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and could be perceived as symbols for blood and war. Another
informant reported that black colour had a negative effect on
many older persons since black was connected to sorrow and
sadness.
Some of the informants reported that they preferred light
colours on the walls and that they often used white as a base.
The environment could sustain for a longer time if there wasn’t
too bright colours, and they thought it was better to change the
environment with more colourful details like cloths or curtains
instead of having to change the colour of the walls. Several of
the informants thought it was important to change the indoor
environment due to the time of the year and due to religious
or cultural traditions or feasts such as Christmas and Easter.
This was seen as one way of informing the residents about the
season, and also supporting them to recognize valuable tradi-
tions. Even when suffering from dementia, many residents can
still connect red colours with Christmas and yellow with Easter
and so on.
Daylight and electric lighting within indoor environment
A majority of the informants reported that the lighting was cen-
tral in nursing home facilities due to decreasing visual capacity
for the residents. During the meal situation the residents were
dependent on adequate light in order to be able to see the food
and to support them in different ways. The light could also
affect if the food looked tasty or not and it was important that
the light had a positive impact upon the residents so that they
were encouraged to eat. In the dining room there where often
stronger lighting than in other spaces and some nursing home
used both ceiling lights and lamps on each table.
Many of the informants discussed the cozy lighting with small
lamps and some of them talked about colleagues who pre-
ferred the indoor environment to be a bit darker. One informant
had noticed that the older persons wanted stronger light-
ing and that they moved towards the light. The staff and the
managers of nursing homes had to remind themselves to turn
on the light and to use a lot of light sources during the day. The
light was often dimmed during the evening in order to inform
the residents that it was time to slow down and rest. In some
nursing homes they used dimmers or automatic lights that
changed during the day. The lighting was also changed accord-
ing to activity and if the residents wanted to watch TV or listen
to music, the lights were dimmed.
Daylight
The daylight was perceived as very important by many of the
informants in order to get much light into the building. Another
aspect was that many of the residents had physical impair-
ments and were dependent on the possibilities of a nice view by
looking out from a window. The gardens were perceived as im-
portant spaces to enjoy the daylight and many residents wanted
to spend some time outside if the weather was nice. The day-
light was also important to stimulate both residents and staff
and some informants talked about the importance of having
big windows in the nursing home. The architects thought it was
important to think about the daylight early in the planning pro-
cess in order to use the daylight in the best way. The purpose
of the room was an essential aspect when planning the nursing
home and the compass bearing. One staff reported that it was
difficult to achieve the perfect day light conditions for all resi-
dents since everyone cannot have their private apartments at
the same place or in the same direction in the building.
The interaction between colour and light
Perspectives from the architects
Both architects discussed colour and light as strongly related
to each other. They did not separate light from colour and
often reflected upon light, colour and the shape of the room
as equally important when planning and drawing facilities for
older persons. One of the architects explains the relationship
between colour and light:
“Yes, they do talk to each other. Light influences on colour. That
you can see, I know one place where I was colouring and when
I came there it was a green colour but it was a light light yellow
paint. But that was the lamps that made it all green. So you have
to do that, they do speak to each other. So this is really important”
(2, author translation).
The colour, the light and the architecture of a building were
seen as interacting and therefore all of these aspects had to be
taken into consideration in order to achieve a good environment
for the elderly. According to the architects the purpose of the
building and the individual rooms was central.
One of the architects described a situation when a room within
a nursing home was transformed. The room was a part of the
common space in the corridor. There was a big window in the
room but still it was very dark because of a ventilation device
covering a large part of the window. The walls were painted
in a dark, brown colour and no resident wanted to be in the
room due to its darkness and dull appearance. The architect
and a college were not allowed to repaint the walls but they
put up white sheets on the walls. Behind the sheets at one of
the walls, they placed several lamps so this wall became a
light wall. In addition green plants were put on the walls and
the room was called the green room. When the architects had
completed their work the room became very popular and many