In a Social Children’s Home (MECS), the walls are never neutral. They participate in the construction of an emotional climate, emotional security and the ability to find one’s bearings.
Our intervention was part of this vision: to make signage for MECS and wall decoration a real support tool.
MECS decoration designed as a place of home, not an institution
The main goal of this project was clear: that the children and their carers feel “at home”, together and safe.
Too often, host institutions can seem impersonal or institutional. Here, on the contrary, it was a question of breathing life, joy, colour and softness.
The MECS decoration did not have to be simply aesthetically pleasing. It was to be:
- reassuring,
- inclusive,
- joyful,
- legible,
- and profoundly human.
We worked hand in hand with the educational teams to imagine graphic universes adapted to the age of the children, their sensitivities and their needs for visual cues.
Our expertise in medico-social and educational environments allows us to design projects where mural art supports everyday life.
👉 https://metamorphoze.art/lieux/decoration-hopital-clinique-medico-social/
Large-format hand-drawn frescoes
Each wall decoration has been custom-made in the form of a hand-drawn fresco.
The line is voluntarily lively, expressive, never mechanical. This artisanal approach brings a strong human presence, essential in a childcare centre.
The frescoes depict:
- large-format children’s drawings,
- positive and universal symbols,
- soft and colorful shapes,
- scenes evoking friendship, play, protection and trust.
These graphic elements have been designed to stimulate the imagination, encourage positive projection and create a sense of belonging.
Children can recognize themselves within these walls, comment on them, become attached to them. The décor becomes an everyday companion.
Signage for MECS that is both legible and poetic
In addition to the frescoes, we designed a complete signage for MECS , integrated into the overall graphic universe.
The entrance signage, door markings, directional markers and pictograms have been designed to guide without ever rushing.
Entrance signage plays a fundamental role: it sets the tone, reassures from the first step and creates a benevolent atmosphere.
Door markings allow children to easily recognise spaces, memorize their surroundings and gain independence.
The words chosen are deliberately positive: encouragement, benevolent messages, simple and warm expressions.
This signage is not cold or administrative; It is humanizing, gentle, understandable and child-friendly.
Humanizing every space: from the entrance to the main staircase
Our intervention covered all the strategic areas of the MECS Caroline Koechlin:
the entrance, the lounges, the circulations, the doors and the main staircase.
The entrance has been designed as an airlock of benevolence.
The salons have become warm spaces, conducive to exchanges and rest.
The corridors are transformed into colourful paths, avoiding the monotony and anxiety of closed spaces.
The doors become reassuring visual landmarks.
The main staircase, often forgotten, becomes a narrative and playful axis.
Each zone has its own identity while maintaining overall coherence. The child does not lose himself: he finds his bearings, recognizes and appropriates himself.
Bright and soft colours: an emotional balance
The choice of colours was central to the success of the project.
We worked on a palette of bright colors and soft hues, to create an emotional balance: dynamic enough to bring joy, but never visually aggressive.
These colours dialogue with the existing or newly installed furniture.
The combination of wall decoration and furniture creates an enveloping, coherent and sustainable atmosphere.
Signage and decoration designed for autonomy
In an establishment welcoming children with varied backgrounds, the ability to find one’s way is essential.
Signage for MECS then becomes an educational and reassuring tool.
Pictograms, colours and visual symbols help children understand space without relying solely on reading.
Decoration is not just an embellishment: it supports autonomy, confidence and serenity.
A tailor-made approach, never standardized
Every fresco, every door marking, every element of entrance signage has been designed specifically for the MECS Caroline Koechlin.
No standard patterns, no impersonal reproductions.
This tailor-made approach guarantees a strong and unique identity, perfectly adapted to the place and its uses.
Our experience in educational and medico-social environments allows us to fine-tune our creations.
Among our references, we find similar projects of signage and tailor-made decoration for childcare facilities:
👉 https://metamorphoze.art/realisations/maison-benjamin-ime-sessad-signaletique-decoration-sur-mesure/
👉 https://metamorphoze.art/realisations/decoration-signaletique-mecs-ime-enfant/
Wall decoration as a tool for emotional protection
In a MECS, the visual environment plays an emotional protective role.
The children welcomed have sometimes experienced difficult situations; Offering a warm and safe environment is a major responsibility.
The frescoes, the kind words and the poetic signage help to create a sense of stability.
The place is no longer just an establishment: it becomes a visual refuge, a breathing space.
A project at the service of educational teams
This transformation also benefits professionals.
A pleasant environment promotes the quality of work, reduces visual fatigue and strengthens the sense of belonging.
The educational teams evolve in a more serene, brighter and more rewarding environment.
MECS decoration thus becomes a collective tool, beneficial to all those involved in the place.
A more human, more joyful, more readable MECS
With this project for MECS Caroline Koechlin, we wanted to demonstrate that signage for MECS and wall decoration can profoundly transform an establishment.
The hand-drawn frescoes, the entrance signage, the door markings and the colourful routes make up a coherent, warm and protective universe.
A project that puts the child back at the centre, values the teams and humanises each space.
A decoration that reassures.
Signage that guides gently.
A place that looks more like a home than an institution.
