Interior decoration

COA Leiden: colour and character on every door

Colourful door graphics give the corridors a distinct identity

Illustrations of Dutch cities, nature and sport make individual doors recognisable and bring colour to the COA reception centre in Leiden.

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The story behind this project

Distinctive details along a long corridor

At the COA location in Leiden, BlinkOut was asked to consider graphics for doors and columns. The spaces needed more individual identity. A site visit provided an opportunity to discuss the requirements and available surfaces.

The design focused on recognition: each door receives a distinctive image while the corridor remains visually coherent. Illustrations introduce colour and variety alongside the white doors and long sightlines.

Three themes within a coherent scheme

The door graphics draw on Dutch cities, nature and landscapes, and sport and play. The themes were deliberately mixed across the floors, rather than assigning one theme to each level. This creates variety and gives individual doors their own visual reference.

City silhouettes, animals, landscapes and sporting figures are adapted to narrow graphic strips. They give a door a distinct appearance without covering its entire surface. The photographs show how the colours also feature around seating areas and corridor junctions.

Green nature illustrations give individual doors a distinct appearance.

Long corridor with different illustrations beside the room doors.

Graphics tailored to narrow interior surfaces

A wide illustration cannot simply be reduced to a narrow strip. It needs a new composition that keeps the key motif recognisable. Artwork and dimensions were therefore considered together.

Film with a matt laminate was ordered for the additional colour strips. The matt finish suits an interior where graphics are seen from different directions. Film and adhesive also need to suit the substrate; checking adhesion and applying the material carefully remain important for wall and door decoration.

A welcoming appearance with a practical purpose

The graphics make the corridors less visually repetitive and provide distinct reference points. The design aims to help people recognise their room and give the interior a positive appearance.

Would you like to bring more identity to a care, education or accommodation setting? BlinkOut can help with the concept, imagery and appropriate interior film.