Now on view in Stamford Art Association, the 42nd Faber Birrin National Color Show. Kristen has one piece on view in this exhibit, Color Study in Gray. The Stamford Art Association has been presenting this exhibit every year since 1980. On their website, they describe the inspiration for the show. “The exhibit honors Faber Birren, […]
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Looking at the analytics for this blog, it’s easy to see that you all love color, trends, and textile design as much as we do. All our most-read posts fall into one of these categories. As we plan out our editorial calendar for next year, we will definitely be devoting a lot of space to […]
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2022 is winding down, so we’re planning out 2023. As we plan the editorial calendar for next year, we like to look back at our most-read blog posts to know what you’re reading and sharing. It’s interesting to learn that our most popular blog posts are often about color, trends, and textile terms. We’ll keep […]
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You’re invited to check out the newest feature of the Design Pool website, our new mapping library for interior designers to use in 3D modeling. The inspiration for this feature came from talking to designers at NeoCon and BDNY. Through those conversations, we learned it is difficult to find patterns in seamless repeat to use […]
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It’s time to round up the 2023 Colors of the Year. This year we’re looking at the major paint companies and, of course, Pantone. Why see them all in one place? As we move from one year into the next, color trends tell us a lot about the mood of a particular moment, like a […]
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As one year winds down, we get to work planning for the next. But before we get started planning the editorial calendar for 2023, we want to hear from you. As a blog reader, you’re invited to take our survey and tell us what you think! Our goal for this blog is to be informative […]
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This holiday season, we hope you shop from local entrepreneurs and small businesses, whether online or in person. And when you do, don’t forget about our sister store Domanda Design which we launched in the fall of 2020. It features a variety of home and lifestyle items available with your favorite Design Pool patterns. All […]
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As we unpack from the last of our 2022 trade shows, we always tack stock of what we learned at each show. This year, Design Pool exhibited at NeoCon for the second year. In addition, we also exhibited at Boutique Design Magazine’s BDNY. Whenever we exhibit at a show, we’re there for two reasons. First, […]
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This month at BDNY in New York City, we introduced the hospitality community to Design Pool. This was our last big event of 2022, and it felt great to be back in New York, talking with old friends and colleagues and meeting new people. As we always do at the shows, we also took time […]
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On Thursday, November 3, 2022, Design Pool joined Paul Designs Project and Formed in submitting a garment to the IIDA New England Fashion Show. “The most unconventional show in Boston,” the event serves as a time for the interior design community to flex their creative muscles while mingling and networking. The theme of this year’s […]
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If you’re planning on heading to BDNY in New York City, be sure to use our promo code when you register to get a free pass to BDNY 2022. Kristen Dettoni and Kristin Crane will both be in Booth #1679 to tell you all about how you can use Design Pool as a resource in […]
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We are so excited to invite you to join us at the IIDA New England Fashion Show! Design Pool has partnered with Paul Lewandowski of Paul Designs Project to create two garments to compete in this year’s fashion show. IIDA New England describes the event as “The most unconventional show in Boston” and serves as […]
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The countdown is on for BDNY! Kristen Dettoni and Kristin Crane will both be in the booth at BDNY 2022 to tell you all about how you can use Design Pool as a resource in your next hospitality project. Whether you’re designing a restaurant or hotel, you can customize details and get the perfect pattern […]
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Hospitality was hit hard by the global pandemic. Like restaurants, hotels were forced to adapt quickly and make big changes in how they operate. As we all settle into a new normal, many of the changes hotels had to make are permanent expectations from guests. These expectations are leading some of the interior design trends […]
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Design Pool’s Kristen Dettoni and Kristin Crane are excited to be a part of Common Thread: A Fiber Arts Show. Presented by Geneva Center for the Arts, this exhibit highlights the work of eight east coast artists working in fiber. The gallery describes the show as an exhibition focused “on diverse fiber-based work, inspired by […]
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Fall has arrived, and it seems like everyone is putting the beach chairs away and getting back into the work groove. If it’s been a while since you last looked through our pattern libraries, you’re in for a treat. Over the past couple of months, we’ve added a lot of new patterns to our licensable […]
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Did you know that Design Pool contributes a monthly article to Wide-format Impressions? It’s true. Since September 2021, Design Pool has been writing regularly for their blog. All of our posts focus on printers and the opportunities available to them to grow their businesses in the interior design market. Our goal is to educate printers […]
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Are you registered to view our proprietary library? If not, you might want to sign up today to view our new Natura Collection. In this collection, we want to bring the outdoors inside, particularly into healthcare interiors. There has been a lot of research into the physical and mental health benefits of nature. Today, interior […]
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Textile design is a complex, fascinating, and ancient field of study. Every human on this planet is intimately involved with textiles, yet very few people consider textiles much at all. For thousands of years, all over the world, textiles protected us, comforted us, and gave us a way to communicate information about ourselves with the […]
