de Fiddes are excited to introduce you to our new blog page! This is a place where we plan to share our thoughts and reviews on design, architecture, products and the latest cutting edge research.
Our team will be posting regularly on de Fiddes projects, review new and exciting innovations, pass on to you the latest education, share and promote notes of inspiration and show you some fabulous photos from our interior fit outs. Keep up to date on latest products in the market, articles of interest and research findings from our Managing Director, Debbie de Fiddes.
Our blog will not only be an example of what keeps the team at de Fiddes committed to being at the forefront of innovation but a fun place to collect and seek ideas, advice for all things design and even just to share whatever is on our minds.
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Enjoy!
A busy street with car horns honking, a kettle whistling, TV up loud, radio on, microwave beeping, phone ringing. If this cacophony of sound seems like a recipe for a bad time you’re not alone. We enjoy out of the box thinking and smart design, so when we came across these acoustic lights by Acustico, we were intrigued.
Read MoreThe world has changed and design is changing with it. Products that are designed with health and safety in mind are being seen more and more. We love innovations especially when they can be used in aged care. For this issue we have found two great designs that are more than what they seem. The first is the Lotte Chair by Sarah Hossil. The second is the Noise-Virus-Catcher by Bruag.
Read MoreSlow Movement is a concept coming from Turtle Gym - a Japanese company whose philosophy is to be like a turtle with slow living and slow exercise. They produce a range of researched backed Aged Care and Dementia friendly gym equipment designed with constant speeds but where resistance changes with the amount of force applied.
Read MoreSteve Jobs said “learn continually – there is always ‘one more thing’ to learn.” At de Fiddes learning and expanding our skillset is a prerequisite to creating great work. . We recently read through David Engwicht’s eBooks and found some great information and ways of thinking that is relevant to aged care and can help decision makers find the confidence to take action.
Read MoreNestled at the centre of multiple apartment buildings, this is a public Dementia Friendly Sensory Garden in Port Macquarie NSW. The garden is filled with high blooming flowers, sculptures, pick and sniff herbs, textures, pebbles, benches with sandpits and a bubbling brook.
Read MoreStimulating activities come in all shapes and sizes. Virtual Reality is all the rage right now and it’s positives for aged care includes conversation starters, movement, memory and exploration. We have found a great headset with specialised content for aged care from an Australian company - NeuronsVR.
Read MoreHow our seniors express themselves is as important as ever. Individuality and self-actualisation doesn’t stop with age, but is paramount to ongoing health and wellbeing. We love Tsuru to Kame, which is a fashion magazine for older people. Will future trends be focused more on seniors and an emphasis on their self-expression? We hope so!
Art therapy is one of the most valuable things you can do for your mental health and overall wellbeing. We found this online art and dementia tool kit by Artful. It contains 10 activities designed for people living with dementia. Read our review here.
Read MoreWhilst visiting a gallery is always a great day out, it is not always possible to do so. We love NGV’s virtual self-guided tours! This allows the watcher to ‘walk’ around the exhibitions and gallery halls. We are especially enjoying the Australian Impressionism Collection, She Oak and Sunlight. With over 250 works paired in thought provoking groups. Read our review and view the gallery!
Read MoreNo matter its shape, the family you were born with, or the friends who have become your family, the absence of them from your life can be incredibly hard.
We found a design that helps share photos with loved ones from across the world into their home.
Getting outdoors is one big win, but having activities to do outdoors is an absolute must! From nooks to sit and chat, to sensory delights such as lambs ears. What goes into your outdoor space should have as much thought to it as what goes inside.
Read MoreAt de Fiddes wellness is of great importance. However what wellness looks like in aged care is a little different. Traditional exercise and gyms may not be accessible.
That’s where Sound Therapy comes in. Sound therapy can range from recordings like guided meditations, to beta waves for focus and singing bowls for relaxation.
One wellness tool that caught our eye is the DreamPad Pillow.
With the emphasis this year on our planet and saving our natural environs no one celebrates the Australian landscape quite like Pippen Drysdale does. The stunning colours echo natural Australia and celebrate the light, abundance and the details found in the environment around her home in Fremantle and WA.
Read MoreWe are always on the lookout for décor that is not only aesthetically pleasing but can be of true value in a space. This month we stumbled across a fantastic product on Kickstarter which works as both interchangeable art and also opens to reveal a functional notice board.
Read MoreThese fabulous, textured embroidery art pieces by Newscastle based artist Meredith Woolnough are fantastic inspiration as wayfinding features in residential aged care facilities. Depicting a range of organic shapes each elaborately crafted work is drawn through free-motion embroidery which involves using the most basic stitches on a sewing machine and moving a swath of water-soluble material around the needle!
Read MoreOften as designers we are met with many site challenges. Spatial, visual and or acoustic all need to be met by many elements to create a cohesive space. Along comes TURF Design who have created Scanlines a new algorithmic system that takes the concept of converting image into sound to a whole new level.
Read MoreWith the built environment in mind this month we were excited to see the Centre for Universal Design Australia has launched their new, FREE e-learning course on Universal Design in Housing: Home Coming? Framing Housing Policy for the Future!
Read MoreSearching for art with passive engagement in mind!? These hypnotising piece by Sablea caught our eye this month proving a wonderful feeling of wellbeing whilst observed.
Read MoreKeeping style, functionality and sustainability in mind, Autex have recently introduced several innovative products offering more choice when it comes to custom printing and acoustic design.
Read MoreWith a desperate need for elderly housing in Sweden,Ikea,Skanska and Silviahemmet have teamed up to offer modular BoKlok housing titled the SilviaBo project aimed at meeting the growing housing needs of the elderly, in particular those with dementia.
