Project Details
Location: NSW, Australia
Designer: Lily Vaughan – Head of Interior Design, Arcare
Contractor: Aflor Commercial
Carpet Products: Urban Retreat, UR303 ; Near and Far, NF401; Upon Common Ground Shallows & Sandbank
LVT Products: Level Set Textured Woodgrains
Project Background
Arcare Warners Bay is a 106-bed aged care facility nestled near the tranquil shores of Lake Macquarie, just 15 km from Newcastle’s vibrant CBD. Designed by Arcare and brought to life by the Knowles Group, the state-of-the-art premises leverage the transformative potential of design to offer residents a comfortable and serene lifestyle in a safe and healthy environment reminiscent of luxurious coastal retreats. The facility’s Hamptons-style architecture called for an interior rich with comforting elegance that would put the residents at ease. The space had to be fitted with 5000 m2 of modular flooring that would serve as the foundation for an inviting ambience, seamlessly complementing the facility’s elevated aesthetic. Interface, a trusted partner in flooring solutions for Arcare facilities for over five years, was entrusted with providing the flooring products for this ambitious project.
Provided by Arcare
Provided by Arcare
Provided by Arcare
Provided by Arcare
Key Considerations for Flooring
The specified flooring had to meet the multifaceted needs of a 5-star aged care facility. It needed to be visually appealing, create a warm, calming, and welcoming environment, and help achieve the facility’s overarching design vision. At the same time, the flooring solution had to be highly functional and durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of a busy commercial setting.
Another crucial consideration was the safety and comfort of the residents, many of whom have limited mobility. The flooring needed to provide comfortable, ergonomic surfaces that accommodate rolling devices while offering slip resistance to minimise the risk of falls and injuries. Lastly, the specified flooring products had to be easy to clean and disinfect to ensure superior hygiene and infection control.
Adding to these requirements was the project’s challenging timeline, which required the flooring to be manufactured and delivered within only four weeks.
Interface’s Flooring Solution for Aged Care
With exceptional experience in supplying flooring solutions to the aged care sector, Interface rose to the challenge, providing a range of carefully curated products, including 4500 m2 of lush carpet tiles and 500 m2 of resilient Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT).
Interface’s modular carpet tiles – featuring the Urban Retreat UR303 Ash and Near and Far 401 Driftwood in grounding neutral shades – were chosen for their aesthetic appeal, durability, and ability to create a warm, welcoming environment in resident rooms and corridors. The 1 m x 1 m tiles were seam-sealed to ensure flooring imperviousness.
Bringing their creative capabilities to the forefront, Interface worked closely with Arcare to ensure the design maintained a visual connection to Country and the broader Warners Bay area. As a result of these cultural considerations, the project team selected a beautiful range of Shallows and Sandbank carpet tiles from the Upon Common Ground Collection for the lounges, each of four stunning patterns mimicking a quintessential Australian landscape: Rainforest, Desert, Saltwater and Freshwater.
In the dining and café spaces, the project team opted for Interface resilient flooring product – LVT. Its exceptional durability and ease of maintenance made it the perfect choice for heavy-traffic areas with high hygiene requirements. Tiles from the Textured Woodgrains Collection in Antique Dark Oak and Antique Light Oak brought a calming and relaxing biophilic quality to these busy spaces.
In addition, Interface’s ability to manufacture and deliver their locally made flooring within the tight time frame was pivotal to the project’s success. Their team also worked closely with the installer, Aflor Commercial, to ensure optimal consistency in the installation, following Arcare’s high-quality standards across all of their homes.
“Within the aged care sector, we’re always striving to achieve the balance between beautiful design and function,” says Lily Vaughan, Head of Interior Design at Arcare.
“The extensive range at Interface not only allows us to achieve both but also creates beautiful bespoke homes for the elderly. From the initial concept stage through to the completion of the build, Interface and the creatives within the company are meticulous in delivering a seamless product. This, too, includes aftercare and maintenance, which is a huge factor in aged care.”
This project is emblematic of a broader shift towards aged care facilities that thoughtfully employ the transformative power of architecture and design to create safe, healthy, high-performing and beautiful spaces that also feel like home to their residents. Interface’s outstanding ability to deliver a comprehensive flooring solution that fuses performance, health and safety, comfort and powerful visual storytelling to even the most demanding environments positions them as one of the leading forces in this exciting transformation.