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In 2020, the pandemic through a massive wrench into the hospitality industry. Many restaurants had to pivot quickly just to keep their doors open and their staff employed. Restauranteurs adapted to the demands of outdoor dining, social distancing, and increased take-out. For many, the changes they made as a way to survive have become permanent […]
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There is a reason classic argyle socks have become a favorite for wearing and gifting alike. This pattern stands the test of time, has wide-reaching appeal and has an exciting history. While we don’t have any traditional versions in our licensable library, we have several patterns inspired by this classic. These translate well in residential […]
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One of the challenges, and opportunities, in healthcare design, is that more and more people are using healthcare facilities. The population is aging, people’s health is improving and they are living longer, and our healthcare system has become more accessible to traditionally underserved populations. More people put more demands on our healthcare workers and facilities. […]
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Twice a year, we spend time poring over the latest runway shots of designers’ collections. Why? Because fashion plays a huge role in setting trends for industries way beyond the runways. Trending colors may not always make their way directly into residential or commercial interiors. Yet, being aware of what is happening in fashion gives […]
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We are excited to inform you about three exhibits this fall featuring the original art by Design Pool’s founder, Kristen Dettoni, and Director of Marketing Kristin Crane. If you are local to Rhode Island or Geneva, Illinois, we hope you’ll stop in to view one of these shows or attend an opening. Text Pawtucket Arts […]
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Digital printers partner with Design Pool for a range of reasons. Usually, they are looking to expand their business into new markets and are looking for a resource to help them grow quickly. We are set up to help printers grow their businesses in two ways. First, we funnel requests from interior designers through our […]
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Design Pool partners with digital printers to make on-demand, low-waste manufacturing accessible to the commercial interior design community. Our printers have the capacity to print on a wide range of different substrates and offer a range of options. Currently, we work with eight digital printers, and that number keeps growing. Our number one priority is […]
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Design Pool has two libraries of pattern designs, each with its own unique group of patterns. Most of our patterns are in the licensable library. These designs are available to license, not purchase. Design Pool owns the rights to the designs, and different printers have access to the same pool of designs. There are over […]
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When discussing the hottest trends in outdoor living, Japandi kept popping up. Japandi isn’t brand new. It’s a trend that has been gaining popularity inside for the last couple of years. Recently, it’s starting to migrate outside into our outdoor spaces. So, what exactly is it? Japandi is a cross between Scandinavian and Japanese […]
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During the summer of 2020, people invested heavily in their outdoor spaces. With nowhere else to go, people nested and made their outdoor spaces feel comfortable, functional, and fun. Two summers later, people are enjoying their rejuvenated outdoor spaces and are continuing to make improvements. Our outdoor spaces have become about more than just spending […]
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Over the past few months, we have been working on a series of blog posts to help you navigate the Design Pool website more easily. We’re calling it the Design Pool Toolkit. All posts tagged Toolkit focus on our most frequently asked questions. In addition, we also have posts on features you may not know […]
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For designers, our work speaks through color. On its own, the language of color can sometimes be confusing. So too can the language of printing that color. When printing, printers apply color to a surface in two different ways. A printer either uses spot color or process color. Neither process is superior; they’re just different. […]
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Textile and pattern designers often throw down a term that seems counterintuitive, plain fabric. When we say plain fabric, we’re referring to a material with minimal patterning and usually solid or tonal in color. If we’re being honest, nothing about fabric or pattern is ever plain at all! Look closely at even the most unassuming […]
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Though Design Pool is primarily a licensable pattern library, we occasionally do custom design work to create original patterns. When do we do custom work? Our custom work usually falls into two categories. First, sometimes our pattern library just does not have the perfect design. We try to have something for everyone, but sometimes a […]
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Save the date! Design Pool is heading to BDNY in New York City this fall. If you’ve never been before, BDNY (Boutique Design New York) describes itself as “Creativity, Curated. Set in the cultural capital of New York City, BDNY connects hospitality leaders and designers with exceptional vendors, insider experiences, and hospitality products not found […]
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Trends impact every aspect of our lives. At Design Pool, we are endlessly fascinated by them and their impact on the culture at large. Yet, as the speed of our daily lives has gotten faster, trends seem to be cycling faster too. It got us thinking, how much energy do we need to put into […]
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At Design Pool we like to say that we’re more than just another image library. We took the idea of a pattern library a step further and partnered with digital printers. We refer to each printer as a Design Pool partner. Our goal is to make on-demand technology accessible to the interior design community. This […]
