Members of the Hamilton Hospital board of trustees had a chance to review the interior design plans for the new hospital building during a special meeting Tuesday night.

Erica Larson, a designer with Pope Architects showed the board drawings of several of the interior public areas. She also had samples of most of the tile, carpet, wall coverings and wood casing materials.

"We want to create a natural, warm comforting space while tying in materials used on the exterior of the building," Larson told the board.

The main entrance and lobby area will feature vaulted ceilings that will soar to about 20 feet in height at the entry doors and slope down to 14 feet. A beige ceramic tile will run the entire length of the main corridor. Tile and stonework along the outside wall will be featured as patients and visitors enter the lobby.

Dark natural cherry wood will be used around the check-in desks and visitor's information desk. Larson said a transaction height counter, about 42" inches high, will be installed at the check-in counter, as well as a lower height counter for those in wheelchairs or who need to be seated.

The designer explained that a variety of lighting would be used throughout the public spaces to create warm and inviting areas. In addition to the natural light from the many windows and skylights near the entrances to clinical areas, lobby and waiting room areas will feature inset soft lighting from a floating wood-trimmed soffit.

The meditation room/chapel, a 20 by 25-foot room just off the solarium, will have flexible seating that could be used in several different configurations, Larson said. Stonework will wrap around two walls, continuing the feel of the exterior stone. A softly muted carpet will help enhance the quiet and calm of the room, Larson added.

Patient rooms will have tiled bathrooms and will feature large oval mirrors over the sinks, while the cabinetry and casing work will be a bamboo laminate. A softly patterned cubicle curtain will separate the patient area from the in-room nurse's area, she explained.

The flooring in the patient rooms will be linoleum, she added. Linoleum will be used throughout the hospital in many areas. She said that material was selected for its durability and easy care. A rubber floor material will be used in the operating suites and other areas that require sterile environments. One unique flooring material, cork, will be used in the gift shop area, Larson said.

The hospital board will meet again Thursday at 7 p.m. for a public hearing on the plans and specifications for the new hospital, and to hopefully award the first bids for excavating, concrete and steel work.