10 Happy Home Paradise hospital ideas to keep your villagers healthy

Making a hospital in Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise
(Image credit: Nintendo / Reddit (Weast12))

When it comes to Happy Home Paradise Hospital ideas, it’s easy to just fall into a rut of what a hospital is supposed to look like and then recreate that. But of course, the sheer variety of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise furniture library means that once you’ve added the necessary items to your waiting room, examination room, and (120,000 Poki) patient ward, there are hundreds of ways to make them truly unique. Here we’ve gathered 10 of the most inspired hospital creations from the community to give you a steer when it comes to fuelling your own Happy Home Paradise Hospital ideas. Happy building! 

1. Add a coffee shop

i_love_how_my_hospital_turned_out_but_hate_how from r/AnimalCrossing

Sitting uncomfortable in a hospital waiting room is bad enough but having to drink sad tea or coffee from a vending machine is even worse. Follow Reddit’s Ms_Fyre’s example then and sate your villagers’ thirst by adding a cafe with a proper coffee machine to your waiting room. This is a perfect second chance to use all the delicious food items from the cafe and restaurant, and you can even use the hanging LED signs for menus. Just don’t make it so tasty and appealing that no-one bothers going in for the appointment that they arrived for.    

2.  Make a children’s hospital  

as_someone_who_works_in_a_pediatric_hospital_i from r/AnimalCrossing

Hospitals can be intimidating places for all of us but especially children. Baa__ on Reddit has solved that with this brilliant inviting paediatric wing. You can see the full tour on the link but combining the bright window walls with plenty of stuffed animals, giant starpieces, and colourful ceiling hangings, transforms the cold clinical nature of the hospital into something welcoming. Changing the colours of the hospital furniture really makes a difference and there’s even Coraline playing on the overhead screen to give everyone something fun (if slightly creepy) to watch. 

3. No bones about it

my_hospital_with_preitem_20_because_my_sis from r/AnimalCrossing

If we were going to trust anyone to build a functioning X-Ray department, it would be a real doctor. Dragonadetinta on Reddit has crafted a functioning radiography examination room. They’ve used Animal Crossing’s server units for image processing, added a lab for those all-important results, and there’s even a break and sleeping area for staff. Extra points for using one of the fossils as a handy skull guide. We just won’t discuss how medically accurate it is. Although when Coco comes in, we’re not sure how medically accurate she’ll be either…  

4. Think welcoming

hospitals_always_held_bad_memories_for_me_so_i from r/AnimalCrossing

Sure, there are specific walls and floors that Happy Home Paradise suggests for your hospital but that doesn’t mean you have to follow them. Kayoncr on Reddit isn’t the biggest fan of hospitals so created something the opposite of clinical. The use of the bamboo walls and Japanese screens create a much more peaceful atmosphere and the customised medical cabinets look much more inviting in this space. Plus, the use of the hanging lights are miles away from the aggressive strip lighting of real life hospitals.  

5. Keep the kids entertained

my_hospitals_waiting_room from r/AnimalCrossing

Your waiting room is a vital part of your Happy Home Paradise hospital so it’s important to keep everyone entertained. Fix those memories of dreadful doctor’s toy boxes of your youth by taking some tips from FluffyCreativeSoul19 on Reddit who has added one of the four seasonal train sets. They’ve also customised some colourful Gyroids to make things even more fun. Although if you already have a headache, we’re not sure how helpful a selection of the noisy critters might be. Let’s just hope you get seen quickly by the Doc…  

6.  Make the most of partitions  

jupiter_general_hospital from r/AnimalCrossing

We never thought we’d be the ones saying that in game partitions are game changers, but really, they’re game changers. As illustrated so perfectly by Reddit’s Weast12, partitions mean that you can make even the biggest spaces look pristine and organised. What’s equally pleasing about this design too is the use of curtains as dividers between the beds, as well as a central reception area to make the whole room seem truly functional. Add in the grassy rug and some well-placed healing plants and we really wouldn’t mind a night or two in here. 

7. Exit through the gift shop

dont_forget_to_put_a_gift_shop_in_your_hospital from r/AnimalCrossing

It’s important to note that when we think about a hospital gift shop, we’re not thinking ‘I went to the Happy Home Paradise Hospital and all I got was this lousy mug.’ Like Reddit’s CaptainToad94 we’re more in favour of nice things to take in to patients when you visit. Here CaptainToad94 has used the new plant display case to great effect and the customised plaza balloon wagon is perfect for cheering up dreary hospital rooms. You’ll just have to have unlocked your full furniture library by completing Happy Home Paradise to be able to head back in and use your items purchased with Nook Miles. 

8. Think about… space  

i_made_a_scifi_lab_alien_experimentation_hospital from r/AnimalCrossing

Who needs to stay on terra firma when you can design your hospital as a colourful sci-fi dream? Ant0niamihaela on Reddit has created an atmospheric space-themed hospital packed with strange science and bright lights. OK, we’re not saying the DANGER signs and faceless astronaut costumes are particularly relaxing… but this is such an imaginative design. Even if it might be more suited to removing xenomorphs from sternums instead of fixing the odd sore knee or runny nose. And hey, everyone wants to know what happens when you press that big red button.  

9. Add a water feature

my_new_hospital_ra798436110821 from r/AnimalCrossing

It’s easy to forget that some of the items intended for outside use can really change a room when you bring it in. Reddit’s VitalyOrion has introduced the shell fountain to the waiting room to add some peaceful vibes. It also means you won’t need to add relaxing water noises in the soundscapes menu. There’s also a great use of the vertical wall space here with storage reaching all the way to the ceiling in a way that makes the room feel truly useful.   

10. Run for the Hills

as_a_silent_hill_fan_i_should_not_be_allowed_to from r/AnimalCrossing

And finally, there are a lot of terrifying hospital builds out there but Redditor Conscience-killer takes our scariest trophy for the horrifying atmosphere of this Silent Hill inspired creation. The secret here is that on the surface it has everything you need; beds.. curtains… fans. But the flooring has a grate, and that green hued lighting tells us that we have fully wandered into a world of twisted, twitching nurses and cracking static. It’s probably for the best that we don’t see our poor vacationing villagers trying to work  here. Is scaring really caring? 

Louise Blain

Louise Blain is a journalist and broadcaster specialising in gaming, technology, and entertainment. She is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s monthly Sound of Gaming show and has a weekly consumer tech slot on BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be found on BBC Radio 4, BBC Five Live, Netflix UK's YouTube Channel, and on The Evolution of Horror podcast. As well as her work on GamesRadar, Louise writes for NME, T3, and TechRadar. When she’s not working, you can probably find her watching horror movies or playing an Assassin’s Creed game and getting distracted by Photo Mode.