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This July, Kristen will be speaking at Wide-format Summit. This exclusive, invitation-only, relationship-building event takes place July 25 – 27, 2022, at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The event is presented by Wide-format Impressions and Printing United Alliance, both part of NAPCO Media. The summit’s main goal is to give senior […]
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The Handweavers Guild of America is hosting Convergence, its International Fiber Arts Conference, in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 15 – 21, 2022. Convergence 2022 is an event hosted every other year full of workshops, lectures, tours, exhibits, competitions, and more. It is also a place for the fiber arts community to come together. Attendees build community while […]
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Walking the floors of theMART at NeoCon, we are keeping our eyes peeled for overarching trends in the industry. This year we saw four major trends: Acoustics, Biophilia, Transparency in Manufacturing, and the Experiential Office. In addition, we also pay attention to what colors are trending. For NeoCon color trends this year, we saw a […]
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NeoCon 2022 was a vibrant and fun show. After the quiet halls of 2021, it was a welcome and energizing change of pace. Though we spent a lot of time in Booth 7–3050, we did manage to escape to the other floors of theMART to do some trendspotting at NeoCon. What did we see trendspotting […]
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Summer is officially here, NeoCon 2022 is officially over. We all deserve a little downtime, right? As I stare down the huge pile of books begging to be read, I’m thinking back to a few favorites that have been inspiring the Design Pool team lately. In unique ways, each of these five books offered a […]
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That’s a wrap on NeoCon 2022 and it was a productive 3 days for Design Pool. Our team loved introducing Design Pool to interior designers, architects, and students in the commercial interior industry. We are thrilled to let you know our work was recognized by Interior Design Magazine. First, Interior Design named Invisible Threads a […]
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At NeoCon 2021, Design Pool unveiled The Cryptology Collection. Even though it was our first time exhibiting at NeoCon, this collection made an impression. Two groups in the collection were named Interior Design Magazine HiP Award honorees and our Knowledge is Power group was a HiP Award winner. Metropolis Magazine named the Radio Waves group […]
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Like any discipline, color has a language. To work with color confidently, it is helpful to learn that language. Thankfully, it’s not complicated. Knowing a handful of basic color terms is all you need to understand what people are saying about color. A firm understanding of these terms will help in both working with color […]
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It’s almost time for NeoCon! You can find Design Pool at NeoCon on the seventh floor of theMART in Booth 7–3050. The Basics Dates: June 13 – 15, 2022Time: Monday and Tuesday 9 AM – 5 PM, Wednesday 9 AM – 3 PM Location: theMART in Downtown ChicagoOur Booth: On the 7th Floor, Booth 7–3050 […]
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Chroma Imaging became a Design Pool partner in early 2021 to offer Design Pool users an option for printing on a wide range of different products, such as wood and acrylic. Based in Herndon, Virginia, with another location in Kissimmee, Florida, Chroma Imaging is a design and production company. They specialize in large format printing […]
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Image Craft became a Design Pool partner in the spring of 2021. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Image Craft is nationally recognized for its design, production, and execution of visual communications, with a focus on environmental graphics. Image Craft is our partner for printing sound-absorbing wallcoverings and acoustical panels. These panels are perfect for permanent or […]
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Ceiling Scenes became a Design Pool partner in 2022 to offer our users printed ceiling options. Based in Warren, Michigan, Ceiling Scenes prints two different types of ceiling tiles, light lens tiles and acoustic tiles. The light lens tiles offer an interior designer the opportunity to transform a space visually while illuminating a design element. […]
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KwickScreen has been a Design Pool partner since we launched in 2019. According to KwickScreen, their privacy screen “products are designed to help improve infection control in partnership with hospitals around the world. Established over 12 years ago, we are used by every NHS trust in the UK and over 200 hospitals in the USA.” […]
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Ceiling Scenes became a Design Pool partner in 2022 to offer our users an option for printing on ceiling tiles. Based in Warren, Michigan, Ceiling Scenes prints two different types of ceiling tiles, light lens tiles and acoustic tiles. These tiles offer an interior designer the opportunity to transform a space visually while softening noise […]
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When designing digitally, there are two main types of image files designers work with: vector and raster. For any designer working digitally, deciding between vector vs. raster first considers how the files will be used. But first, what’s the difference? Vector vs. Raster Vector According to Adobe, “Vector files are images that are built by […]
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Color Reflections became a Design Pool partner in early 2021 to offer Design Pool users an option for printing window films. They are a family-based company with six offices across the country including two in Florida, and ones in Georgia, Texas, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. A grand format digital imaging and printing company, they have wide-ranging […]
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Color Reflections became a Design Pool partner in early 2021 to offer Design Pool users an option for printing custom wallpaper and wallcovering. They are a family-based company with six offices across the country including two in Florida, and ones in Georgia, Texas, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. A grand format digital imaging and printing company, they […]
