HOT OFF THE PRESS! WALL STREET JOURNAL’S OFF DUTY SECTION

“Talk about modifying a home for ‘aging in place’ and baby boomers recoil, in fear of mortality and, worse, ugliness. Now the design industry if filling this niche, stylishly”

Yes, this AIP trend is happening now. I am thrilled to be quoted in this wonderfully written and relevantly timely article in the Wall Street Journal, Off Duty section.

“Mitzi Beach, a CAPS designer in Wichita, Kan., and an expert in boomer lifestyle, points out that there are no Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) codes for residential properties, as there are for commercial properties. But one can fine AIP guidelines on the NAHB website, nahb.org, and can find CAPS designers there and through the American Society of Interior Designers (Asid.org)”

Read full article Here.

The saying better late than never surely fits the huge trend happening in the housing and design industry today.  The saying that is also relative to this merging AIP (Aging in Place) trend is  trends “follow the money” and there is certainly big money in this market in product and design.

WHAT HAS YOUR HOME DONE FOR YOU LATELY? 

I am loving all this AIP press for the pure reasoning that this trend just makes complete sense. Stated another way, why would homeowners not consider preparing their homes for their future wellbeing? With the current wave of new products on the market now and those yet to emerge, homeowners can live a safer, more ergonomic life in their homes without compromising stylish beauty or contemporary aesthetics.  As this article affirms, there is currently surfacing a new boast worthy AIP statement for homeowner status. Another plus to this trending movement is the advantage homeowners gain by living with more functional storage along with the ease of simpler living. Again, I ask, who wouldn’t want these features?

Mitzi’s award winning accessible first floor guest bathroom. Even without a 5’ turning radius, many with special needs have functioned easily in our guest bathroom due to 3’ door opening, curbless shower, grab bars, comfort height toilet, wall mounted open sink vanity, ample lighting, plus many more features. …Read More

Americans are needing and wanting to go on a shedding diet of unnecessary items that many believe are literally weighing them down in moving forward to a freer lifestyle. Add to this new dimension of design today is definitely incorporating the mantra of being and staying healthy resulting with many investing in designing their spaces to provide more for them. I predict that very soon homeowners will be demanding these elements in their homes that will deliver more than what has been acceptable in the past.

Sara Bliss, author, and Catherine Romano editor of Off Duty, did a beautiful job with this article. Below are a few excerpts from the article. Click here to read the full article.

When the Wall Street Journal recognizes this huge trend you know it is significant!

Excerpts from article:

“Does this look like an old folks home?”

“American baby boomers are reaching retirement age at a rate of 10,000 a day, according to AARP. But apparently they’d rather regale friends with apocryphal recollections of being at Woodstock than contemplate their own mortality and plan for their dotage, even though they risk paying dearly for such shortsightedness.”

“But it isn’t the cost that causes clients and builders to avoid the topic. After all, many AIP modifications, such as replacing knobs on cabinets, faucets and doors with pulls and levers, can be made without a major overhaul. Homeowners fear that AIP will look ugly and institutional. One glance at a bathroom grab bar and most of us can smell disinfectant and hear the squeak of nurses’ shoes.

But manufacturers like HEWI, Kohler, Delta Faucet Company, and Watermark Designs have made huge strides recently. “Over the last five years, we’ve seen the consumer and designer demand for more stylish aging-in-place options increase as more and more people choose to live in their homes longer,” said Judd Lord, senior director of industrial design for Delta. The company’s grab-bar offerings include angular modern versions and traditional metal styles that mimic turned-wood spindles, available in trendy finishes such as matte black and champagne bronze. Canada’s Invisia, dedicated to stylish, safe bathroom accessories, produces grab bars that encircle the soap dish or shower regulator in a vaguely nautical way, as well as supports discreetly integrated into toilet-roll holders and shampoo shelves.”

“Far from diminishing the value of a home, a worry some designers report, design for aging in place can actually entice buyers, said Diane Harris, former editor in chief of Money magazine and currently the editorial director of Considerable, a financial and lifestyle brand targeting people in their 50s and 60s.”

Bob and I both hope this article and my post will encourage many to reconsider preparing their homes for their future. Please let us know what we can do to help as we have done it with great satisfaction of our home in the design and the function for us. We wish this for you all too!  PS This is not our home, ha!

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