In Partnership with Five on a Bike
Published 9th March 2026
Rethinking Care Design in Modern Care Environments
At Care Innovation Summit 2025, Carl Southall shared valuable insights in our Care Innovators Studio with Five on a Bike. Carl Southall, Managing Director of Furncare, is a second-generation leader continuing a family legacy in furniture craftsmanship within the care sector.
Furncare designs and manufactures specialist furniture for the care sector, with roots in cabinet making and a transition into healthcare furniture. Their mission is to create environments that improve comfort, dignity and quality of life. They focus on practical innovation driven by real care settings.
As a company, they commit to meaningful innovation rather than aesthetic-only design, placing care design at the centre of everything they do.
This article explores the full interview with Carl Southall, sharing insights into person-centred design, contrast elements, the importance of connection and individual experience, and how these factors contribute to meaningful, impactful innovation in care design across the social care sector.
Key takeaways from the interview include:
- Person-centred care design begins with real lived experience, using feedback from residents, carers and providers to shape furniture that supports comfort, posture and usability.
- Small design details can have a significant impact, particularly for residents with dementia or visual impairments, where contrast and visibility support independence.
- Meaningful innovation comes from the philosophy to Connect, Care and Create, ensuring ideas are informed by real conversations, empathy and practical problem-solving within care environments.
Person-Centred Care Design: Why Small Details Matter
The interview began with a discussion on the importance of putting lived experience at the centre of care design. Carl discussed ‘rake level innovation’ in relation to healthcare chairs and explained how factors such as chair height, depth and rake must be personalised to suit the environment and individual needs.
At the heart of this, Carl emphasised the importance of customer feedback in ensuring design supports and comforts those who spend long periods seated. This feedback informs the dimensions of care design and remains vital for improving posture, comfort and usability.
Placing customer feedback at the centre of design makes sure furniture is shaped by real experiences rather than ideas or assumptions. Designers achieve this by listening closely to residents, carers and interior designers.
An important part of this process is considering the environment alongside technical specifications, allowing designers to individualise each piece based on where it will be used and the functional needs associated with that space.
In summary, the message expressed that effective care design and innovation adapt to people and spaces, not the other way around.
Contrast and Visibility: Designing Beyond Aesthetics
The interview then explored the importance of designing beyond purely aesthetic value. Carl highlighted the role of contrast in care design and explained how small changes can create meaningful impact in social care environments.
He noted the use of contrasting piping and colours as a key example. This design element helps residents with dementia or poor eyesight identify chairs by making furniture stand out against flooring or surrounding décor. These thoughtful details support accessibility and independence while maintaining visual appeal.
This approach demonstrates the importance of balancing functional design with aesthetics. Designers must consider what residents need practically while still creating environments that feel welcoming and attractive. The lived experience matters: residents should feel comfortable and content in their surroundings, but designs must also remain recognisable and accessible across different care environments.
Throughout this discussion, Carl reinforced that real innovation in care design supports independence, confidence and comfort. Small changes, such as improved visual clarity, can have a significant impact on usability and wellbeing within social care settings.
Connect, Care, Create: A Philosophy for Care Innovation
The interview concluded with an exploration of Furncare’s three core principles: Connect, Care and Create – a philosophy that reflects wider themes across leading events for social care professionals and the care innovation conference landscape.
Connect
Carl highlighted the importance of connecting with those who use the furniture, including residents, carers, providers and designers. This involves listening to lived experiences and understanding daily challenges. He noted that UK care events such as the Care Innovation Summit provide the perfect opportunity to gather real feedback, discuss practical innovations and challenge norms through meaningful conversations.
Care
Once teams identify real problems and experiences, Carl emphasised the importance of caring about that feedback and using it to demonstrate empathy and responsibility in design decisions. Care conferences and top care events in the UK provide spaces where this empathy and responsibility can be shared across the social care community. At these events, professionals test ideas, explore new products and remain connected to improving care quality across the sector.
Create
Finally, using these connections and insights, designers develop solutions and innovations that directly address identified needs and improve everyday life. True innovation comes from using feedback and connection to inform practical design elements that make a tangible difference for care providers and residents alike.
The lesson is clear: innovation is not simply about ideas. It comes from listening to lived experience, building strong connections and placing those receiving care at the centre of every design decision.
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel, or book Care Innovation Summit 2026 to explore more in-depth insights into practical innovations that drive meaningful growth, inspiration and connection across the care sector – at one of the top care events in the UK.
