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Age Related Design

So this is that idea of designing for aging in place again, we're not going to get really, really deep into this like we talked about sat with sally, but just touching on some of these ideas and there's people that air have entire design practices just related to the idea of age related design for and this really applies to the elderly and some of these things there, too, to be mindful of even for children as well, but just a few things to remind ourselves or to know that there are more elderly people today than at any other time in history. So twelve point nine percent of the population is considered l elderly right now is why this is such a big concern for so many people, and we're living a lot longer because of advances in medicine, which is what this this so we have to think about that whole aging process a lot more than we used to think about it if we're living to be well into our eighties and nineties, and sometimes people are even living longer than that. Baby boomers are fuelin...

g the growth of this whole category because there's over eighty one point five million baby boomers in the population today, so thinking about how many people that isthe with regard to this whole category of aging in place eighty one point five million people is a lot of people and it's really a growing trend because aging in place means ensuring that people as we've said a couple of times get to continue living in their own homes where in the past people were uh really not able to do that because they didn't have the ability the accessibility to things that allow them to stay in their home longer they weren't making good design decisions that allowed them to do that and now we're able to think about a lot of these things and add, um elements to our home and design um solutions to our home that allow us to age in place so if you're of a certain age or you have an older family member here's a few things to consider nonskid flooring and being really careful with rugs um if you're gonna have carpeting low pile carpeting not layering those rugs like we were talking about that could be a tripping hazard, you know and my mom's even very young you all met baby she's a very young grandmother, but she has back issues and a lot of people in america do and so sometimes it's hard for her to lift her like her fetus as much as other people who until catch yourself tripping on drugs so it's not necessarily that we're talking about people who are in their eighties we're talking about people even in their fifties and sixties that air starting to age and and your vision changes and just being able to navigate flooring changes and step over rugs and things, you know, other health conditions that we're dealing with, it might impact things as simple as what kind of flooring is also thinking about handrails, whether it's, the balustrades we were talking about yesterday or putting railing into the, um, the shower and bathrooms and other areas that you're going to need to get up off of, you know, thinking about standing up and sitting down and moving around in the house as faras showers go thinking about those walk in showers like we were looking at yesterday, and even ones that are totally flush walk in without even a step to step into is even better where it's, just a no transition from the floor of the bathroom and straight into the shower also think about seating that is really too low or too high. So yesterday we were talking about the bed not being too high, but also thinking about those really deep sofas we were talking about that you lean into and I have a hard time getting out of or things that are really, really love some of the more modern bed designs that our platform beds or so low it's hard to get in and out of those at night. So just some things to be mindful of if you're purchasing furniture that you're going to use as you age or that you're thinking it for a guest bedroom and you're gonna have all different ages of people using those spaces also being able to increase the lighting for this reason I love to use dimmers on most of the lighting in a home if I can and also layering the lighting to have lamp lighting so that you can have that ambien relaxed um, atmosphere, but if you need to turn on over headlining, then you have that ability so that you can see I mean, even as we you know, all of us are starting to just in your forties, you start aging a little bit with your eyes and being able to tell if your shoes are the same color your songs from the same color you know, that's just the first little taste of how lighting can really impact the things that you do every single day on a regular bases and then also thinking about that master suite or the most of the primary living spaces on the first floor of a home if you have several floors of your home could be really important to be ableto age in place and handles or levers as your door knobs as opposed to round knob, so they become really hard to open also for children handles I mean lever handles are much easier to use than a round knob that's really hard tto hold onto so let's take a look at it for a moment out on pinterest at a few designs that are great for aging in place and some of these air just good design solutions in general. So one of the things to think about that so simple is just using natural lighting because it's such great lighting for reading spaces and really taking advantage of natural light in your space. It's, healthy and it's great for visibility. I like these kitchen cabinets that have universal design in mind so as opposed to putting things up high in the cabinets that air hard for people to reach, all of the dishes are down and drawers, as are all of the cooking utensils and products. So a lot of these are things that we would typically put up in cabinets that become a little more difficult to reach and it's great to put them down at a level that are easy to access. I mean, even depending on what kind of dishes you're talking about if their kid friendly plates in that great if you had plates and things that your children were going to use in drawers so that they could get them themselves because otherwise it's like my daughter, you come in and she's climbed up onto the kitchen counter and it's a miracle that