Creating Calm: Shady Grove Fertility Center’s Patient-Centered Design

In today’s healthcare landscape, patient experience is paramount. Shady Grove Fertility Center in Rockville, Maryland, recognized the need to create a serene, welcoming environment for families seeking fertility care. 

By partnering with E4H Environments for Health Architecture and April Hatton, Supervisor of Facilities Planning, Design & Construction, the clinic set out to blend professional warmth with residential comfort—setting a new standard for healthcare design. Learn how strategic flooring and design choices improve patient comfort, privacy, and staff well-being.

Designing for Comfort and Privacy

Patients visiting fertility clinics often face stress and uncertainty. Shady Grove Fertility Center addressed this by:

• Using cool blues, teals, and soothing greys to evoke calm.
• Incorporating natural wood-look luxury vinyl tile (LVT) for a residential feel.
• Creating intimate, secluded seating areas for privacy.
• Selecting soft textures and acoustic solutions to reduce noise and enhance comfort.

“We looked for ways to set patients at ease through this space, whether selecting flooring that felt residential, creating spaces with softer textures, or offering them privacy through the design of our waiting room.” April Hatton, Supervisor of Facilities Planning, Design & Construction.

Flooring Solutions That Make a Difference

Flooring played a crucial role in the clinic’s transformation:

• Shaw Contract Grain LVT in warm, light colors brightened the space and evoked a sense of home.
• Shaw Contract EcoWorx® carpet tile was chosen for waiting rooms, offering softness, improved acoustics, and easy maintenance.
• Carpet tile provided flexibility—allowing single tiles to be replaced as needed, ensuring durability and cleanliness.

These choices not only benefited patients but also supported healthcare workers, with carpet tile at nurses’ stations for underfoot comfort and acoustic ceiling fixtures to minimize sound transfer. 

Patient Care Rooms: Clean, Welcoming, and Home-Like

Consultation rooms featured:

• Shaw Contract Grain LVT for a comforting, home-like atmosphere.
• Bright backsplash tiles and soothing colors to create a clean, inviting space.
• Design elements that prioritized both patient and staff well-being.

Scalable Design for Future Clinics

The success of the Rockville clinic inspired Shady Grove Fertility to adapt these design principles across its 37 locations nationwide. Positive feedback from patients and staff has made this space a model for future clinics, emphasizing the importance of environment in healthcare outcomes.

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Shady Grove Fertility Center’s approach demonstrates how thoughtful design—centered on comfort, privacy, and flexibility—can transform the patient experience. By choosing Shaw Contract flooring solutions, the clinic created a space that feels like home, setting patients at ease and supporting staff every day.