Consultancy and Speaking Events
Working in healthcare design, I have always been aware of the significance of lighting, acoustics, colour and finish for people living with sensory and of cognitive loss. The importance of this was brought home to me in November 2012 when I permanently lost the sight in my left eye. In the Spring of 2013 I embarked on a collaborative project with sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust to combine their research material with my own experiences both as a designer and as someone with a visual impairment, to develop a guide to promote best practice. ‘Homes and living spaces for people with sight loss: A guide for interior designers’ was published in October 2014.
Many people living with dementia will experience problems with their vision. It was my own experience of lack of visual acuity and how the built environment affects how confident and independent I feel in my surroundings, which lead me to specialise in dementia friendly design. Dementia is a sensory as well as cognitive issue.
As well as designing schemes for clients, I work with care operators, designers and architects, consulting on interior design for people living with sensory and cognitive decline. Services include:
- Home visit for design audit and follow up report
- Review of project design proposals
- Webinars and seminars
- Involvement in longer term projects as design consultant
Consultancy fees vary depending on the scope of the project. For more information please contact us.
Care & Dementia Environments Conference & Exhibition
Marianne Shillingford, Karen Haller & Jacqui Smith at 100% Design talking about colour contrast
Jacqui has delivered talks on healthcare design, to various Universities including Solent, Coventry and Buckingham New University. She has also spoken at trade shows and conferences including The Care Show, Health+Care, Care and Dementia Environments, 100% Design and the Virtual Interiors Show, on design for sensory and cognitive decline. Jacqui was also asked to run a work shop at the NCF Managers Conference in November 2019 discussing new approaches to interior design. Since 2020 Jacqui has collaborated with Accora to deliver webinars on various topics around care home design. Click here to view the latest Accora webinar ’Can care environments be sustainable?’
In September 2023 Jacqui was asked to speak at the Global Ageing Conference in Glasgow, on behalf of Accora.
Achievements
We're proud of our feedback
Wherever Blum need expert input, advice and industry insight in interior design we always turn to Jacqui for support. Working together with her on panel discussions, webinars and talks is always enlightening and a great learning experience for all involved, the passion for her work is clearly evident
Amanda Hughes
Architect and Interior Design Chanel manager @ Blum
Our International Construction Design and Management Course were tasked to design an elderly living residence complete with construction site plans, costings, exterior and interior design and landscaping.
Your wonderful seminar gave all our students insight into how interiors can affect the quality of life for the elderly residents. They began to understand that there is much more to designing spaces for the elderly than just making it look good. Your carefully took them through appropriate choices for flooring, finishes and colour. We were so grateful for your input to this Unit Jacqui, it gave the students the opportunity to see how a professional interior design company addresses elderly living design.
Your interactive seminar was paced brilliantly for our students and they were all excited to start applying this new knowledge to the interiors of their buildings. You will see the results of your informative input in the student work at the show. We hope you are able to continue working with us on the Course in the future as your input greatly enhances the student experience.
Alison Messenger, Associate Lecturer / Course Leader at the School of Art, Design and Fashion, Southampton Solent University
I believe that good design can only be achieved if you fully understand what and who you are designing for. As soon as I started working with Jacqui her passion and understanding of dementia friendly design shone through. Jacqui really listened to what the customer wanted to achieve from each space and then using her design flair and creative ideas for resident engagement, plus colour psychology she was able to provide inspiring, innovative design concepts.
Sarah Scott – Head of Design at Edison & Day
