Residential Interior Design Informs the New Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County
Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County has a new home in Wilton. After leasing space at the I-Park office complex in Norwalk for the past ten years, the non-profit home healthcare agency recently moved into its new offices at 22 Danbury Road in Wilton.
Last summer, the agency purchased a former retail furniture store in a highly visible, free-standing building located on Route 7. The two-story structure, on just shy of an acre, sat vacant for nearly a decade. There was very little in the way of recoverable materials and, as such, the building had to undergo an extensive renovation to provide 8,000 square feet of space to house the agency’s clinical and administrative offices.
“The project presented innumerable challenges,” said Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County President and CEO, Sharon M. Bradley.
Working with Pustola & Associates Engineers / Constructors and EBH Interiors, the agency set about to convert the dilapidated building into a light-filled contemporary office space that would be highly functional and flexible and designed in such a way as to convey the caring mission of the organization in a welcoming atmosphere that would accommodate the needs of staff, volunteers and community members. This was no easy task considering the constrained budget of the non-profit organization, the necessity of strict adherence to all public space building code requirements and a project completion deadline of six months.
“As might be expected, I, as the client, was apprehensive about our ability to meet even a measure of these requisites,” said Ms. Bradley. “I was concerned that our desire to create a residential-looking design would be eclipsed by the functional requirements of modern commercial office space. As it turns out, my concerns were completely unfounded.”
“Happily, Elizabeth Hourihan, of EBH Interiors, and architect Bruce Hollis of Pustola & Associates, understood exactly what we were hoping to achieve,” said Ms. Bradley. “They brought their unique blend of architectural knowledge and design capability to the project to create a beautiful and extraordinarily comfortable space.”
The result is a delightfully designed office building that combines contemporary and traditional elements in lighting, color, and texture. Ms. Hourihan and the Pustola team utilized fabric, wood, stone and various other materials to create an environment that is warm and inviting.
“Project leader, Mike Trombetta of Pustola & Associates ensured that our building met the highest level of construction standards,” said Ms. Bradley. “And it was completed within our specified time requirements. The building is very much in keeping with our agency’s mission to bring healing and comfort to the community.”
“We are grateful to Elizabeth Hourihan of EBH Interiors, Steve Pustola, President of Pustola & Associates and his team, and all who worked in creative collaboration to bring about this major endeavor,” said Ms. Bradley. “We are thrilled with our beautiful new home which has exceeded all expectations and will endure and enable us to serve the community for decades to come.”
A non-profit community organization for more than 100 years, Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County provides professional nursing and support services, care management, physical rehabilitation, health education, community wellness programs and compassionate hospice and palliative care for children and adults throughout Fairfield County. The agency is a preferred provider of home health care and hospice services for the Western Connecticut Health Network and the agency of choice for healthcare providers and the communities of Fairfield County. Visit them at www.visitingnurse.net or follow them on Facebook.
