Blog posts by Rebecca Furse

Back to work!

I’m finally back at work! All updates have been applied, emails read, cakes provided and I’m happily specifying washrooms, picking floor finishes and drawing reception desks again! When I walked out of the office to work from home on the 16th March 2020, I didn’t realise I wouldn’t be working in the office again for another 624 days… I was waiting to hear if our IVF cycle had been successful and was being super-cautious, just in case (spoiler: it was). The rest of the office quickly joined in with WFH and we spent the summer keeping in touch by playing… READ MORE

Changing Places

The requirement to provide Changing Places toilets will be incorporated into the Building Regs Part M2 in the New Year. Here’s a brief overview of what they are and how DKA can help you plan for their implementation. What is it? A Changing Places (CP) toilet provides sanitary accommodation for people with disabilities who require assistance to use toilet and changing facilities. They are intended for use in specific building types, mainly large public & assembly buildings. A full list is outlined below. A CP toilet does not replace standard WC facilities, wheelchair-accessible WCs and baby changing facilities, which should… READ MORE

Best of the Basins

We’re all spending a lot more time stood at basins and sinks these days – so, in case anyone is pondering an upgrade once this is all over, I thought I’d pick out a few of my favourites from last year’s shows… Rockwell by The Water Monopoly Based on a traditional metal basin, Rockwell is actually ceramic and comes in lots of lovely colours – I love the matching taps. Would add some quirkiness to a downstairs loo, or could be great in a school. Large versions (including double) and whole matching suite also available – if you’re feeling brave!… READ MORE

Clerkenwell Design Week 2019

Clerkenwell, an area of central London, is home to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. Every year, over three days at the end of May, Clerkenwell Design Week attracts 1000s* of people to showroom events, exhibitions, installations and talks. This year marks the 10th year of the festival and Kate and I once again made our way to London to see what’s new… We hopped off the tube at Farringdon, grabbed a guide and lanyard**, found a café and planned our route. This is where we ended up going: You can find… READ MORE

How to Design a Reception – Part 1

For many organisations, reception is where that first impression is made. A good reception will reinforce your brand – in terms of style and service – and will set expectations for what’s to come. It can also influence your mood: imagine how you would feel after arriving at reception for a meeting and not being sure where to go, not being able to catch the eye of the receptionist* and of being kept waiting with no-where to sit and nothing to look at but a blank wall. That mood will carry through to your meeting and, however courteous your host… READ MORE

Designing to make a difference

A quarter of UK hospital patients have dementia. The recent, and heart-breaking, BBC2 programme ‘Nowhere to Go’ told the story of Evelyn, a patient with advanced dementia. She found the hospital disorientating and was becoming aggressive, at one point being restrained by security guards. Visiting hospital can be stressful for any of us, but patients with dementia can find the experience so unsettling that it impacts their recovery. A well-designed environment can help to reduce falls, length of stay, and challenging behaviour whilst increasing staff productivity. To offer the best outcomes to its patients, Bridgwater Community Hospital facilitates social engagement… READ MORE