If you ask someone to describe a retirement home, they will likely conjure up images of cramped rooms, dated furniture, and a colour scheme that hasn’t changed since the 1950s.
Fortunately, retirement homes in the 2020s are a far cry from the dark and dreary places people tend to imagine. Modern designs prioritise comfort, openness, and sophistication, and are based around helping residents live their lives as independently as possible.
David James Architects & Partners have carried out leading-edge design work on a number of retirement developments. In this post, we explain the practical and aesthetic qualities of modern retirement home design.
Colours and Styles
Although each home is different, many modern retirement homes blend classic and contemporary aesthetics for a comforting, yet up-to-date atmosphere. The focus is on moving away from cold, ’hospital-like’ design styles, and instead creating a space that looks and feels like home for its residents.
When planning retirement apartments in Arundel, we opted for an external design that blended in with surrounding architecture, while still incorporating modern features like glass balconies. The result was a traditional-inspired appearance that still felt fresh and up-to-date.
Colours
Contemporary retirement homes tend to feature airy, neutral colour schemes like white and grey. This makes rooms look more spacious, preventing residents from feeling cramped or claustrophobic.
Some older people struggle with depth and contrast perception, which is why materials with high contrasts are common in retirement homes. For example, chairs will be of a different colour to the floor for better visibility of the chairs’ edges.
The retirement apartments we designed in Dorking featured a simple colour scheme of soft white and beiges. This gave it a calming, spacious feel both inside and out.
Mobility and Navigation
Because many elderly people struggle with mobility, easy navigation is a key part of modern retirement home design. They feature rooms and hallways spacious enough for wheelchair users to manoeuvre through, lifts and stairlifts to make getting up and down stairs easier, and minimise steps in entrances and doorways.
Lighting
Artificial lighting must strike a balance between being bright enough to move around safely, while still being soft enough to not cause glare or discomfort. The best way is to give residents control over their lighting, which is why many newer retirement homes include adjustable LED lighting in bedrooms and other living spaces.
Sunlight plays an essential role in regulating sleep schedules, providing necessary vitamins, and boosting overall mental wellbeing, so it’s important to have plenty of natural light throughout a retirement home.
When designing a luxury retirement development in Sandbanks, we chose a window-heavy design so the maximum amount of natural light could spill in. This had the secondary benefit of letting residents enjoy a view of the garden from nearly every spot in the residence.
Fixtures
The fixtures incorporated in retirement homes are chosen to make it easy for residents to move around unassisted, particularly those with arthritis or mobility problems. These fixtures include:
- Large light switches
- Door lever handles instead of round knobs
- Stairway handrails
- Plug points at table top height
- Accessible bathrooms with grab rails
Innovative Designs from David James Architects
David James Architects & Partners are a multi award-winning firm renowned for the outstanding quality of our designs.
We have designed a diverse array of buildings, from retirement homes to warehouses, and have an expansive client base of national and local developers, local housing authorities, and private clients.
Whether you need design work for a renovation, interior remodelling, or a completely new build, you can trust David James to bring you the exceptional results you’re looking for.
To enquire about our services, contact us through our contact form or call us on 01202 755633.
