Medical Furniture Design: Process, Applications, Materials & Trends

Applications of Medical Furniture in Healthcare Environments

1. The Relationship Between Medical Furniture and Space

2. Modeling Analysis of Medical Furniture

• Point: A single point serves as a visual focus on the surface of furniture. For large-area furniture surfaces that tend to be dull and monotonous, adding point-shaped decorative elements or functional components can increase layering and vitality, avoiding visual fatigue.
• Line: Lines extending in different directions convey distinct psychological feelings. Vertical lines enhance a sense of height, making low spaces appear more spacious; horizontal lines stretch the width of the space, creating a stable atmosphere; curved lines add flexibility and fluidity, bringing a gentle and elegant temperament to the space. Curvilinear medical furniture can alleviate the sense of tension in the medical environment, with strong decorative properties to build a warm atmosphere.
• Surface: Flat surfaces present a stable and dignified visual effect, while irregular surfaces bring richness and variability. In medical environments, medical furniture usually adopts large-area surface design to reflect simplicity, generosity, and integrity, avoiding fragmented visual experience. Small-piece furniture with excessive jumps is rarely used, as it may cause emotional fluctuations in patients and create hygiene dead corners that are difficult to clean.
• Volume: It refers to the three-dimensional form composed of length, width, and height. Solid parts (such as wooden panels) and virtual parts (such as concave areas and glass partitions) form a contrast between emptiness and solidity, which not only creates diverse visual effects but also optimizes functional use. For example, in hospital offices, the combination of solid furniture and glass partitions can block noise interference while maintaining space transparency, realizing reasonable space division.

3. Color Analysis of Medical Furniture

• Space colors are divided into two categories: “foreground colors” (high-saturation warm colors such as yellow, orange, and red) and “background colors” (low-saturation cool colors such as blue and green). The combination of these two types of colors is widely used in medical furniture design to balance warmth and calmness.
• Furniture colors can be used to distinguish different floors and departments in hospitals. Through subtle color differences and inherent color attributes, patients and visitors can quickly identify directions, improving the efficiency of space use.
• In Western countries, light yellow (a warm color) is commonly used in medical spaces and furniture, as it enhances environmental affinity and creates a home-like atmosphere. However, it is necessary to properly match deep colors to avoid the overall environment appearing frivolous.

4. Material Selection of Medical Furniture

As a medical furniture manufacturer, we prioritize materials that meet medical standards, including safety, durability, easy cleaning, and environmental protection. The main materials for medical furniture include wood, wood-based panels, steel, plastic, and soft materials, each with unique characteristics and application scenarios:

• Wood: A renewable biological material with natural texture, luster, and good thermal insulation. It has high human affinity, sufficient strength, and ease of processing. However, wood is prone to moisture absorption and expansion, requiring professional drying and moisture-proof treatment; it also has poor insect and fire resistance, which needs to be improved through special processes.
• Wood-based panels: Made of wood or non-plant materials through mechanical processing, glued and pressed. Common types include plywood, particleboard, and fiberboard, with more than 100 extended and deep-processed products. They have stable performance, low cost, and are widely used in medical furniture components.
• Steel: Industrial materials with excellent mechanical properties such as shear strength, tensile strength, toughness, and elasticity, far surpassing wood. Steel medical furniture is sturdy, durable, easy to clean and maintain, and can form a harmonious contrast with other materials (wood, glass, plastic, etc.), enhancing the modern sense of the space.
• Plastic: A new type of material with diverse categories, mainly divided into thermosetting plastics and thermoplastics. Plastic medical furniture has rich colors, bright visual effects, and is lightweight and corrosion-resistant, suitable for various medical scenarios with high hygiene requirements.
• Soft materials: Mainly used in furniture such as sofas and beds, made of elastic and soft materials. They increase the contact area between the human body and furniture, reduce local pressure, and alleviate discomfort for patients during long-term use. We select non-toxic, anti-bacterial, and easy-to-clean soft materials to meet medical hygiene standards.

Human-Centered Medical Furniture Design

1. Public Space

2. Consulting Room

3. Ward

4. Medical Technology Area

5. Training and Meeting Space

Future Design Trends of Medical Furniture

1. Strengthen Holistic Design Thinking: Currently, theoretical research on medical furniture design in China is in its early stages. Most designs only address single functional needs, overlooking the interdependent relationships between medical furniture and space, furniture and furniture, as well as furniture and users. Moving forward, we will adopt a holistic design approach that integrates hospital overall layout with local functional requirements, achieving a cohesive and optimized design effect for the entire healthcare space.
2. Deepen Human-Centered Design: The uniqueness of medical furniture demands design from both macro and micro perspectives. We will conduct in-depth research into the physiological and psychological needs of users (including medical staff and patients), infuse humanistic care into every detail of medical furniture design, and align with modern medical management and service systems to fully realize the “people-oriented” design goal.
3. Prioritize Demand-Driven Innovation: The medical furniture design sector boasts broad prospects. We will stay closely connected to the actual needs of hospitals, medical professionals, and patients, taking real-world demands as the core of our innovation. This ensures we develop more practical, tailored medical furniture products that solve on-site pain points.
4. Balance Light-Structure & Intelligent Functions: Future design will focus on lightweight medical furniture, complemented by intelligent features. Considering the high cost of fully intelligent products, we will adhere to the “economical and practical” principle—addressing key challenges such as limited hospital space, inconvenient usage, and high operational costs. Our focus will be on developing multi-functional, humanized medical furniture to drive industry upgrading.

1. Strengthen Overall Design Thinking: At present, the theoretical research on medical furniture design in China is in the initial stage, and most designs only focus on single functional needs, ignoring the interdependence between furniture and space, furniture and users. In the future, we will adopt a holistic design approach, considering the overall layout of the hospital and local functional needs to achieve a unified design effect.
2. Deepen Humanized Design: The particularity of medical furniture requires design from both macro and micro perspectives. We will conduct in-depth research on the physiological and psychological needs of users, integrate humanistic care into every detail, and meet the needs of modern medical management and services to achieve the goal of “people-oriented” design.
3. Focus on Demand-Oriented Innovation: The medical furniture design field has broad prospects. We will keep close to the actual needs of hospitals, medical staff, and patients, take demand as the starting point for innovation, and develop more practical and suitable products.
4. Balance Light Structure and Intelligence: The future design will focus on the development of light-structure medical furniture, supplemented by intelligent products. Considering the high cost of intelligent products, we will adhere to the principle of “economy and practicality”, solve pain points such as limited hospital space and inconvenient use, and develop multi-functional, humanized products to promote the upgrading of the medical furniture industry.