Like many, I have a bit of a phobia of hospitals. Unless you happen to be there to welcome a new person into the world, you’d almost always prefer to be elsewhere. And there’s typically scant solace to be had from the industrial furniture at most hospitals. Given that sooner or later everyone finds him or herself in said locale–whether on the operating table or waiting it out in the lobby–Arcadia’s new Haven Collection (showing today at NeoCon‘s showroom #340) provides a welcome respite from hospital drear.

Arcadia’s booth at #NeoCon10.

The La Palma, CA-based manufacturer of contract furnishings for hospitality, education, and healthcare prides themselves on their service-oriented perspective–“responding to customer needs through innovative product design, quality manufacturing, and excellent value is, and always has been, the primary focus at Arcadia.”

Someone must have told them how important it is for patients and their families to see the hospital as a welcoming landscape. The Haven Collection is an attractive assemblage of contract furniture for a healthcare environment. Featuring light-toned wooden laminates and comfortable foam upholstery in a palette of restrained yet appealing colors, Haven is “a comprehensive offering of guest, tandem and ancillary seating products that combine classic style with noteworthy substance.” Divvied up according to the different requirements of specialized seating, Haven includes furnishings for reception (guest chair and tandem chair); lobby and waiting area (single chairs and modular tandem seating with interlocking low tables and settees); and patient seating (with specialized options like the high-backed and ergonomic patient chair, high-legged hip chair, and bariatric settee.

Each model in the Haven Collection is ergonomically-minded (with rigid foam and curves in all the right places to promote good posture); they also have safety features like optional sure-grip urethane arm caps and non-skid foot rests (hip chair). And they’re designed for efficient maintenance, with Microban anti-microbial wood finish, easy clean-out space between seat and back, durable metal frame, and replaceable seat and back cover. Thankfully, all this functionality remains skillfully hidden behind Haven’s attractive profile and quality beach wood construction, giving the truth to Arcadia’s claim that Haven is “the quintessential place to relax while waiting.”