May 3, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Home and Garden Festival

Committee tackles design of building for Hill at Whitemarsh
by PAULA M. RILEY

“Design must seduce, shape, and perhaps more importantly, evoke an emotional response.” – April Greiman

When a couple embarks upon the project of designing a new home or even redesigning just one room, emotional response plays a great role in the process. Detailed discussions, intense arguments, appointments with the designers and great expense are often part of the process needed to create just the right atmosphere and functional space.

Creating the new Community Building at The Hill at Whitemarsh was no different except that there were many more decision makers, and surprisingly, no arguments.

When the initial design planning for the Community Building began, the Hill established a Design Committee comprised of future residents. Led by accomplished interior designer, Anne Webb-Johnson of Somerville, MA, the committee came together, each bringing his or her own unique preferences and tastes. Webb-Johnson, managing partner of Wellesley Design Consultants, a firm specializing in elder care facilities, embraced these broad and diverse perspectives.

Her first step was to meet with the Design Committee to review architectural plans for the building, explain the design process and begin to solicit feedback. Since the Community Building was completely new, the committee had the wonderful opportunity to work on a blank canvas. Webb-Johnson established a plan for decision making and provided samples of her previous designs and interiors, as well as magazine shots of interiors.

Wanting to give the committee a personal encounter of a newly designed community space, Webb-Johnson accompanied them on a private jet field trip to Piper Shores, the largest retirement community in Maine. Webb-Johnson had designed the interior at the facility and used the tour as a means to better understand the committee’s tastes and determine their specific needs.

When they returned to the Hill, the Design Committee began a series of detailed discussions of color, patterns, and decorating philosophies. Design Committee members appreciated the wide variety of options presented by Webb-Johnson, “Anne showed us a lot of choices” said one Design Committee member, Ibbets Dolan. “She arranged everything from the rug to the window treatments to the fabrics, and presented all our choices in little scenes. She took the comments from the Design Committee very seriously. And luckily, there was tremendous consensus among the group.”

The result of their efforts is a Community Building that can best be described as warm. The design is comfortable and inviting, filling this community space with a rich palette of colors. Tones of pomegranate, coral, putty offset with pale lemon, and golden wheat are woven throughout the tapestry patterned carpet and accented in the wall colors.

Although the design of each room varies according to its purpose, a consistent color scheme is coordinated throughout the building. The color palette chosen allows for accent colors to delineate various corridors. The changing hues add interest to the design while simultaneously allowing for easier orientation and way finding in the building.

The beautiful colors, rich tapestries, and huge floral arrangements that complement the design work well together, stimulating the senses and inviting the visitor to explore further. Traditional elegance best describes the design style which maintains a bright, open look throughout the Community Building and its many common areas. Hill residents who have left their beautifully decorated homes of longstanding can surround themselves with elegance and beauty in their home at the Hill.

The Hill at Whitemarsh is a senior living community, on a 12-acre beautiful campus on Erdenheim Farm.