Décor tips for educational institutions

Merino Laminates, December 28, 2024

Educational institutions are some of the first public buildings that children are exposed to and they also spend a lot of their formative years in this place. They learn, grow and build friendships that last a lifetime and a well designed institution offers a productive, lively and safe platform where they are nurtured into young adults. Hence, one must be extremely mindful when it comes to the design of educational institutions as it can have a great impact on the productivity and well-being of the users.

An educational institution that offers education to kids across different age groups must be carefully designed to appeal to the different scholars ranging from preschoolers to highschoolers, while ensuring that the building or campus is easy to navigate, safe and easy to maintain. While you will have to adapt the colour schemes and the design to the different age groups, the design should have a unifying quality that reflects the principles, scale of operations and the level of luxury the institution desires to offer to its students. Here are some generic decor tips that you can bear in mind as you design an educational institution that may be offering education starting from preschool to graduation:

1. The administration area

The administration area is the gateway to the institution and it is this part that is frequented by visitors, parents or anyone who may wish to know more about the institution. It is also this area that houses cabins for the higher authorities like the principal, board members, staff members while housing board rooms, discussion rooms, waiting area for visitors, back end office, department of accounts etc.

If the institution offers education to a wide range of students there may be more than one administration block catering to the different levels. Often, these blocks have completely different entrances, spatial planning and scale of operation. The administration department for a degree department would have a different design, as compared to the administration for the school, though both may be present in the same campus. Often, this area reflects the ideology and principles of the organisation and the colours and theme may be inspired by the branding colours, logo and ethos that the organisation stands on.

The administration block for children can be more colorful and adorned with child friendly art along with a theme of the institution and likewise, the administration block for the undergraduate or graduate levels may be more austere, minimal and beautified with wall art, murals or posters and banners with an appeal to an older age group.

However, irrespective of the age group, the administration department in general should be designed to create a great first impression through grandeur, elegance and sophistication. It should have abundant natural and artificial light and it should be easy to navigate without any confusion.

2. Ease of access

Right from having dedicated entrances to scholars at different levels, to having child friendly pathways, staircases etc., one must prioritise ease of access to help the students reach their classes safely and quickly. All the facilities needed, like the library, toilets, labs etc should be easily accessible to the specific age group. Signages and directions must be appropriately placed to ensure smooth navigation through the campus.

3. Classroom design

While the classroom for kindergarten levels are bound to be more colourful and adorned with lots of charts, posters and fun and educative elements, classrooms for older students should be austere and must encourage the child to learn and concentrate without the distraction of too many colours or designs. The classrooms should be spacious and should have ample natural and artificial ventilation. They should be furnished with comfortable seating and tables.

4. Age appropriate amenities

From a play area for the tiny tots to a well equipped sports arena or a library  for the older children, the institution must offer age appropriate amenities close to the corresponding age group to make the amenities easily accessible. Now more than ever, parents are keen to enroll their children to different extracurricular activities to ensure holistic learning and a well rounded personality, and your design must make provision and encourage the same.

5. Maintenance and safety

As the footfall in institutions is quite high, the building is subjected to a lot of wear and tear. Hence, it is important to use durable and scratch resistant finishes. Merino Laminates offers over 500 designs in varied finishes that you can use as wall finishes, for furniture etc. From bright colours perfect for areas dedicated to younger kids to subtle colours and varied textures that have an appeal for an older age group, you can choose the finishes as per the areas that you are specifically designing. It is also advised to go for anti-skid flooring in classrooms, corridors and toilets to ensure the safety of the users at all times.

We hope that these simple yet effective decor hacks help you create a wholesome design for an institution that is user friendly, easy to maintain and elegant to look at. The design of this type of building is not merely functional but also stands for the beliefs that the institute upholds, and we hope that you are able to encapsulate that through your design and finishes.