More Than a Mural: How Thoughtful Interior Design Can Transform Healthcare Spaces

When was the last time you really noticed a waiting room?

Most of us don't, because they’re often places we pass through while we’re feeling unwell, worried about a loved one or trying to distract an anxious or unwell child before an appointment.

Yet these are some of the spaces where thoughtful design has the greatest opportunity to make a difference.

Too often, waiting rooms can feel cold, clinical and uninspiring. Although they’re designed to support our health and wellbeing, they’re not always created with the emotional experience of the people using them in mind.

Having spent 15 years working in forensic science, I understand just how busy clinical environments can be. The professionals working within them care deeply about the people they support, and their focus is quite rightly spent delivering excellent care and service. That often leaves little time to step back and think about how the environment itself feels for patients, visitors and staff.

When you’re caring for people, there’s rarely time to step back and ask "How does this space actually feel to the people using it?

That’s where thoughtful interior design can make such a difference.

Our surroundings influence far more than we often realise. While good design can’t change the reason someone has come to a hospital or GP surgery, it can change how they experience the time they spend there. A welcoming environment can help people feel calmer, more comfortable and a little less overwhelmed.

Recently, I had the opportunity to transform waiting areas for the Audiology and ENT Suite at Royal Preston Hospital, alongside a waiting room at West Derby Medical Centre in Liverpool.

My hope is that these spaces now offer patients, families and healthcare staff moments of comfort, curiosity and even joy during what can often be a difficult day.

A Mural Does More Than Just Look Pretty

People often assume a mural is simply decorative.

For me, it’s much more than that.

Every mural begins with one question:

What experience do I want people to have in this space?

Sometimes that means helping a child feel happier and more at home in their bedroom. Other times it’s about giving an anxious child something to discover while waiting for an appointment, creating a conversation between families or simply providing something uplifting to focus on during a difficult moment.

A thoughtfully designed mural becomes part of the experience of the space and has the power to change how people feel.

That’s why murals form one part of my wider interior design service. Every colour, shape and detail is considered alongside the room itself because the best results happen when the artwork and the environment work together.

The people using the space are always at the centre of every design decision.

Designing For How People Feel

Interior design isn’t simply about creating beautiful spaces. It’s about really understanding the people who’ll use them and their needs.

This is why getting to know my clients on a deeper level is essential, and why I ask questions such as:

• How do you want to feel in the space?

• Who uses the space and when and how is it used?

• What problems can I help you overcome to make it even better?

These questions matter in every project I work on, but they’re especially important in healthcare settings.

Before I ever pick up a paintbrush, I’m thinking about the whole space. The colours, the lighting, the layout, the purpose of the room and how every design decision works together to create an environment that feels welcoming and supportive.

Final Thoughts

Whether I’m designing a family home, a healthcare waiting room or a commercial space, my goal is always the same.

To create places that help people feel happier, calmer and more connected.

Because the environments we spend time in shape how we feel, function and live each day, and this is something we sometimes forget when life is busy.

If you’re planning a renovation, redesigning a healthcare or wellbeing environment or looking for a bespoke mural that’s thoughtfully designed as part of the wider space, I’d love to hear about your project.

Together, we can create a space that’s not only look beautiful, but feel welcoming and supportive for those that use the space too.