Top 3 Aging-in-Place Design Ideas

Everyone hopes to one day find their dream home and to settle down in it for the rest of their lives. With a forever home, it is important to not only remodel it to suit your current lifestyle, but to also think about what might be essential for your future. For that reason, aging-in-place designs are beginning to become a common trend since people are starting to think about what design elements may be helpful during times of less mobility and strength, such as installing an elevator or a walk-in shower. This article is going to discuss three of the most popular design ideas to help plan for an aging-in-place home.

Elevator

Do you ever go to the grocery store and then dread having to bring your groceries inside the house, and then climb all the way up the stairs until you’re in the kitchen? An elevator installation may seem like an overly extravagant home remodeling detail, but if it helps you with your overall wellness of life then it’s a well-deserved feature. This is especially true in the case of planning for your forever home, an elevator may be helpful to have as a design detail in the case that you need your home to be wheelchair accessible, or to make it easier to transport items.

Organizational Storage

Storage organization may not be the first thing you think of for an aging-in-place design, but it is vital. A pantry, or an organized closet space is always an essential for any home to keep tidy. Most often, the first thing on a majority of people’s remodeling wish list is to maximize the amount of storage they have in their kitchen, and the best way to do that is by having a big pantry. By adding sufficient pantry and cabinetry storage, it helps to reduce the amount of clutter in your kitchen and the possibility of cans or boxes on the floor that may be tripping hazards in the future. Similarly, the same can be said for adding sufficient closet storage to reduce clothing
and shoes laying around laying around throughout your home that could possibly be hazardous as well.

Walk-in Shower

Not only are walk-in showers a luxurious design addition to any home, but they are also a great feature to have in your forever home. Walk-in showers provide accessibility in various ways from including a bench sit so that you can sit down in the shower, to having a handheld shower faucet. With the future in mind, one key detail to remember when installing your walk-in shower is to try to have a smooth difference of height with the flooring outside the shower and with stepping into the shower. If the tile height difference is too big, it could be a serious tripping hazard. Not all aging-in-place design ideas have to be items that will only be helpful for you in the future, they can also just be luxury features until you truly need them.

Although there are many aging-in-design ideas for homes, the most popular elements include an elevator, designated storage spaces, and a walk-in shower or bathtub. By planning for the future, you can have parts of your house benefit you now, as well as your overall wellness of life in the future. If you are thinking about remodeling your home, consider reaching out to Baine Contracting, Inc. to help you make your own dream space.

By Shannon Johnstone at Baine Contracting, Inc.