This post is in a series where we talk to healthcare interior designers about their work as interior designers in the healthcare market.

Shelby Frye is an interior designer at Pulse Design Group. She is certified by the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers (AAHID).

What is one book, person, or talk that has been most influential in your career?

One of the leaders of my company told me a story early on in my career that really stuck with me. The story derives from a walkthrough of a completed project in which some of the patients who would receive care in the facility were also able to walk through with the team. Shortly after entering the project site, one of the patients was so overcome by emotion that her eyes started to well up and she froze in her steps. After being asked if she was okay, she simply stated, “I can get better here”. This is what healthcare design is all about: creating healing environments for all. That kind of reaction is what healthcare designers strive to achieve with every project we complete.

What products have you been excited about recently?

I have always loved lighting design. Everything from decorative lighting, UV lighting for sterilization, color changing LEDs, and simulated natural lighting to support circadian rhythm. It is fascinating to see how far lighting design has and continues to grow.

Do you have any go-to design solutions or techniques for creating healing environments?

Connecting nature to design elements in a project is imperative to the healing process and patient experience. There continues to be extensive research that shows Biophilia design has the ability to make not only patients but also healthcare professionals feel better physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Creating healing environments can be done by connecting nature directly and indirectly through daylight, imagery, textile patterns, color, etc.

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

I like quotes, and one I have kept pinned up at my desk is, “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” If you want to be a leader further in your career, being quiet and listening more often than being the one talking can allow you to learn so many more things and get you to where you want to be. This is very true in our field of work because as designers our jobs are only truly successful when we have taken the time to listen and process what the client and patient needs in the outcome of a project.

What is one product that doesn't exist but should?

With COVID-19 currently plaguing our everyday lives, having upholstery and hard surface options that can withstand harsh cleaning chemicals found in healthcare and not prolong the length of cleaning is really needed. A lot of products say they are safe to be cleaned with these harsh chemicals but must be wiped off again with warm water and a cloth to avoid potential damage to the product. This adds cleaning time that caregivers don’t have when trying to turn over spaces quickly for the next patient and even makes the disinfection that just occurred now questionable due to contaminants that could come from the warm water/towel.

We've also talked to Sarah Tetens (Baskervill), Elisha Lorenzi (EML Interiors), Becky Trybus (Forum Architecture & Interior Design), Kari Allen (Guidon Design), Crystal McCauley (CallisonRKTL), Jennifer Bahan (Hoefer Welker), Char Hawkins (DesignGroup), Pete Agnew (Perkins Eastman), Deirdre Pio (Gawron Turgeon), Jessica Whitlock (RS&H), Amber Williams (KDA Architecture), Jenny Manansala (Stantec), Andrea Kingsbury (FreemanWhite), and more.