Safe and inspiring play area for children – Teknos participated in renewing a playroom in the Ronald McDonald House in Helsinki

Coating manufacturer Teknos participated in the renewal of a children’s playroom at the Ronald McDonald House in Helsinki, Finland, by donating the paints used for the space. The renewal was designed and coordinated by real estate agency Bo LKV. Altogether 14 companies participated in the renovation of the playroom.

The Ronald McDonald Househouse allows families of seriously ill children to live in homely and safe facilities near the New Children's Hospital in Helsinki. The comfortability of ill children's siblings is an important part of the daily life of the house. The RML house provides facilities for a total of 14 families.

Antimicrobial technology increases the safety of play areas

Fire safety and allergy-friendly surfaces were important factors in the design and material choices in the playroom. Functional paints were used to increase the antibacterial properties of the space. TIMANTTI® CLEAN was used for large wall surfaces and the versatile FUTURA® AQUA furniture paint for example, doors. The TIMANTTI® CLEAN selected for the wall surfaces contains antimicrobial technology based on silver phosphate glass, which protects the paint surface and prevents the presence and growth of microbial growth on the painted surface.

“These products are especially useful in spaces where surfaces are required to be well cleaned and resistant to mechanical wear. The products promote the functionality of the spaces in, for example, hospitals, kindergartens and schools, so they are also particularly suitable for the playroom,” says Tiia Roine, Marketing Manager at Teknos Oy.

Inspiration and joy from colours

Colours are known to affect mood, emotions, and the body. For example, the colour green has been studied to increase creativity. The yellow colour, on the other hand, has an uplifting effect on mood. Playing with colours was a key part of the playroom design. With the change, the space became a glowing place of light and energy for playing and being.

“Strong colours have been researched to appeal to children and the bold use of colours in the space was gratifying. In our products, we found the right tinted paints for this purpose, when yellow was chosen for the walls and green for the doors,” describes Tiia.

“Renewing the playroom was an important and very successful project for us. It has been a pleasure to watch the children get excited to play in the new room,” continues Johanna Huhtariihi, Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House.

Pictures: Bo LKV