Great design is about understanding the “why” and delivering it in three dimensions.

I strive to create places where people can healthfully and happily live their best lives. With over 25 years of experience working in the design industry, I specialize in senior living, long term care, healthcare, multifamily, and health & wellness design. I am passionate about developing innovative ways to warm spaces that are often cold. I begin with learning about and understanding the people who will live and work in the space, and translate that into a design that supports, encourages, engages, and welcomes every resident, patient, visitor and care partner. I create spatial and sensory relationships that feel familiar, not just in how the spaces are shaped and how people will move through them, but also by using echoes of local vernacular to help unconsciously connect memory to new environments.

My portfolio includes complex projects in luxury independent living, assisted living, memory and dementia care, complex care, spa design, and geriatric behavioral health environments in the United States and Canada.

I’m a Board-Certified Healthcare Interior Designer (CHID) with the AAHID, and an Eden Associate. I serve on the Board of the non-profit German-Canadian Benevolent Society, whose mission is to provide quality long-term care and support for seniors in British Columbia. I am a guest lecturer for Senior Living Design at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, a mentor for BCIT and Northern Arizona University students, and an award juror for the IDIBC and the IIDA. I am also a member of the BC Care Providers Association, the International Council on Active Aging, the Canadian Association on Gerontology, and SAGE. I have been recently appointed to the Board of Directors at the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) the national advocacy association for the interior design profession, and the International Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC).

My Sectors: Senior Living, Healthcare & Workplace.

My Services: Interior Design & Facilities Planning.

We asked, Christine Craik answered:

What makes a great design?

“Understanding the “why” and delivering it in three dimensions. A great design supports and reflects the people who use the space. Our job as designers is to draw out of our clients what they need and want, when sometimes they’re not sure of it themselves. When their environment is shaped in a way that brings out the best in a person, that’s the ideal design. It supports, enhances, revitalizes and inspires people.”

How would you describe your collaboration style?

“This is a team-oriented, highly collaborative profession. I want everyone on my team to fully understand the mission behind the project we’re working on. When everyone knows exactly where we’re going, we get there faster and more efficiently. I celebrate brainstorming and encourage my teams to share all ideas. We riff off one another and sometimes the most brilliant ideas emerge from a compilation of impossibilities. Challenges must excite you, not frustrate you. I like challenges—they’re like puzzles to solve. They spur invention.”