Designing For Aging In Place | #29

speaker-0: Okay, so I guess in summary, in good way, like this aging in place, it's not just about the later in life. It's about designing intentionally with the future in mind.

speaker-1: Yeah. And honestly, this is something we do as designers already. And sometimes, you know, we think about it in the sense of, your kids are toddlers right now, but they're going to be, before you know it, they'll be in middle school and into high school. And so you're kind of thinking of this longevity of your immediate family. But now it's like this deeper level of, well, what about when I get old? to Return on Design, the podcast where beauty meets strategy. and interiors become assets that perform. I'm your host, Rachel Niederhofer, designer, investor, and builder of high impact spaces that deliver real results. Alongside my husband, I run both a design firm and a real estate investment company where I live at the intersection of creativity and ROI every day. Each week, I'll be unpacking what most people overlook, how strategic design decisions can grow your investment, elevate your lifestyle, and unlock the full potential of your property. You'll get real tools, proven strategies, and unfiltered conversations with industry experts who are doing it right. So if you're ready to invest with purpose and leverage design as a powerful tool, this podcast is for you. More people today are asking different questions about their home than you might actually think. Instead of just looking at current needs, people are really wanting to understand, you know, what is this gonna do for me in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years? And this is a real shift that is happening. And that's exactly what we wanna talk to you about today. So welcome back. I am Rachel.

speaker-0: And I'm Justin. And today we're talking about the major shift and focus in housing right now. And that is aging in place and what that is, what it means.

speaker-1: And specifically design, how design plays a role around this new focus concept, real philosophy of how can we invest in the longevity of these assets that we're buying or building and how design is having to, you know, design for these, think about it and really think about the future.

speaker-0: And also how the designing with these things in mind can impact your future return on your design. So with that, let's jump in here and what is aging in place?

speaker-1: Definitely. mean, aging in place is pretty much what it sounds like. It's the concept of somebody being able to gracefully age, get older as their life changes, their physical needs change, and their house be equipped to actually support that progression of age. And that can be, you know, the owner specifically. Let's say you're 55 and You know, you're thinking about, well, when I'm 70 or 75, what's my life going to look like? And how can this how can I prepare for this to support my life then? you know, so accessibility, livability, the safety, the ability to actually stay where you are and grow into the space.

speaker-0: Yeah, and what's interesting is this isn't just, you know, solely limited to, you know, some of the older generation that's looking at long term living and being with her, but it's also impacting some of the younger generations. So why is designing with this aging in place so important right now? You know, and why is it important to so many different.

speaker-1: people. Great question. Like I said, people want to be able to stay in their homes. We're kind of on this cusp, this generational shift that, you know, the boomers are starting to get out of the workforce more and they don't necessarily want to live in a retirement facility. They want to have the comfort and accessibility of their independence. And, you know, that matters in terms of having a ⁓ space that can actually support their lifestyle, whether it's assisted or fully independent.

speaker-0: And even trying to get into some of those assisted living, but the demand is so high right now and it's only getting higher, but the availability of those spots are, are, are limited, you know, and the cost associated with it too, that, you know, you're some of those, it's actually a mortgage payment.

speaker-1: Yes, that's what I was going to say. The cost is that's a huge factor for so many people is, you got you hit this level of retirement or yeah, I mean, retirement aging and people have not prepared for the financial impact of that. And it's an incredible hardship on people. So as people are becoming more aware of this, you know, there is this drive to like there's got to be another way. that is shifting, that is influencing that shift that we're seeing unfold. And people also want stability and that matters as well.

speaker-0: Yeah, but and with that, too, it's like, some of the, you know, these people are living longer lives. It's great. We're healthier. We're stronger. We're we're living longer. But there's still a reality of we age and, you know, sometimes we do need some help. But so am I designing my place now as, know, a little bit in the younger generation of this? You know, do I need to design in with the thought of, you know, my parents or your parents and and Do they need to have a space that they can be here if they needed that?

speaker-1: You know? Yeah. And we're even seeing this shift in the building, like new construction aspect, especially in the luxury space where people are building and planning for these in-law suites for exactly what you're talking about. This aging in place concept where instead of sending mom or dad to, you know, a senior facility, you're already prepared to bring them in and have them close to you and still have the independence.

speaker-0: That level of independence, they're not just kind of thrown into the middle of everything with everybody, but they have their space. They have their ability to be on their own and do what they want. But yet it's still very much capable for them. And as they age and as things, as they get older, you you can make simple changes to still accommodate what needs to have. So. All right, so with that, what is designing with Aging in Place or supporting that Aging in Place actually look like? What is designing with that?

