Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
The Youth Hub
I redesigned the Youth Hub at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital in collaboration with Lime Art. This environmental illustration and interior design project grew from workshops with young patients and hospital staff and resulted in a complete rethinking of the space’s colours and layout.
The Brief & Initial Challenges
The project began without a fixed brief.
Early site visits and conversations showed a space that was visually busy, hard to navigate and not aligned with the needs of patients or staff.
They needed a multifunctional space suited for recreation, group activities, quiet moments and therapy sessions
I had to create a calming, accessible, Youth Hub with better storage, clearer visual organisation, and distinct zones for privacy, games, and gathering.
“Lime is looking to commission you to work with young people and staff to develop new artwork for the space.
This could be anything from framed art works to printed vinyl wallpaper, colour schemes, furnishings etc.
”
Original space before redesign
Visually busy and hard to navigate
Not aligned with patient and staff needs
Research & Co-Ideation
I ran workshops and sessions with the Youth Forum and staff to understand what the space should feel like. We tested colours, explored moodboards, and mapped activities. I spent time in Manchester learning directly from the people who would use the Hub.
Youth Forum’s notes on colour and mood
Workshop activity: defining the mood
Workshop activity: defining key themes
Findings
Youth Forum
Young people wanted a calm, non-overwhelming environment with abstract shapes, pockets for self-expression, and small private areas to unwind.
Hospital Staff
Staff asked for built-in storage, a reorganised kitchen/office layout, and a multifunctional plan with dedicated zones for media, privacy, and activities.
Early Experiments & Visual References
Drawing from the workshops, I built moodboards and a visual language rooted in natural environments and simple geometry.
Early sketches explored how colour, texture and scale could create distinct experiences within the same room
Early sketches
Inspiration
Plans & Illustrations Placement
With the themes and visual direction established, I developed floorplans to position the artwork throughout the Youth Hub and began sketching each illustration in context. This step connected the research to the space, ensuring that mood, colour and function aligned area by area
Storage Area
Lounge Area
Group Activities Area
Final artwork
I designed the Hub as a chromatic journey through different natural environments because the Youth Forum repeatedly asked for “the feeling of being somewhere else”, a short mental escape from the hospital ward. By creating distinct environments (coastal, waterfall/mountain, desert, outer space) and using analogous palettes, I wanted to offer a visual “travel” while avoiding overstimulation.
These choices were grounded in workshop feedback and accessibility considerations for neurodivergent users.
I produced high-resolution illustrations for every area of the Youth Hub, designed to meet hospital sanitation requirements and to maintain crisp detail at close range.
Entrance and Lounge Area
Multimedia Room
Group Activities Area
The Easter Eggs
As a long-lasting thank-you to the Youth Forum members who helped shape the brief, I asked each of them to share a small personal detail (a drawing, an object, a memory, or even a reference from a film or videogame) that represented them. I then incorporated these elements as discreet “Easter eggs” inside the final illustrations.
These hidden homages were a way to acknowledge their contribution and give the Youth Hub a sense of shared ownership. They’re not meant to stand out at first glance, but to gently remind anyone who spots them that the space was created with its young users, not simply for them.
The Children’s Inputs
Hughie and Freddie asked me to include elements from rugby and cricket, placed close together to represent their friendship.
Noorya asked me to add a reference to books in the artwork, as reading is one of her biggest passions.
Molly shared Mario fan art and asked me to incorporate a small detail inspired by her favourite videogame.
Installation & Final Environment
The completed Youth Hub includes integrated storage, clear signage, and themed illustrated areas throughout.
The space is now in daily use by young patients and staff. A calmer, more functional environment shaped directly by their input
Entrance and Group Activities Area
Lounge Area
Multimedia Room
Storage Area
National Arts and Health Conference
50 Years of Lime Arts
I presented the project at the National Arts & Health Conference in Manchester, as part of the “Healing Environments” panel, focusing on the healing impact of art in hospital settings.
