“White is an excellent base colour”

The white Venta care bed is a vibrant focal point in the elegant resident's room. It harmonises delightfully with the milky-coffee-coloured long wall of the room, the cork-coloured floor and the tall green potted plant. A bedside locker, also in white, is the perfect companion to the bed. The Stammhaus Kaiserswerth nursing home of the Diakonie Düsseldorf, residing in the historic deaconess mother house, is striking out in a new direction with the design of its care rooms – and is meeting with approval all the way.

Beautiful white beds and furniture have become an indispensable feature in many people's homes and are currently very much in vogue again. Until now, however, they have rarely found a place in care homes, where wood tones such as beech, oak or cherry tend to dominate. For a long time, white was apparently considered too cool or reminiscent of the beds found in hospitals.

New furnishing concept

In recent years, however, interest in white furniture has also developed within the care sector. And Stiegelmeyer fulfils this customer wish with its new chalk decor. The Stammhaus Kaiserswerth is currently implementing a new furnishing concept, which was developed by an architect and the board of the Diakonie social welfare organisation. Within this framework, white Venta beds and bedside lockers are now being brought into the new rooms, piece by piece. Around 20 new beds are added every year.

Department head Klaus Patzelt is very satisfied with the result: “The white is a wonderful basic colour that you can combine excellently with all other colours,” he explains. “The effect of the possible combinations fills the entire room, from the flooring and walls to colourful accents set with the curtains and bed linen. With conventional bed decors such as beech, on the other hand, the choice of matching colours is limited.”

Always in step with the times

From the very first moment, the Stammhaus Kaiserswerth of the Diakonie Düsseldorf envelops visitors in a home-like atmosphere in which they feel as comfortable and safe as in a private home or a first-class hotel. The window looks out across park-like gardens with with lawn areas and paths. A large atrium with round arches opens up inside the building, creating a monumental effect. Here it is clear that the residents’ rooms also have to meet high standards and keep up with the times. “White is currently the trend colour”, says Mr Patzelt. “We are always looking ahead to the next 10 to 15 years and want to make sure that our furnishings look good and are in line with contemporary tastes throughout this period.”

For many years, the building in Kaiserswerth relied on natural beech decor. When purchasing beds, the emphasis was on further technical developments and innovations: With the Elvido range from Stiegelmeyer, low-height beds were introduced for fall prevention. The new Venta beds are not merely visually progressive either. In addition to their very low bottom position of around 25 cm, they offer an Out-of-Bed system that improves the safety of the occupants and reduces the workload of care staff, especially at night. Klaus Patzelt is very open to introducing further sensor technology in the future: “We hope that the beds will become assistance systems that allow staff to devote more time to the residents.”

At Diakonie Düsseldorf, the mobility and freedom of those in need are the focus of attention. This is why the new beds are used without any safety sides. Although the modern Venta safety sides would leave room for unrestricted entry and exit, in Kaiserswerth the low beds and the Out-of-Bed system for protection against falls have proven to be effective without the need for further measures, explains care service manager Inge Kaiser.

In the showroom that we visited, a combination of white, brown tones and green creates a fresh and yet calming atmosphere. The pleasant natural colours harmonise beautifully with the view from the large window, which looks over a spacious inner courtyard with green areas, roses and ivy. After taking part in a stimulating cultural programme in the common rooms or enjoying an excellent meal, the resident is able to relax here, watch TV on the large flat screen, or take a recuperative nap. The white Venta lives up to its slogan: safety and cosiness redefined.