Maggie's Principles: No Reception Desk, Just a Dining Table

The core rule of a cancer support center is "this is not a hospital": no reception desk, no registration counter, no signs. Upon entering, one sees a large dining table and a pot of hot water, where people can pour their own tea and decide whether or not to speak. The space is divided into several degrees of intimacy—an open kitchen, semi-enclosed corners, small rooms with doors that can be closed, and a spot with a view of the garden—allowing people to choose according to their mood of the day. The scale is closer to a residence than an institution, with no long corridors. Materials are warm, and furniture is not matching sets. Shot in natural daylight, with the dining table, kitchen, and outdoor greenery in the same frame. Avoid: setting up counters and number tags, appearance of medical signs, furniture arranged in matching sets, straight and lengthy corridors.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

癌症支持中心的核心規則是「這裡不是醫院」:沒有接待櫃檯、沒有掛號窗口、沒有指示牌,進門看見的是一張大餐桌與一壺熱水,人可以自己倒茶、自己決定要不要說話。空間分成幾種親密程度——開放的廚房、半圍合的角落、可以關門的小房間、以及一個看得見花園的位置——讓人依當天的心情自己選。尺度接近住宅而非機構,沒有長走廊。材質溫暖,家具不成套。日間自然光下拍攝,餐桌、廚房與窗外綠意同框。避免:設置櫃檯與號碼牌、出現醫療標示、家具成套排列、走廊筆直冗長。