The Role of Technology in Interior Design

We know that an increasing number of people moving into aged care are either bed bound or spend a great deal of time in recliner chairs. The sad reality is it means that residents are looking up towards the ceiling for a large part of the day. How do we make walls and ceilings more interesting for those residents? 

Image Courtesy of beamlabsinc.com

Of course, we can design a wall or ceiling with interesting murals but the images are stagnant and there is no movement. Something that never changes would become very boring after a short period of time.  The role of technology will offer a huge array of different visual options; whether it be beautiful scenery, movies or even something more purposeful such as personal photo’s or videos. 

Along comes a product called Beam, a smart projector that fits in any light socket. I would like to add here that de Fiddes Design haven’t trialed Beam, we will be doing so very soon to ensure that it is as good as it claims to be.

Beam can basically turn any flat surface into a big screen – including the ceiling! It is a powerful projector equipped with a smart computer all inside what looks like a light fitting. 

It is apparently very easy to use and has many applications. It can be used to play games - board games can be projected onto a dining table. It can be used to listen to music through its speakers, watch movies or share content from your smart phone or tablet.

Beam Labs Inc. started out by crowd funding and currently I am keeping my eye on many fantastic technologies that will be coming our way shortly, all starting their life in this way.

Technology like this is now affordable and potentially means that each resident can have their own Beam to allow for personalization and cater to individual tastes. Now that to me is exciting!