Designing for Healing: A Conversation with Shelby Papp of CannonDesign

The Reality of Healthcare Projects

Healthcare design involves far more stakeholders than most building types. Clinical teams, operations leaders, infection control specialists, and facilities departments all bring different perspectives to the table.

Shelby described her role in these conversations with a phrase that maybe we all can relate with.

“I often feel like the monkey in the middle,” she said.

Each department approaches design decisions through a different lens and aligning those perspectives can be challenging.

“Everyone is looking at the project from one angle,” she explained. “Our job is to bring all of those viewpoints together and find a solution that responds to all of their needs.”

That balancing act is where design strategy and collaboration become critical.

Designing for Patients and Staff

Healthcare design discussions often center around improving patient experience, but Shelby believes another group deserves equal attention: the staff. During our conversation, she pointed out that caregivers face tremendous physical and emotional demands in their work. Supporting them through design is essential.

“We’re seeing more conversations about creating spaces for staff to regroup or take a break,” she said.

However, those spaces often face challenges during the budgeting process.

“Leadership will say they want to take exceptional care of staff,” Shelby explained. “But when value engineering starts, those respite spaces are usually the first thing to go.”

For Shelby, that tradeoff can have real consequences.

“Nurses have incredibly hard jobs,” she said. “If they experience a difficult outcome and don’t have a place to step away and process it, that affects the rest of their day, and ultimately the care they provide.”

Supporting staff, she emphasized, is directly connected to supporting patients.

The Unique Challenge of Behavioral Health Design

As our conversation shifted to behavioral health environments, Shelby described a design landscape shaped by strict safety standards and evolving regulations.

“There are so many restrictions,” she said. “We’re constantly weighing trade-offs.”

Even seemingly simple decisions – like the weight of a chair – can become complex discussions. Lighter furniture allows patients to move pieces independently and maintain a sense of autonomy. Heavier furniture may reduce safety concerns but limits flexibility.

“Designing is often like asking someone their favorite color,” Shelby joked. “There isn’t always one perfect answer.”

At the same time, designers are exploring ways to incorporate more sensory and comfort-focused elements into these environments. From subtle textures to tactile materials, the goal is to create spaces that feel supportive without compromising safety.

“It’s still evolving,” Shelby said. “But those conversations are happening more now than they were even a few years ago.”

Human-Centered Design in Practice

Terms like human-centered design and trauma-informed care appear frequently in healthcare design discussions. But as Shelby explained, implementing those ideas consistently can be challenging. Sometimes the biggest barrier is simply tradition.

“Healthcare has a lot of ‘we’ve always done it this way’ thinking,” she told me.

When projects become focused on small operational details, Shelby often brings the conversation back to the bigger picture.

“We remind clients what their original goals were,” she said. “You wanted to create a place where people can heal and feel comfortable. If we lose sight of that, we’ve lost the point of the design.”

Why Furniture Should Be Part of the Design Conversation Earlier

Toward the end of our discussion, I asked Shelby what she would change about the way furniture is considered in healthcare projects today. Her answer was immediate.

“If I could change one thing, it would be that furniture isn’t treated as an afterthought,” she said.

Too often, furniture discussions begin late in the design process, sometimes after key planning decisions have already been made. By then, the opportunity to fully integrate furniture into the overall design strategy has already passed.

“When you bring furniture into the conversation earlier,” Shelby explained, “it becomes part of the environment instead of just something you add later.”

Looking Ahead

As healthcare continues to evolve, Shelby believes the role of healthcare environments will expand beyond traditional treatment spaces. Facilities are beginning to think more broadly about wellness, community engagement, and preventative care.

“We’re starting to see spaces that invite the community in,” she said. “Places for education, wellness programs, and preventative support.”

For designers, manufacturers, and healthcare leaders alike, that shift represents an opportunity to rethink how environments support healing. Because at its core, healthcare design is not really about buildings. It is about the people who rely on them.