The Deepa Studio approach stemmed from a basic understanding that children respond to story telling, and that they utilize these narratives to make sense of their environment. Both Deepa and Children's Hospital agreed to work with patient drawings as a window into this world, with the Deepa Studio creating a storyline out of these children's artwork.

In Pediatric Care, distraction is essential as children are the most likely group to be hamstrung by fear which, in turn, creates a barrier to healing. There is a sense of honesty necessary if we hope to help the children overcome this fear. An overtly "happy" scene, like a carnival, is wholly inappropriate as it reminds a child of what she is missing or, at worst, tells her that she should be happy in a time when she most certainly is not.

There are technical guidelines that must be observed too. As we learned from a young patient undergoing long-term cancer treatment, elements of distraction are necessary to keep one occupied while waiting for scheduled procedures; however, bright colors and sharp geometric shapes make a patient disoriented in a post-treatment or heavily medicated situation. Therefore, it is necessary to create design relevant to the varied areas of a healthcare institution and the specific work done in each area on the part of both care-givers and patients. The solution: Garden Story Cubicle Cloth. This fabric tells a story through simple use of imagery (pictured). As a patient interprets the scene, we succeed in removing him or her from a place of fear; and it is at that precise moment when children stimulate their imagination that the healing process can begin.

While relevant design is essential, there is another aspect involved in any successful project: adhering to specific timeframes while still meeting a budget. After all, hospitals are still businesses in the sense that they must differentiate from each other while being fiscally responsible. From the initial concept meeting to delivery of fabric, we were posed with the challenge of executing within 16 weeks. Challenging? Yes. Impossible? No. The Deepa Studio, the A&D decision makers, and the Children's team committed to a streamlined concept, development and approval schedule. The result: An appropriate suite of upholsteries and cubicle fabric that did not need to take years to deliver. in fact, it only needed the allotted 16 weeks. The long history of Deepa textile expertise and innovation with our mill partners allows us to creatively respond with solutions for even the most pressured schedules.