Creating a Space of Their Own at LauraLynn

Some of the most meaningful projects begin with a simple conversation.

LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice, provides specialist hospice and palliative care to children with life-limiting conditions while also supporting their families. The work LauraLynn does every day makes an important difference to children and families across Ireland.

Through AVI-SPL Gives Back, employees support and volunteer in the communities where they live and work. In Ireland, this has included supporting food banks, cleaning local parks, fundraising and working with local charities and community organisations.

With LauraLynn located just 20 minutes from AVI-SPL’s Dublin office, the Ireland team reached out to ask how they could help. That first conversation eventually led to the creation of the Level Up Lounge, a welcoming space designed with teenage service users in mind.

How It All Began

Irma Karpaviciute, Marketing Manager, UK & Ireland, who helps organise local Gives Back initiatives, arranged a visit to LauraLynn with Eoin O’Riain, Operations Manager at LauraLynn.

The AVI-SPL Ireland team visited to learn more about LauraLynn’s work and understand where their experience could help. As they toured the hospice, the Rainbow Den stood out.

The room already contained gaming equipment and a simple setup with a display. However, it had not been designed specifically for teenagers. The setup was limited to one player at a time and no longer offered the comfortable, accessible and age-appropriate environment LauraLynn wanted to provide.

Listening to Teenage Service Users

Following the visit, Eoin and the LauraLynn team gathered feedback from the teenagers who used the room. They wanted somewhere comfortable to relax, spend time together, watch content and enjoy gaming.

The team set out to create a dedicated space for teenage service users, using their feedback as the foundation for the Level Up Lounge.

Bringing the Level Up Lounge to Life

In collaboration with Legrand, Sony, Peats Wholesale, Crestron and Square One, the AVI-SPL team explored how technology could support the experience LauraLynn wanted to create. The approach gave teenage service users more ways to enjoy the lounge and offered the LauraLynn team greater flexibility in how the space could be used.

The room itself was transformed by the Happy Space Collective, with the work coordinated by Leo Maher of Surface Wow. Colour, custom features and a gaming-inspired design helped define the Level Up Lounge’s identity. The existing ceiling-track hoist was also retained so the room could continue to accommodate young people with different mobility needs.

More Than a Lounge

When the team returned to LauraLynn after all the work had been completed, the difference was immediately clear. The room felt brighter, more comfortable and better suited to teenagers. The technology fitted naturally into the space and was straightforward for the LauraLynn team to use.

Most importantly, the Level Up Lounge now gives teenage service users a dedicated place of their own. The space supports how they want to spend time together, whether that means relaxing, gaming, watching content or simply switching off for a while.

Eoin O’Riain, Operations Manager at LauraLynn, reflected on what the completed Level Up Lounge has meant to the organisation and its young people.

“What has been most rewarding is seeing the Level Up Lounge become a space that feels right for the teenagers who use our services. We’re incredibly grateful to AVI-SPL and everyone who contributed their time, expertise and support to the project. It has been a real collaborative effort, and the finished room is something our young people can enjoy for years to come.”

Seeing how positively the lounge had been received made the project particularly special for everyone involved. LauraLynn listened to what teenage service users wanted, while AVI-SPL and its partners helped bring that vision to life.

Learn more about the children’s palliative care and support provided by LauraLynn. 

If you would like to support LauraLynn’s work, please visit the LauraLynn donation page.