Bournemouth-based interior design company, KTM Design, is helping local children’s hospice charity, Julia’s House, create an inspiring new workspace for staff as it moves to a brand new Dorset office in Wimborne.

The Julia’s House office has been operating from Barclays House in Poole for the past five years, with space generously donated as a gift in kind. As Barclays is now selling the office building, Julia’s House has been required to relocate its fundraising and administrative teams. 

While staff have now returned to hybrid working, many have had to work remotely throughout the pandemic, so the charity is looking forward to having everyone together again at the new office in the Teacher’s Building Society building in Wimborne. The charity’s hospice in Corfe Mullen is unaffected by the move.

Martin Edwards, CEO at Julia’s House, commented: “It’s been an exceptionally tough two years for everyone working in healthcare, including our fundraising and support staff who have faced much longer periods working remotely, as part of our extra infection control precautions. During this time they have played a vital role, enabling Julia’s House to support children and families throughout the pandemic.

“Now that we can finally get back together again, we want to provide them with a really welcoming office space, more relaxed and informal than we have been used to. It will help everyone feel part of a team, share ideas and just get to know each other again. We are really grateful to KTM Design who are creating an uplifting, positive working environment to help us move on from the past two years and achieve the very best we can for local children and families in the future.”

KTM Design was appointed to support Julia’s House in its office transformation, with the interior design company offering services free of charge in support of the charity’s mission to inspire staff back to the workplace.

Katie Thomas, founder of KTM Design commented: “As Julia’s House is such a respected charity within our local community, we wanted to do everything we could to help them create an engaging working environment for staff. Their original Dorset workspace followed a more traditional office layout, so we wanted to switch things up by creating a bold, fun environment to really bring it to life. Julia’s House frequently welcomes children to its offices, so opting for a vibrant design would be equally appealing to visitors.

“Our concept centres around creating a flexible workspace where staff can choose where they would like to work – whether that’s at their desk or in a more relaxed breakout area. As a result, we’ve created various zones to choose from to appeal to different needs. The main desk area is light and spacious, with subtle additions of indoor plants to help bring a sense of calmness and serenity. We’ve then injected some fun, bright colours into a dedicated breakout space, with some comfy sofas and chairs for ultimate relaxation. The area also includes a highchair section next to large windows, offering plenty of natural light to brighten up the entire space.

“We’ve loved working on this project so far and can’t wait to see designs begin to take shape over the coming months.”

Claire Bartlett from The Passionate PA, who is working as the Project Manager for Julia’s House on the office move, added: “Workspace needs have shifted since the beginning of the pandemic, as many people have become more accustomed to certain ways of working to suit their personal needs. We wanted to carry this flexible mentality through to the new office and believe KTM Design’s ideas effectively capture what we’re trying to achieve. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working closely with KTM Design on this project and I am very much looking forward to seeing the end result. Julia’s House is excited to introduce the new space to its staff and I hope it will help them continue doing a fantastic job for hundreds of Dorset families in need of their lifeline of care and support.”

Julia’s House provides clinical, practical and emotional respite care and support for families caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. More information about the charity can be found here: https://www.juliashouse.org/. 

For further information about KTM Design, visit https://www.ktmdesign.co.uk/