she hasn't fallen off and broken her arm or something tragic like that. But this is just a smart way to bring things down to a level that's much easier to access so it's very healthy. This is an interesting and more unique way to think about a grab bar, so this is a grab bar that's around the soap dish, and it doesn't look like those hideous old grab bars that looks so institutional and like you're in a hospital, right? So there's clever ways that people are coming up with designs for things that allow you to get in out of the tub without having to have something that's so utilitarian, utilitarian and unattractive. And if there isn't something that you're wanting in that within that realm, someone is always willing to make it for you. For the most part, um, here's, a unique way we have seen this in closets without a season, clothing that you can pull down, but this is an interesting way to access upper shelves in a cabinet, so it has a little bar at the bottom and you pull it down and you can get to all the things that air up high. Isn't that neat? And I'm not gonna wait till I'm a tio okay, good. Yes, I mean that that's what I said some of these are things that just make life more simple anyway, right that the war drives to country just saying in the closets a lot of times they have where you can pull your wardrobe closet where you could pull the handle down and have a whole rack of out of season close. There are things that you put up high um especially right short if you're sure it's a great, eh? So this isn't just for a certain age it's also for a certain height way saw this and the children yesterday in the way of bathrooms, but even in kitchens just built in step stools, this what kind of work is another solution to what we were just seeing two getting too shelving that was up high. If you had a, uh, step stool built into your kitchen, you have to have a little bit taller niece are tokic, but it wouldn't be that hard to put that into your home. You could think about it and plan for it so really creative things in the in the whole idea of aging in place is to not make us feel the baby boomers are very um how do we say this nicely, huh? Self centered and you know, wait we lovely love vanity in america now for sure but just baby boomers in general love things to be beautiful they don't want to feel like they're old and you're only as young as you feel and so they're really the first generation that have championed that idea of being able to live with dignity and with style until you're any age at home and so the whole idea of aging in place is too live beautifully and not feel like your elderly not feeling like your a different class of citizens because you happen to be of a certain age but that you can have glamour and style and function that allow youto asian place so that's kind of the whole idea behind this movement of things being beautiful and functional and working for you of course the generation xers really are coming into that mean late middle age now are middle aged at least that they're the next generation that's almost coming up to the old age exactly dario as well yes very much so and so none of us want to fill old none of us want to feel like okay we've moved past a certain age there are house has to be you know again like a hospital ward we wanted to be beautiful we wanted to have all the things we need there too is that what can shovel looks fabulous this note on the farm you're now the other side right here no going that well, so pretty that looks amazing so isn't that beautiful? And you just walk into it possible? I don't know if it's from both sides of from either side really, really pretty, so that has a lot of things going there it's probably has a green element with the potentially bamboo or maybe teke in the flooring, but it could be bamboo so it could be green. It definitely has that meditation kind of spa thing going, and it also is the aging in place category because you could just walk into the to the shower without any change in heights, so really pretty so as you prepare for changing life stages in the home that you're in, if you're going to do anything, invest in bathroom renovations or kitchen renovations, this would be the time to start thinking of how do I age gracefully beautifully with style in my home not feel like I'm old not feel like you know and and one step away from the rest home, but being able to continue living my life the way I always have but just with a few tools that make it a little easier for me to function in my house, I think it's a wonderful thing and many of these again can help us all on a regular basis there not just as we age okay, so on and all of those were there on the pinterest board, and we can't possibly go back to him if we have more time in a moment, any questions or comments or thoughts on any of the screen design or yoga or meditation spaces, healthy rooms, workout rooms or aging in place that we want to talk about before we have any recommendations as faras carpeting or rugs that are really low vo ces so that's a very big concerns that we've had before with the kids and the cat is, you know, whatever carpeting we get if we have any at all, we don't want it to have chemicals. One of the things I like to use that would actually probably workin your space well for kids pits and the open floor plan that you have are the floor f, l o r squares and so their carpet tiles, and I don't know if every single one of their products is is eco friendly, but I think they may be, and at least a lot of them are lovie acy and and all recycled materials and the cool thing about them and I've had this in some of our other courses when I've shown clever ways to live and work with with children and pets, is that? You can create a rug shaped by just laying the tiles down, and then if there's a stain on one of them or something happens, then you just replace one tile and it allows it's really that idea of modular too, because it allows you to get us bigger a small issue need thio any order on in boxes and you could keep a few extras. Ah, and then you're able to switch him out and they also happen to be ico friendly. So I really like to use those, and I use them a lot as installed carpeting for the whole room for children, but also for area rugs for family spaces and homes with pits. So