Bespoke, contemporary furniture designer and manufacturer Noble Russell has worked with London product and graphic designer Two Create to create the furniture for three relaxing, contemporarily-style rooms for young cancer patients at the Teenage Cancer Trust’s (TCT) Young Persons’ Cancer Unit (YPU) at Birmingham’s The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Two Create (which also specified the look and feel of the lighting, fixtures and fittings) approached Noble Russell with a modular furniture system it had designed to resemble a hilltop for patients to lounge on; the latter’s designers then conceived and produced bespoke seating. The multisensory rooms were the idea of the family of a patient who had died from cancer and wanted to create somewhere for patients to escape the wards’ bustle.
Lucy Nunn, director, Two Create, explained: “Patients told us what they missed most on the ward was being outdoors. As there is no outside space linked to the ward, we referenced nature throughout our designs.”
Noble Russell and Two Create chose memory foam for the seating due both to its unconventional design and for maximum patient comfort.
Two Create specified the latest antimicrobial materials (including Panaz’s Aston waterproof, anti-MRSA, flameretardant faux leather and Agua Stretch Gem waterproof, breathable, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal upholstery fabric), for upholstering the furniture and furnishings. They worked with architect Dalkin Scotton Partnership Architects throughout to ensure fixtures and fittings would complement the facility’s interiors and also closely consulted patients.
