New Facility to Expand Langeland Family Funeral Homes

Sunday, May 23, 2004, marks the grand opening of Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, a fresh, contemporary structure in Oshtemo Township, Michigan, a suburb of Kalamazoo. The 11,000 square foot facility has a beautiful exterior with precast concrete columns and wire cut brick, giving a distinctive appearance to the funeral home. A single car porte cochere leads families and guests directly into the central lobby. For a dramatic entrance, the lobby ceiling is barrel vaulted with continuous cove lighting throughout the area, with a large cast stone fireplace centrally located, creating an inviting environment. The owners wanted the funeral home to have a large, open space, so designers J. Stuart Todd, Inc. placed the chapel at the opposite side of the central lobby from the entrance. Seating 185 people, the chapel maintains the same barrel vaulted ceiling and continuous cove lighting, with glass doors fitted to the arch of the ceiling, giving a seamless look to the two separate areas.

The Westside Chapel has two staterooms with moveable walls, allowing the room size to vary if extra area is needed. A spacious public lounge is accessible from the staterooms, making large visitations easy to accommodate. Also, an outside exit leading directly to an exterior patio adds an airy dimension to the public lounge, creating a peaceful environment for families and guests.

For a change in marketing, the accessory merchandising items are placed in the public halls. There is still a merchandising room for the caskets, but the smaller inventory items are placed throughout the hallways of the funeral home, allowing other guests to see items they might not be aware of when attending a visitation or service. JST Interiors, created the interior design of the Westside Chapel, giving the entire area a warm and comfortable atmosphere by using soft yellows accented with greens and autumn reds.