check that out and then there. And if you just search the web, you can find a lot of green products these days with a lot of great companies. So there are other rugs that are definitely in that category. We have one comment I do want to read out, but it's not necessarily on topic. It's from bb charon, bb just said hi, sally jacobs said, I'm loving the telecast I was wish I was there with you. We wish you were here to baby baby, we do, we should wait here. It's not the same with that she was going to say hi tuned in and I would like to have my daughter know that I am not in the aging population back I knew she was watching so I made sure to say she was a very very young mother not in the category of aging hard to believe she is a grandmother on and she's now alison has transitioned from san francisco back home and now she's hanging out with baby today so they're watching a ce live today is well it's a nice day and thank you for that shout out to mama okay so let's go back and look at let's look at quiet spaces which is our next area so a lot of us need this I don't know about show but I definitely want a quiet space in my home what the only room in the house that doesn't have one of my husband's eight large televisions is going to be my quiet space but they definitely bring a healthier environment to your home so they could be for meditation that could be for sleep they could just be for a reading or hanging out arresting that just a break from all the overstimulation that we constantly have how many of you in this room sleep with your found next to the bed so we're all guilty on then and and that's really supposedly just like working from your bed one of the biggest that no knows that you shouldn't do for a healthy house and for a healthy mind but I'm guilty of both of this thing the same thing use it is my alarm clock but not supposedly a good move eso sleeping in a quiet soon at least seventy five percent of us they were not getting enough sleep at night how many of you here think you're not getting enough sleep at night so that's probably seventy five percent of the room right um and then having a quiet place to rest or sleep functions as that real key to good health I know I just heard a great lecture in november by arianna huffington and I think she just came out with a book in the last few days that's about thriving and she has an entire philosophy on sleep and how she really changed her health with sleep so really interested to read that but but I know it has a huge impact on everything from our blood pressure or wait, you know, lots of other things being a safe driver there's lots of things that are impacted by not having enough sleep um you shouldn't shouldn't have no sleep and tweet either, right? Jake mayo you could really have some, um some scary things go out into the twitter universe if you haven't had enough sleep keys to a calm room that we want to think about trying tranquil wall colors so we talked about that in the color class, but those colors that make you feel relaxed and serene blues and greens and things on the cool side of the color palette the right temperature in your space. Um so for most of that of us that's, pretty cool or even layering in blankets and other things you know, what's comfortable for you for a quiet zone, no electronics, if at all possible. So this is a space without televisions, without maybe music or something like that, possibly, but not the distractions from television and phones and twitter and facebook and all of these things that distract us all the time. Light blocking window treatments so that's just a matter of layering in another layer in your window treatments if their custom made it's easy toe have someone put black outlining as an additional layer in the window treatment so that it can get really dark in that space. Dimmable lamps are overhead lighting so again, I love to put dimmers on every light switch if I can. People think this is a great expense that can add some expense to your home, but I think the payoff with what you could do with being able to control the light is really worth it for me, so on my list of non negotiables is, uh, dimmable light switches and then appropriate pillows mattresses um blankets all the things that you know allow you to really relax in this space oh, keeping the pits out I don't know about that I like my pit my pet harley is so quiet she can come into the quiet room but certainly is he is not allowed in the quiet space and she's a little terror so I think it's more about just going into his own that you can really relax and you know, not be distracted by anything else so just it's really along the lines of the idea of why meditation is so healthy for you so just the idea of clearing the mind from all those distractions so that let's take a look at a few quiet spaces on pinterest so some of these do align with the idea of like a meditation room almost um love this quiet space I think I could just lay there for hours um without any distractions with no television for sure I love the having the indoors out but then maybe having that option for controlling the light would be great here too this is the idea of just having a lot of surfaces that phil real cozy and almost cocoon e dark wall color plush rug dark dry paree so away to really just go into that quiet zone and insulate yourself from the outside world for at least a period of time interesting tip on this did you know that flocked wallpaper can also block sound so the old flocked wallpaper that has texture in it so uh this is one called dryden flock wallpaper which you can find online but the idea that you thought was very maybe, you know sixties that you're my grandmother had flocked wallpaper in her house I happen to love it, but it has an actual functional purpose um and just oh, this is hilarious. This is just since fighters no longer allowed in the bid you can give him his own little quiet space somewhere else in the house he gets his own own little uh well, darn there we go his own little quiet room and it's a and it's also green and sustainable because we've re used a little trunk there and made side of his own little quiet space. Isn't that funny? Um so any thoughts about this? How many of you have a quiet zone in your house? No one anybody want this space in their house want you