Solvay Hospice House

Date
Location – Duluth, MN
Miller Dwan Foundation
Category: Healing Design

The vision for Solvay was to create a home with a purely residential environment for end of life care, and a respite for the families and friends of those patients. When I was approached to do the interiors of this project I felt that a very traditional design would appeal to the majority of people that Solvay would serve. There is a family dining room at Solvay, and a kitchen. These were created specifically so families could gather if they chose to cook and enjoy a favorite meal with their loved one. The dining room includes a long hand hewn dining table and colorful chairs. A chapel, a reflective space for individuals to connect with their own form of spirituality, including an area for traditional saging and other ceremonies, was designed to feel serene and tranquil. With soft sconces that can be dimmed, beautiful stained glass doors, and a nontraditional altar, it has the feel of a sacred space. Working with the Miller Dwan Foundation, I created a multi-disciplinary design committee that included hospice nurses, who informed me that it was difficult for most patients to bathe at the terminal level. So a beautiful spa was added to the home with a special lift to make moving residents into and out of the tub easy for staff. The ceiling was hand painted by a local artist with calming patterns and colors. There are several lighting schemes that highlight this interesting artwork. The design committee informed me that many times families don’t want to leave their patient as their time becomes short. So chairs that converted into beds were added to every patient’s room. I used calm and cool colors in all the resident rooms, and bolder colors in the dining and gathering rooms to stimulate conversation and storytelling. My own study of hospice taught me that this was also a time that families came together, amends were made, apologies said, and reconnections established. There are many intimate conversation corners to help facilitate this. The design committee was critical to the success of Solvay. My years in the human service and design world have uniquely equipped me to both create and lead these types of committees. As the Miller Dwan foundation worked to raise money for this beautiful home, I created detailed design boards that showed the vision for this residential home. This was an extremely helpful tool in gaining naming rights to the different rooms, assured donors that the Foundation would be good stewards of the donor’s money, and that the spaces they were sponsoring would be elegant and polished. I believe in the concept of “place esteem” meaning that when you are surrounded by a beautiful environment, you feel validated, treasured, elevated, and surrounded by loving care. I cannot do anything about the conditions around which families arrive at Solvay, but can encompass them with a relatable, traditional and warm design narrative to make their experience as sacred as possible.