On this blog, we’re usually taking a peek behind an intentionally picked-out curtain to see a place that’s been transformed into someone’s forever home. It feels like rainbows and butterflies, when in reality, it’s floral prints and perfectly concealed appliances.
While these projects (and insane before-and-afters) bring us much joy, our design experience came in handy recently for a much more personal project: Paige moved her dad into assisted living.
With so many emotions driving the change, she defaulted to what she knew best: she measured, she sketched, she started making it a home.
When Design Looks Different
No renovation plan, custom millwork, or months-long furniture lead time was involved here. In fact, she only had five days to plan and execute the whole move. The room was small and a little awkward, so the task at hand was, basically, make it work. But more importantly, make it feel familiar.
Instead of starting over, Paige brought in pieces her dad already owned and figured out how to Tetris them into a much smaller footprint. When so much about his day-to-day life was changing at once, the last thing he needed was a room filled entirely with things he had never seen before.
We spend plenty of time professionally convincing people that, yes, the 20-year-old sofa probably needs to go in lieu of something comfier and more modern. But there are also plenty of times when good design means knowing what things are important to keep.
Function First
One thing that did need to change was the bed. Paige headed to Mattress Firm to find a twin mattress with an adjustable base so her dad could sit up comfortably in bed. As luck would have it, the person helping her regularly worked with customers furnishing assisted living spaces and knew exactly what to consider.
They landed on a mattress that was thick and tall, but not too squishy, making it easier to get in and out of bed. The movable base also lets him sit upright comfortably without squeezing another chair into an already tight room.
As designers, we think constantly about how people move through their homes: where they sit, what they reach for, how furniture is positioned, and what makes daily life easier, so Paige was grateful to tap into her experience here.
Don’t Forget the Details
The smaller details mattered just as much as a functional bed. On the bookshelf, Paige added a small Army truck & a toy helicopter as a nod to her dad’s time in the military. It is a tiny thing, but it’s far more valuable in this room than a tchotchke purchased simply because a shelf looked empty.
Finally, Paige selected pieces of art from his home office for the walls, grabbed her toolbox, and hung it herself, just like dad taught her.
Work With What You Have
This was hardly a hoity-toity design project with a dramatic reveal waiting at the end. Instead, it was a matter of thinking ahead, measuring carefully, using what you already had, and buying a few things that were obviously missing.
That is a useful design lesson in any home. In any design project, you don’t always need to automatically replace everything. Sometimes, impact is as simple as changing the layout or rearranging something you already own.
Helping make a strange new room feel a little less strange might be one of the better uses of design we’ve found.
No matter what design challenge you’re facing, we’re here to help.