want a quiet space? I love the dry free on the bed here too. I love this idea. Some people make it the bathroom that night there was a whole train were people would sad I need a battering that's goingto but gina's in and I just want to feel like I'm in a hey, wait, mom it's one of the only places that you can actually go and get away from people like I need. I just need a little time in the bathroom. And you're in there, like in a lotus pose. Meditating in the bathroom? Yeah, s oh, yeah, that that was a trend. Tohave that, like the one we saw a little bit ago, that walk in shower that had a varies in feeling to that very much beautiful s so any thoughts on any of these spaces and about the flock wallpaper you're saying is that I think it's the same in australia that that's just called indian restaurant we'll pay for in britain. I remember you saying that on one of the other courses whatever reason they were always decorated it. We had because we had the florence broadhurst revival way had the hole now it's really trendy and it's the club always become tonto was always a long time. Yeah, the indian recipe is always a very dark burgundy color as well. It was very impressive. Black. I'm so just yes, so that at any time, if you wait, I love this let's. Look at this space I love the idea of a secret secret quiet room. So this would be really fun if no one knew you were there including your family and you could just go in there if you're the designer of the home you could just build this secret space but no one knew was there and you have to wait until everyone like was asleep at night and sneak in there on a weekend when they're thinking about shopping and you're actually in the quiet in the secret quiet room love that one okay, so um let's go head back out to our power point and think of just a few other um I think we may know that it's our last day so we get to now go to our room challenges unless we have any other questions. So what are your thoughts on this idea of some of these healthy spaces any of you interested in any part of this? Yes. Um well I don't know not for her I probably can't create that in my limited space now, but I absolutely believe that your home is your sanctuary is where you recharge and your bedroom within that is where you recharge and replenish your energy and sleep. And so I think I'll taylor put my energies it's award creating us a spot like our sanctuary like bedroom that which kind of incorporate some of these things just because that's that's really where you recharged to then get out there and face the world better the next day I agree so what about function way is that of interest any of you do you love it those principles or thoughts maybe I think it's interesting I'm not sure how for us renters where rules are orientations already configured but certainly there's principles in there I think they're even maybe some information or books on how to do use function way when it's not your forever home and things that are the more you know mirrors and furnishings and color palettes and things that you can do to bring these principles in plants and water about leslie I realized as we were talking about the quiet room that I shared with you that photo of my living room who basically the big long room and I think that's what we've been trying to make that room because we took the tv out of that room we didn't want a tv in there we are using it mostly for a play and then for sitting and reading and now I'm starting to think of that room is not so much like a traditional living room but actually a big gigantic quiet room um and so I think that gives me some different directions to start thinking about how to arrange the elements in the room for that well and I love that based around the concept of this entire class and we're even gonna have a section tomorrow about exactly that idea of just rethinking your spaces altogether and not having to use them in a traditional way on so I love that you're already sort of throwing out the rules and saying I know most people would use this as a living room but for my family in this space we really want to use this as the quiet sit in the quiet place so I think that's really great I'm glad that you've had that sort of epiphany about that space so anything else coming to mind? Aaron that's just joined us thank you for joining us so I have a very tiny apartment I live in a studio puts really four hundred fifty square feet so I have a lot of spaces where I have tio they have teo be several different functions in one so I do center my bed in the middle of the room um but I don't think I could have a headboard that would definitely chop out the space but that the function is very interesting I think it's very interesting to and there's so much to learn and again I've studied I've taken a couple of courses in and I've also taking taking this online continuing education and and it's just barely even tipping the iceberg what all there is to learn but there's amazing resource is and books out there that can help you with that I think I like also thie idea I have a walk in closet so maybe I like the idea of having like a rug in there maybe making a beautiful walk in closet where you'd want to sit in there for a while I've seen some funds examples of little meditation spaces also within like a closet or a bathroom or little spaces like that just carved out when people have small homes or no place to get away even little closets turned into a little zin spots within the house which is kind of fun to think about um so any of us planning on any of us uh I'm talking to myself that with iphones planning on getting rid of those for mixed to the bed any time saying yes and put it across the room so then you've to get up to turn it off that's what? I'm just weak fortunately in the hotel room there isn't a plug in right next to the bed so I've had it across the room and it does have slept really well here because I use it is the alarm clock but I'm not waking up in in the middle of the night and looking at it are getting sucked into some you know something ridiculous like opening facebook or seeing if anybody sent me an email at two in the morning no like snoozes case on I think my husband would love that I would actually get up on the first alarm not the seventeenth time that I hit snooze right