5 Age-Friendly Design Tips To Future Proof Your Next Home Renovation
There are major considerations that need to be accounted for whenever you do home renovations but perhaps one of the overlooked details is its convenience and safety for people across the age spectrum. Generally speaking, a home should be age-adaptive, mobility-friendly, and future-proof; this makes sure that all needs of each family member are accounted for especially by those who need or will need extra support in the years to come while still looking elegant and high-end. Designing a sanctuary that truly lasts needs to be inclusive for everyone and can adjust for people who would need to live comfortably in their later years. In essence, an inclusive home design is a design that speaks of safety, support, and overall well-being. In this blog post, we outline five age-friendly design tips you should consider in your next home renovation.
1. Be strategic when using contrasting colours to aid safe movement across spaces.
People who experience vision impairment will need extra help in navigating the space. Similar to the experience as we age, our vision and perception of depth also change. Prescription glasses may work for those who may use them but in some cases, setting your home to have contrasting colors in high-movement areas is a must and should also be present in your home furniture! For example, inside the bathroom, you may opt for a color of a tile that contrasts well with your toilet and sink. This helps in distinguishing depth to anyone using the bathroom.
The same idea applies in indicating a drop in height on the stairs through the use of contrasting colored tiles or tile finishes. Be selective when to use contrasting colours. When people have vision impairment, they may think that a flat area with a strip of color is a step. Additionally, floors should not have massive contrasting colour changes because of the variations that come with the perception of depth and can become a trip hazard. Guide lights at staircases and steps can also aid in easier navigation at night.
In terms of furniture, having a contrasting color lining at the edge of the chair may aid in guiding these individuals to be safely seated. Another tip that you can implement as well is to have a contrasting color for your tiles against the color of your chair or any other furniture. This aids in the color perception of individuals and makes it easier for them to settle in nicely on their seats. A special note that comes with age is that some people by that time may face difficulties in identifying colours. Some people lose the ability to see green and red, so designs can avoid these colours in particular as the main colours in a colour palette.
2. Keep rooms naturally well-lit and aided by lamps and ceiling lights as needed.
Future-proofing your home means letting light in and adding light wherever it is needed. Adequate lighting is a must no matter the age but highly recommended especially if you need help in navigating spaces. Let natural light in through your windows during daytime and support corridors and rooms with enough lighting that gives a sense of security in walking across rooms and spaces with night lights at night time. This also makes everything easier to see and identify, preventing handling and consumption accidents from happening.
Knowing where to put artificial lighting fixtures helps people inside the sanctuary find their way and gives them a better understanding of the built environment around them. However, make sure to look over for glare especially from strong sunlight. Make sure there are no pieces of glass or any reflective material that may strongly reflect against people’s eyes as these may negatively affect their eyesight.
Adding lighting fixtures in reading areas and even in workspaces should also be prioritised. Care to adjust lighting during meals that help with ambiance and mood? Have an adjustable light that works well in accordance with the comfort you and your family want during your meals, addressing your needs in making eating more enjoyable and making food more pleasing to eat. An additional tip that is often overlooked is to have lighting as well in your wardrobe. This may be assisted with an automatic function that makes the light turn on as you open your wardrobe. The night light is also very important that may easily ease the walkways without completely disturbing the sleep cycle. On the other hand, keep your entrance doors well-lit—this will save you time in finding the keys for your door.
What lighting does in the whole experience of your built environment is this: light helps the spatial perception of people living in the built environment extend its help more than the basic function of providing light but addressing the needs of the individual based on their lifestyle and behavior inside their space. Read More…