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We are excited to introduce Design Pool’s newest printing partner Ceiling Scenes. Based in Warren, Michigan, Ceiling Scenes is a state-of-the-art print facility specializing in ceiling tiles. They have built their business around printing high-resolution original photography and custom artwork. They have even partnered with National Geographic to bring stunning nature scenes into their offering! […]
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The Design Pool Proprietary Library continues to expand with more patterns and new designers, A few weeks ago we added the Swatch Collection, and this week we added String Art, In this collection, there are six different patterns, each with its own colorline. String Art Collection The String Art Collection was named after the genre […]
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Each pattern in the Design Pool licensable and proprietary libraries come with a full colorline with a variety of color options. On average, our colorlines have five different colorways to choose from. Occasionally, there are up to ten colors. Though we do our best to have options for everyone, we understand we can’t create every […]
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We created the Invisible Threads collection out of an urge to bring embroidered textiles into interiors where they can’t usually be. It may sound strange that a type of fabric can’t be used in a room, but materials used in interiors need to pass different tests to be deemed serviceable in different kinds of interiors. […]
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Our new Invisible Threads collection makes its debut at NeoCon 2022. However, Design Pool followers can get a peek at the collection early! The collection consists of ten original patterns, all designed by Kristen Dettoni. The collection was inspired by a Chinese proverb that reads, “An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, […]
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People who don’t work with textiles are usually surprised to learn that the inspiration for the computer was actually a loom. Invented in Lyon, France, by Joseph Marie Jacquard, the machine Jacquard developed used horizontally placed needles to sense the presence or absence of holes in a card. This told the loom whether to raise […]
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In 1965, Anni Albers was already thinking about how humans were losing touch with materiality. In her essay Tactile Sensibility (found in her book On Weaving), she writes, “Our materials come to us already ground and chipped and crushed and powdered and mixed and sliced, so that only the finale in the long sequence of […]
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I worked in the textile industry for many years as a designer, but it was always on the residential side. While our big trade shows were in High Point, North Carolina, I was always jealous of the contract designers who got to go to Chicago. NeoCon seemed fun, hip, and in a big city. Finally, […]
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NeoCon 2022 starts June 13th! We have gone to NeoCon for many years as an attendee and eventually as an exhibitor. It is absolutely one of our favorite shows. If this is your first time, that’s so exciting! We highly recommend doing some prep work before you arrive so you’re well prepared. With a little […]
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Kristen Dettoni founded Design Pool out of genuine concern for the sheer amount of waste generated in the traditional textile industry. Early in her career, she worked in mills where she witnessed the massive amount of material destined for the landfill. And that was just in the design and development process alone. She often wondered, […]
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NeoCon is one of the most important events in the commercial interiors industry. Since launching in 1969, it has brought together designers, architects, manufacturers, students, and end-users all under one roof. This year’s event is taking place June 13 – 15 at theMART in Chicago. Anyone who has been to NeoCon before knows this is a […]
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This month in the Design Pool Proprietary Library we’re introducing a new group of patterns, the Swatch Collection. In this collection, there are sixteen different patterns, each with its own colorline. All geometric in nature, these patterns are modern with unexpected traditional touches. The Inspiration for the Swatch Collection. At any given moment in time, […]
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“An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.” Chinese Proverb Who are the invisible threads running through your life, stretching and tangling, but never breaking? Who are the people whose paths have crossed yours and provided […]
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Chroma Imaging became a Design Pool partner in early 2021. Once we got talking with their CEO and co=founder Felix Wijaya, we realized they can print a wide range of different types of products. Based in Herndon, Virginia, with another location in Kissimmee, Florida, Chroma Imaging is a design and production company. They specialize in […]
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Aga Artka is an interior designer who believes every business has a story to tell. Her passion for branding mixes with her work as an interior designer in her projects. The result is interiors that fully tell her client’s story. Recently, she completed a large-scale project designing Badger State Lofts in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Their goal […]
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We throw around the words customize and customization a lot around here when we talk about how much we love sustainable print-on-demand technology. In the three years we’ve been operating, we’ve learned that customizing sometimes carries negative connotations. Customizing sounds exciting but also overwhelming. If you can have anything, where do you even start? Design […]
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VividBoard, part of the GMI Companies group, specializes in making custom whiteboards and glassboards used in healthcare environments. Based in Ohio, Vividboard can print any pattern from the Design Pool licensable library on any of the products they offer. All of their products are designed to give caregivers, patients, and their families the best experience […]
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