speaker-1: I mean, it's really about making intelligent design decisions initially. It's not just about accessibility, like one might think. Some practical examples is like making sure if you do have stairs in your house, the primary living or the accessible space is going to be on the main level where you can access the kitchen and come in and out freely. If you are not in a situation where a ranch style or one story level is reality, then planning for an elevator or an easy way to accommodate going, know, avoiding a flight of stairs. This can be increased walkways. So wider oversized doors in terms of wider doors than you would see in like a standard. This is going to help prepare for somebody that might have to have a walker or a wheelchair and these are things that you want to do early on, even if you don't need it today. In the future, if you need it, like, you know, you're not having to reframe doors, which is expensive showers, shower accessibility, you know, not having a threshold. So the threshold would represent like some type of a step or elevation change versus we want it to be one level that flows all the way through that. Again, you could take a wheelchair and a walker and anything that could be accessible in the future. And that doesn't mean that it has, it can't be aesthetically very pleasing. You can still have a very beautiful aesthetic with tile that's still safe and all of that. But I want to mention.

speaker-0: I was going to get into that with you in a second on the materials because I want to design the space and I want it to be usable but I don't want it to feel like it's a hospital or that clinical type field.

speaker-1: to it. And another thing that from a design perspective that you really have to prepare for with senior living is the physical needs like we've kind of touched on. So if you if you are doing a shower, maybe you need a grab bar, but you don't or you could need a grab bar, but we don't need it today. Well, we could put the internal infrastructure in there that if we have to add it in 10 years or 15 years, we're already anchored in place within the framing to be able to support that type of mechanism coming. And so these are planning things that you can prepare for in the future. And the same is true with lighting. Yeah. As people age, you know, their vision changes. So it matters about having certain areas well lit, not casting certain shadows, even carpet color matters. You don't typically want dark color. on the floor that can affect their depth perception. And so there's all these little things that you, if you're not talking about it and having the conversation and identifying these future needs of lovability, like you could easily overlook.

speaker-0: You know, there's a point in that too. It's planning for some of this stuff now is going to prevent a lot of costly changes in the future. Like you mentioned the grab bar and in the shower, if that might be something that's necessary, having the bracing put into the walls as we're building the shower the first time makes it a whole lot easier and a whole lot less expensive in the future. yeah, five, 10 years, 20 years to just add the grab bar than to have to tear it all out and make sure that, we have the structural support to handle this.

speaker-1: Yeah, and I like in a situation like that, you know, you you make sure that whoever's executing the project, you have like detailed plans of exactly where those locations are so that, you know, when you do come back to add it, it's it's same process. Yeah. But that's just a couple of things, you know, unfortunately, older people tend to fall a lot. material selections can be really important also.

speaker-0: your tile that's not so slippery, you know, it has a little bit more of a non-slip surface or finish to it. It's not as slick, you know.

speaker-1: Yeah. Those are just a couple of examples that, you know, people can think about. mean, I know there's so many listeners who can probably think like, I'm this is my mom. Like, this is exactly what we're talking about. You know, she's independent right now. But in seven years, I don't know, we're getting kind of close and like start thinking about if this is going to affect your life, how you can approach.

speaker-0: And when you're doing this, when this design with Aging in Place in Mind is done right and done well, it's not just improving the home for everybody, but it's improving the home for your future needs. And so that leads me into how does designing with this in mind, how does it actually increase your return on

speaker-1: design. Yeah, I mean, well, return on design is really a holistic approach to the interior design process. So we're focused on the financial return, the experiential return and the emotional return. So just for our audience, a little refresher on what I mean when I say return on design. It's a layered approach to making sure all that you're investing in your design is actually going to benefit you in those three primary categories. But we've kind of already dabbled a little bit into the financial return, right? Like if we're doing a renovation project or a new construction project, we can plan these things into our financial budget allocation and make sure we're minimizing future risk of having to redo, undo, fix things that can be very costly, like tile. or reframing doors or we can't just easily open up a hallway without modifying walls.

speaker-0: So with that, you're kind of going into the longevity of the design and how it is set to last, not just now, but in that future.

speaker-1: Yeah, yeah. And then of course the experience, right? How somebody who is aging in place is going to be able to experience this. It's going to feel more natural and more of a graceful transition versus, you know,

speaker-0: that I don't want to come over and you mom's always griping about, I just can't get down this hallway. It's just so tight. You know, we've already designed it to be wider. So it's, it just feels normal and it's not as much of a burden.

speaker-1: Yeah. Yeah. And that really affects your experience and the emotional effect, you know, because we've talked about this stability and the desire that we're seeing an increase of people are wanting to stay in their home. Like they're they're wanting that independence in a different way. And so, yeah, it affects their ⁓ success on being able to do that. The emotional aspects that come with that and just again, making it worth that initial investment because in the long run, it's saving heartache and time and money.

