people view in the negative sense, but when shifted slightly to the mustards (incorporating more orange tones) the colour becomes a happy, optimistic & warm tone.

The impact of timber colours is also highly intriguing.  Younger people respond well with lighter coloured timbers, enabling them to ‘open up’ more easily, with older people typically responding faster with darker timbers. With all ages & stages in mind for the overarching wellbeing strategy, the breakout room (also used for group therapy) features both dark & light timbers.

Throughout the wellbeing centre, white powdercoat & Natural White Dulux paint was selected. A typical black powdercoat would have proved be too heavy for the space, as opposed to the selected white keeping the space feeling fresh & welcoming. Natural White balances perfectly between cool blue toned whites that can easily feel cheap & clinical, and warm whites, which can appear too yellow or aged looking.  

The flooring carpet tiles by Godfrey Hirst, aptly named Territory, echo country fields from an aerial view, subtly introducing another biophilic texture. The biophilic pattern element breaks up the solid colour blocking, preventing the space from feeling flat.

Working with the existing conditions for cost control purposes, we installed high performance acoustic ceiling tiles in a suspended ceiling grid, where possible, as part of the whole acoustic mitigation strategy.  Compared to flush plaster ceilings, suspended ceilings provide a huge acoustic benefit to the rooms, absorbing sound rather than reflecting. The overall acoustic plan for the Medical Centre fitout  reduces sound transmission between the consulting rooms, providing clients with consultation confidentiality.

An interesting factor to be considered in any medical or healthcare fitout, including psychology clinics, is body protected circuitry.  This law may seem arbitrary applying to all practices under the medical banner, including physiotherapy & psychology who don’t use electrical machines when treating their clients.  However it is 110% required by law in order to receive certification & legal occupancy.  To protect both the client/tenant as a professional & your fitout/building investment, it is key doing everything by the book & achieving a Certificate of Final Completion. Works completed without permits leave your insurance open to be voided, both professionally in the case of yourself being sued by a client, including insurance claims due to fire etc. will be refused by insurance companies when they realise works have been achieved without permits & compliance. Achieving compliance is very simple for the ICON INTERIORS team, & the end result for Sarah is not only a beautiful space to be, (both visually & in the thoughtfully designed space planning) but a tenancy that complies with all the required regulations.

A strategically planned layout by ICON INTERIORS’ in-house design team ensured that each door to the consult rooms can be entered & exited by the client without being unduly exposed to the waiting area. In the internal consultation rooms without natural light, we installed large format LED panels in ‘Daylight’ Kelvin colour providing the illusion of a skylight. Each consult room in this Psychology practice has a unique feel, but they all remain connected by the consistent colour scheme throughout the mental health care clinic. Largely neutral, considered splashes of mustard yellow act as sunshine among the clouds, bringing life to each space and enhancing the serene colour palette.

We loved working with Sarah, and being a part of her noble  journey in life!

What our clients say...

"The team at Icon Interiors are incredible! They are a pleasure to deal with - attentive, responsive, and respectful.  They are creative, solution-focussed and efficient in their work. I have never been through the process of designing & building a fit-out before & they were supportive & helpful throughout. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them! The team were able to create a space that surpassed my expectations. It is spacious, well appointed, and comfortable for staff and clients. I hope to enjoy it for many years to come. 

Thank you Gavin, Sophie, Victoria, Matt and team for all of your hard work and expertise. I am so glad I chose you for this next chapter at Headstrong!"

Sarah – Headstrong Psychology