It’s that time of year again to bring festive cheer into your health and wellness spaces, and Blackwell & Jennings is here to offer some professional advice to set the joyous mood with elegance and sophistication while simultaneously ensuring patient and staff safety.

Safety? But how could decorating my practice for the holidays be dangerous? According to the Electrical Safety Foundation, each year in the United States, there are about 260 fires started by a holiday tree leading to an average of 12 deaths, 24 injuries, and over $16.4 million in property damages. There are an average of 150 additional fires per year caused by holiday lights causing another 8 deaths, 16 injuries, and $8.9 million in property damage. Decorating can and should be an enjoyable part of the holiday season, but it’s crucial to understand the important regulations in place to keep your patients and staff safe.

Don’t have the time or energy to devote to holiday decorating but want a beautiful, cheerful healthcare space? Blackwell and Jennings offers holiday decoration packages for commercial health care spaces. The link to schedule a consulation can be found at the bottom of this blog. Otherwise, we hope you take advantage of the following tips we have to offer!

Select a Theme & Stick to It

Having a unified vision before beginning to decorate is vital to achieve a professional look. There are so many options available today for holiday decor that selecting a theme helps keep you focused.

From our experience, we recommend focusing on lighter colors, botanicals, and nature-inspired decorations for healthcare facilties. As designers well-versed in environmental psychology, we know that creating opportunities for patients to connect with nature can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being, and expedite healing. Why should this not apply to holiday decor too?

As with all building codes, the city in which your facility is located determines whether live holiday trees and vegetation are permissible. Always check with your local town ordinances before investing in a live tree. Even if you are unable or decide to for-go a live tree, there are many beautiful artificial vegetation options available on the market. Consider wreaths, garlands, and potted arrangements to bring the outside in.

While more scientific research is needed to gain a better understanding of color psychology, we do know that light has a powerful effect not only on mental health, but physical health and general well-being too. Lighter colors reflect light better thus making spaces feel brighter and more alive.

Elevate the Eye

As with any decorations, creating upward emphasis helps create the illusion of a larger space and thus grandeur. This technique also brings a lightness to the space and a greater sense of openness.

Go high with your decor. For example, place a garland atop tall cabinets or bookshelves. If allowed, mount decorations to the ceiling. Keep in mind to never mount items from automatic sprinkler heads, vents, or fans. Another idea would be to arrange any wall-mounted and framed holiday decorations vertically which will lead the eye upward.

Keep Things Simple

Simplicity is key when decorating any luxury space. Your holidays decorations can be impactful without being visually busy.

We recommend using the two-thirds rule when decorating. This means that of your total space, about two-thirds of it should have decorations while the remaining one-third is left simple and clean. This allows the eye to wander between decorations without becoming overwhelmed.

Minimalistic decorations can also help to keep the simplicity of your space. Basic shapes associated with the holidays, like stars, can help keep the space feeling fresh and light while still providing feelings of nostalgia for patients.

Focus on Lighting

The simplest way to elevate your space for the holidays is to add tasteful lighting in key locations. Strings of lights add sparkle and whimsy. Yet, there are many other lighted decorations to consider as well.

Battery-operated flickering candles create a warm candelit glow without the added visit from the fire marshal. They can also create a luxurious spa-like atmosphere. Lanterns, globes, and icicles are other options to elevate moods with lighting.

Make Everyone Feel Welcome

At Blackwell & Jennings, we create spaces with intention, and as a women-owned business, we strive to create spaces that are more inclusive, accessible, and trauma-informed. This does not change during the holiday season! We recommend a holiday-neutral decorating strategy that avoids any blatantly religious themes, such as nativity scenes or menorahs. Additionally, we must consider icons that might not necessarily be religious in nature but clearly lean towards a specific religious tradition. An example of such an icon would be Santa Claus which is widely associated with Christmas.

To make everyone feel welcome, festive but neutral decorations are key. A good rule of thumb: focus on incorporating winter themes and the result will be inclusive and joyful. A small list of specificly winter motifs that can be included is to follow:

• Snowflakes, Icicles, & Snowmen

• Acorns & Pinecones

• Cardinals & Other Winter Birds

• Pine, Spruce, & Eucalyptus Greenery

• Skis, Sleds, & Ice Skating

• Woodland Animals (deer, foxes, squirrels, etc.)

Keep it Safe

Finally, always remember that safety is the chief priority. Consult your local jurisdiction for the appropriate building codes and how they apply to holiday decorating in your practice.

Our team is intimately familiar with these and put safety at the forefront of what we do. If you are unsure on how to proceed with creating a gorgeous holiday display in your practice, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a free discovery call to discuss your goals and options!

We look forward to hearing from you!