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It wasn’t so long ago when my personal and business interest in design for aging in place would earn polite nods and a pat on the head from my friends and colleagues. Over time, I have studied the aging process, learned about design of kitchens and baths to enhance that experience, lived the aging process and benefited from those design concepts.

Now, as more than half of our country’s 75 million Baby Boomers have turned 50, including many great designers, we have all joined the aging-in-place design team.

TOP CLIENT REQUESTS

Rather than look at the basics, I’d like to comment on some of the top trends – those being requested by clients, not just those suggested by designers.

1. First off, although the link to the kitchen and bath is more global than specific, it seems worth mentioning that people are looking at ways to create a level entry and generally more open plans with more clear floor space for easier maneuvering. The newest international residential code allows for the change in level from garage to home to occur without a step, so in many cases this can be the level entry. In a current project, my office is working on a renovation that includes installation of a ramp from garage to kitchen to make transport of groceries easier, as requested by the client. It’s worth noting that while current access standards allow 1:12 for a slope on a ramp, there is a movement to decrease that slope, and if you wonder why, try propelling yourself up or down that pitch safely on wheels.

2. The ability to live on one floor is frequently cited as a reason to move from an existing home or to remodel. While many regional vernaculars include two-story designs, people are asking for plans that include a master suite on the main floor, so “upstairs” becomes guest or other flex space. This does impact the space available for and the orientation of the kitchen and the master bath, when all of this is being fitted onto one floor.

3. Easy maintenance is cited as a top priority, which is no surprise as we all know easy is good. However, it becomes a stronger trend when cited as a main reason for moving from an existing home (57%, according to an ASID Aging in Place Survey). After outdoor upkeep, the kitchen and the bath are the two areas most mentioned when looking for improvements. As designers of these spaces, we need to take this into account. Antibacterial materials and finishes, cleaner lines, appliances that report trouble back to the manufacturer, self-regulating ventilation or lighting – all the ways we can streamline the care of our spaces – become tipping points for our clients.

4. In the kitchen, fewer wall cabinets are key. Fortunately, design trends toward more open spaces and generous daylight have forced us to use fewer wall cabinets and the response is tremendous. At 5'5", I can reach no further than the front of the second shelf on a typical-height wall cabinet. With today’s accessories for drawer storage of those items traditionally stored in wall cabinets, plus the use of furniture pieces in the kitchen, people are beginning to let go of wall cabinets in exchange for storage within easy reach.

5. We are placing appliances at comfortable heights. I used to be a lonely voice encouraging splitting double ovens so each might be placed at a more accessible height, but today, clients are asking for them.

It’s interesting to note that while the original reasoning behind a raised dishwasher or right-height oven was for use by a person in a wheelchair, today it is more often a benefit to a standing person who would choose not to bend. Another caution: This is one of those Universal Design concepts that only works when it fits into the design. A raised dishwasher at the end of a generous counter stretch separating the kitchen views from the adjoining space might be great, but that same raised unit in the middle of a U-shaped kitchen would be all wrong.