Healthcare Design - September 2019 - 56

fac e

Time

ON INDUSTRY TRENDS

I wish design trends
would go away

altogether. Nothing will
guarantee your project
will look outdated quicker
than going with the latest
trends. I prefer to stick
with classics or natural elements and leave the "flavor of the month" items for
small splashes that can be
easily replaced.

W H AT D R E W Y O U T O A C A R E E R
I N H E A LT H C A R E D E S I G N ?
We lost a lot of family members when I was young due to
different illnesses. I remember visiting them in hospitals and
thinking how sad and smelly these places were and how
it affected everyone. I always wanted the opportunity to
make hospitals better for the people there.

W H AT D O Y O U L I K E B E S T A B O U T
W O R K I N G I N H E A LT H C A R E
DESIGN?
I don't have the capacity to heal anyone, but I like that I'm
able to make the spaces people are in more comfortable.

THREE UNEXPECTED ITEMS
ON YOUR DESK

A gold squirrel pen
that my friend, Sumai,
gave me. It reminds me
of her.

2 A little green frog

USB storage stick. The frog has the
cutest grin that makes me smile.

3 Some Christmas decorations that

I'm going to put away. Or not ...
F AV O R I T E ...

F AV O R I T E P L A C E T O VA C A T I O N
Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. It's where I like to go to
recharge. I drink loads of fresh coconut water and get
rejuvenated by the natural hot springs that come from
the volcano.

LILLIANA
ALVARADO

Founder and design principal,
Uphealing, Bedford, N.H.
AT THE AGE OF 5, Lilliana Alvarado

liked to spend her play time drawing plans for new buildings and
once asked her mom "for a pair of
heels and a briefcase so I could go to the office
and work." Years later, her interest in art and
architecture led her to pursue a degree in interior design, attending Escuela de Arte ESEMPI
in Costa Rica (her parents' homeland, where
she lived during high school and college). After graduation, she moved back to the U.S. and
took a job at a millwork company. "It made me
a better designer because it truly helped me
understand how things are put together and
how construction works," she says. Leaving the
manufacturing side, Alvarado held positions at
several design firms in New England before fulfilling her lifelong dream of running her own office by founding interior design firm Uphealing
in 2015. "We have in-depth conversations with
our clients to understand what the issues are
first in order to find design solutions tailored to
their needs," she says. "It's really an extension of
how we work within the office."-Anne DiNardo

Q U O T E "Let us always meet each other with smile,
for the smile is the beginning of love."-Mother Teresa

I have two dogs, Alaska
and Bailey (although
my husband calls them
"Hoover" and "Dyson"
because they're always
near the kids looking
for anything they drop
on the floor.)

COFFEE OR
TEA?
Definitely coffee.

MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT
OWL?
Night owl. My best work is done after hours.

C O C K TA I L O F C H O I C E ?
A dirty martini with
extra olives.

LAST TIME I
DANCED?
At the IIDA COOL
event at NeoCon this
year. Otherwise, I have
dance parties every day with my kids.

HOW DID YOU MAKE YOUR
FIRST DOLLAR?

CO L O R Yellow, a color that's often referred to as the
"color of insanity."

SEPTEMBER 2019

D O G O R C AT ?

Aerosmith's "Permanent Vacation."

BA N D / M U S I C A L A R T IST Ricardo Arjun, a
Guatemalan singer-songwriter and amazing poet.

1 thoughtful
2 detailed
3 serene

FIRST ALBUM YOU EVER
BOUGHT?

W EEK E N D A CT IVIT Y My husband, two boys,
and I usually go to the playground, park, or museum.
Sunday mornings are all about fun-shaped pancakes
and bacon.

S N A C K W H E N Y OU T R AVE L A cup of coffee
accompanied by something sweet or savory. It's a
habit I grew up with that stems from a cultural tradition
that my family from Costa Rica did where everything
gets put on hold at 3 p.m. to have this treat.

T H R E E W O R D S T H AT D E S C R I B E
YOUR DESIGN AESTHETIC

ALVARADO OVERSAW THE DESIGN OF THE GUEST SUITES AT THE
NEELY HOUSE AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER IN BOSTON.

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

When I was 11, I started doing other kids'
homework and charging them for it. Assignments
were math, drawings, and sewing and textiles
from home economics. From the leftover textiles,
I would make other crafts and sell them to my
neighbors. I guess I was always an entrepreneur
at heart.

ANTON GRASSL (NEELY HOUSE)

Biophilic design to
promote healing.
I also fully support
initiatives addressing
and regulating chemicals
in interior products for
healthcare.

http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM

Healthcare Design - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - September 2019