Manning Design Group, Inc., recently relocated from Raleigh, N.C., to Gloucester County. President Lynne Bohon Manning said she moved her business here to be closer to relatives.
Manning said the business, which is now based at Abingdon Square, Hayes, specializes in interior design services for the health care industry, including hospitals, assisted living facilities and physician offices. Some of her larger jobs include design for a new South Carolina hospital, Conway Medical Center, and a major expansion for the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina.
“We want to create a healing environment,” Manning said of the special considerations taken for health care facilities, and recommend acoustics and different types of wall and furniture fabrics that can be readily cleaned and replaced because of constant use such as in hospital emergency rooms.
In addition, Manning does interior design for other businesses, such as recent design work for a York County defense contractor.
Manning said that she has clients throughout the nation, who draw on her professional expertise to design the layout for their facilities. She takes into account many factors, such as lighting and acoustics, when coming up with an interior design. The actual construction of buildings and interior improvements such as painting, artwork and plants, are handled by other companies.
Manning is currently assisted by Kenny Stump of Newport News, an interior designer, and Jennifer Griffin of Gloucester, administrative assistant/office manager. They use an assortment of computerized methods to provide full construction drawings and 3-D modeling.
Manning has been in the health care design field for 30 years; she previously worked for national architectural firms in Raleigh and Charlotte.
Originally from Suffolk, Manning is a graduate of Norfolk Academy and earned a bachelor’s design at Virginia Tech.
She and her husband, Art, a self-employed civil engineer and general contractor, reside at White Marsh.