Case Study: New Haven at Little River
Parterre’s durable, sophisticated LVT complemented the coastal aesthetic of this senior living facility
The Client
New Haven at Little River is an upscale continuing care retirement community located in a picturesque town outside of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The completely new 178,000-square foot facility, which features 154 residential units, including 91 independent living units, 44 assisted living units and 19 memory care units.
The designer for the multi-family project was Melissa Banko, principal and founder of Banko Design. Her design firm specializes in senior living, multi-family, boutique hospitality and healthcare — all of which were components of the New Haven at Little River project.
The Challenge
Banko explained that the goal of New Haven at Little River was to incorporate the charm and beauty of the beachy, coastal community into the design without an overly “cheesy” feel.
“We design with our surrounding community in mind,” she said.
When it came to flooring, the team sought a durable, long-lasting option that would work well with carpet, complement the coastal aesthetic and fall within their budget. On top of that, the flooring had to be easy to maintain and offer a smooth surface with no tripping hazards.
Banko also wanted a resimercial design, which is the idea of taking comforting and inviting elements of residential design and using them in commercial spaces. Resimercial was especially appropriate for this project since they would actually be designing someone’s home, which is why she opted for a specific wood look.
“Light woods are hard,” she explained, adding that many are often too pink, orange, yellow or gray. “We knew what we wanted in a wood look. We were putting it in large areas, so it needed to have quite a bit of modeling and depth to it.”
The Solution
Since Banko had worked with Parterre in the past and had an excellent relationship with her representative, the flooring decision was an easy one. She selected Parterre’s Halle Cedar, a light, warm wood tone with bits of gray that complemented the project’s coastal design palette of blues, creams and tans, and sea glass green.
In the end, Banko used three different LVT options from Parterre. Halle Cedar was installed in the main lobby and corridor, the bistro area and the elevators and elevator lobbies. She opted for a thinner wear layer of Halle Cedar in the kitchens and bathrooms and some of the unit living room areas; Tela Canvas — with its woven-like design and authentic texture — was installed in the memory care wing.
“What’s really great about Parterre is that we can have the same wood look in our units that we do in the common area, and we can play with the wear layer,” Banko said. “But it’s the same look, and to the eye it looks continuous.”
Conclusion
New Haven at Little River opened its doors in January 2021, and offers seniors a sophisticated “beach house” home that provides a range of living and care services. Banko credits the project’s success to the high quality and design aesthetic of Parterre’s products coupled with the dependable relationship she has with her representative.
“Our Parterre rep knows the product inside and out,” she said. “We can talk openly on the front end about budget, cost and performance. There’s a trust level there with Parterre.”