defiddes BLOG

2017 has been an incredible year for us all here at de Fiddes Design and whilst it has gone so fast (they say time flies when you are having fun) we have certainly packed a lot in to the year.    

Christmas as we all know is celebrated on the 25th December every year.  It is a religious festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and traditionally is characterised by beautifully decorated Xmas trees, mince pies, presents and a turkey dinner.  It is hopefully a time for families to come together, eat, drink and be merry.  Quite often it is a time for reflection. This year I asked all the team to reflect on the year and to let me know of anything I could add into the news section for our final newsletter for 2017.

Taking a break from the “work” of your work is so important as it helps all the team get a fresh perspective on what we are doing and why we are doing it!  Sitting in the same chair, in the same office can keep us from fresh thinking and news ideas, so we packed our bags and headed off to Bali for 4 days.

Whilst we have mini conferences yearly, every 3 years we plan a major company conference and it was important that we immersed ourselves in our senses.

This month I delivered a talk at the Alzheimer’s WA Symposium called “Not one size fits all.  How do we create Meaningful Environments? ” Design, like the industry, is changing. Designing environments that are too sterile, too structured and not real just doesn’t work. 

Sensory Design is proclaimed as the new “Philosophy of Design” but it goes so much further than just sensory rooms. If you would like any further information please feel free to contact me and we can catch up for a coffee and a chat.

On a recent visit to Melbourne I had the pleasure of meeting Bryan Lipmann, CEO of Wintringham Specialist Aged Care. This not for profit welfare organisation cares for older people who are homeless or vulnerable to homelessness.  

Bryan and Ross, former board chairman showed us through their Port Melbourne Hostel. The location is fantastic but what is even more impressive is the actual facility itself.

De Fiddes Design is thrilled to take on a new design intern, Marnie Cooper. Marnie is one interesting lady with a long list of achievements and career moves. As Marnie ventures into the world of Interior Design, she reached out to DFD to gain invaluable experience and imperative insight into designing for aged care, dementia design and retirement living.

We sat down with Marnie this week to reflect on her time here at DFD.