speaker-0: And I think too, by adding to it as well, for part of your, I guess your financial, to go back to some of that, but by having this done in place now, know, there's, there may come the day where, okay, we have to sell the house. Well, because a lot of this is already pre-planned and pre-done and has that in mind for this aging in place, your future buyer, you've actually just opened it up, opened up your market to more people who can actually see themselves doing the same thing.

speaker-1: Well, and just to add to that, as investors, know, we've looked at properties that people have inherited that their elderly parents lived in and there was no age in place strategy. It was kind of a, no, we don't have enough room. And then they redesigned this house that makes no sense for anybody. And unfortunately, it affects their the inheritance that they're getting, right? Like this asset. the valuation is not quite there versus if you approach it from a pre-design situation where it can, accommodate all of these extended features of elderly livability, but it can also accommodate just an everyday person.

speaker-0: Okay, so you've on this and I'm really glad you did that. But when is the right time to start actually thinking and planning and designing with this in mind?

speaker-1: I mean, that's a good question. I think you could break that down into demographic of age life. But if I'm being honest, as culturally we're all becoming more aware of this need and it's affecting the design industry so much, the designers are already shifting their planning needs around this. But if you find yourself in a situation where you're potentially going to move or you have understood like I'm settling in this place and maybe I just want to renovate. So it doesn't really matter if you're 40, 50, 60, like there's never too early of a time to like really think about these things and how they could be affecting you. Because more and more people are becoming aware with the need to, you know, build a home that's really going to last for them. People are more becoming more cautious around interest rates and relocation. and all the things that add complexity, that there is this simplicity of like, you know what, I love this area. This is the acquaint little place and this is where I want to settle down. So if you're feeling like that, it's probably a good time to start really evaluating from that longer term perspective of like, OK, what is this place going to look like in 10 years or 15 years and how if I'm going to be investing in money and my my property today, you know, I can't ignore that reality of. Is it actually going to still add value for me in 10 years, 15 years? And that's really an individual analysis because everyone's life is so different. But I if I answered that.

speaker-0: I think you did. I don't think there's necessarily a wrong time to start thinking about it. But thinking about it sooner rather than later is always better. Yeah. Trying to understand what are your plans? What are your goals? And where are you going with this property? Is it an investment? it my forever? Or am I planning that, hey, yeah, there's a good chance we could move mom in here and I need to be ready for that. Yeah. Or even today, I mean, it could be grandma that I know my grandma that I'm moving in here. Yeah. Again, with the multi-generational, we're we're seeing, you know, a big shift, a big shift.

speaker-1: Yeah. And I'm glad you brought up the investment part because this is this is valuable information to even think about for, you know, whether you're a professional investor or you're just building up your own portfolio. It's like this reality of what can value bring you value today, but also help you build wealth for later. That if you do need to liquidate your assets or you are doing some type of a renovation like. being more aware of what people are looking for and what buyers are actually valuing is going to help position you in the market when the time is right to attract those people and be aware of like, you know, what people really want. It's not always limited to just a really beautiful bathroom. People want these other livability features that, you know, can help set you apart in the market.

speaker-0: That's great. Okay, so I guess in summary in a good way is like this aging in place, it's not just about the later in life. It's about designing intentionally with the future in mind, though.

speaker-1: Yeah. And honestly, this is something we do as designers already. And sometimes, you know, we think about it in the sense of, your kids are toddlers right now, but they're going to be before you know it, they'll be in middle school and into high school. And so you're kind of thinking of this longevity of your immediate family. But now it's like this deeper level of, well, what about when I get old? What about when I'm not working anymore or, you know? Yeah. multi-family generational or if my kids end up coming back for a season.

speaker-0: It's really about designing your space to grow and live and function with you. when you do this right, it doesn't limit your designs, but it will definitely elevate.

speaker-1: that mind, just we will emphasize that, you know, the best homes are not just the prettiest ones all the time. It's really about longevity and what you're building in terms of your future. I know we talk a lot about being positioned to also sell, but there's a time for that and there's a time to think more long-term. And that's really the shift that, you know, we're seeing in the market. And yeah, I mean, it's, So if you're planning on building, renovating, think about these long-term impacts that are gonna affect your ROI and how thinking about it long-term will also help you allocate your funds today and make decisions that are more strategy-driven and position you to be prepared, prepared for longevity. So we're gonna be talking about this type of content continually.

speaker-0: So if you guys liked what you heard, this is helping you, getting you to think a little bit differently about how you're gonna design your space, how you wanna live in it, function, and the fullness of that return on your design, hit that like button, follow, subscribe, send us questions. We'd love to dive into some of those and answer anything that you may be thinking and looking for some help on. So we really appreciate it and we've enjoyed this time with y'all and look forward to seeing you next time.

speaker-1: Thanks for listening.