FS Design Group Brings Expertise to New East Bay PACE Facility  

Designing for Senior Health and Wellness Requires Specialized Strategies 

FS Design Group, a leading San Diego-based interior planning and design firm specializing in commercial and medical office projects, leveraged its expertise to design a new proposed Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, center in Northern California. The center is expected to open its doors in early 2025.  

Located in Livermore, the center will be owned and operated by Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI), a nonprofit PACE provider whose mission is to support participants’ medical, social and nutritional needs in a compassionate and welcoming environment. In addition, FS Design Group is working with CEI on two additional proposed PACE centers in El Sobrante and Oakland, slated to open later in 2025. 

“FS Design Group is privileged to partner with CEI to create PACE centers that serve the needs of the area’s growing senior population,” said FS Design Group Principal Amy Tobia. “CEI’s PACE program provides comfortable, safe and beautiful places for seniors to stay active and receive the care they need while living independently at home.” 

CEI tasked FS Design Group to design a beautiful experience for its PACE participants, who should feel like they’ve entered a retreat when they come through the door, according to CEI President & CEO Maria Zamora. The serene, spa-like PACE center is a place for seniors to not only receive medical care and services, but to make friends and have fun, Zamora noted. 

“The work we do is almost like an extension of home. We don’t want it to feel like a clinic even though we partner with medical providers who have clinic space within the PACE center,” Zamora added. 

The designs for all three centers focus on “bringing the outside in.” For the center in Livermore, FS Design Group pulled inspiration from the rolling hills, vineyards and open spaces that surround it. With a palette of greens and earth tones, along with textures reminiscent of nature, the design team envisioned a PACE center that is both warm and rustic. Whimsical, creative touches include a glass film on some office spaces that transforms the glass into a field of tall grasses swaying slightly in the breeze and woven-looking light fixtures that infuse a natural vibe into the 23,000-square-foot center. 

“The FS Design Group team is easy to work with and amazingly intuitive. From the early conceptions to the finished product, the details, fabrics, finishes and, importantly, prices, everything was always right on the mark,” Zamora said. “It was like the designers could see inside my head and choose what I would have.” 

PACE centers and the services they offer vary by provider. All of them, including CEI, focus on senior health care and wellbeing. CEI’s PACE program, which already operates in five locations in Northern California’s East Bay, includes medical, dental and eye care; rehabilitation; nutrition; a gym; recreational and social activities; and transportation to and from the PACE facilities. A major goal of PACE is prevention of unnecessary use of hospital and nursing home care.  

According to recent census data, approximately 22% of Livermore citizens are 60 or older, highlighting the need for PACE services. The Public Policy Institute of California reports that, by 2030, the over-65 population in California will grow by four million people.  

FS Design Group is the go-to ​interior ​design firm for PACE facilities throughout California. In partnership with ​​​​Raymond Fox and Associates architects, the FS Design Group team has addressed and overcome the challenges inherent with creating the interior design for PACE facilities numerous times and with great success.  

For example, as a health care space, all the materials used in PACE facilities, from flooring to furniture to wall coverings, must be durable and easy to clean. There must be plenty of space for seniors with mobility issues, including those who use walkers or wheelchairs. The exam rooms, gyms and kitchens at these facilities must be functional, yet welcoming. Special attention must be paid to wayfinding, especially to help those experiencing cognitive decline.  

FS Design Group worked closely with general contractor Skyline Construction and​ Hoem & Associates​​​​​, which provided critical and exceptional ​installation of the ​flooring design.  

The PACE center is located at 2441 Constitution Dr., Livermore, Calif.