by Greg Zugmier | May 14, 2020

Today, more than 10,000 people a day are turning 65. This is leading to unpreceded challenges but also great opportunities. This generation is literally rewriting what it means to retire by how they want to live, where they want to live and how they want to spend their time. This is leading to new and creative thinking about what is important in their lives and how to add both significance and meaning to these years through the spaces designers create for them.

Resort Communities

Long gone are the days of the old nursing home and rightly so. This generation is who coined the term bucket list so they expect nothing less as they write the last chapter of their lives. Some being of the most well-seasoned travelers, they know a lot about the comforts of hospitality and they want their new spaces to reflect this same. These communities are designed to be inviting like a home but to also allow the residents to connect with each other. Much like a resort, the amenities offered are unending, from movie theaters, craft rooms, game rooms, libraries and beauty salons to name just a few. Each with its own connection to the community.

The Woodstock Generation

Step away from the stripes and colonial features as these residents are from the Woodstock generation. So they will be much more in tune with biophilic design where instead of paisley prints, they will feel more at home in the abstract organics of design. They will also want and need outdoor space to have splash of sun or a touch of a cool breeze to allow them to feel nature. So this seating will need to support but also offer comfort. This will also carrying into the dining area with a more causal feeling in both design and menu.

Multiple Generational Space

Unlike other interior design markets, senior living is very unique in just how the many spaces will be used and just how many generations may be in these spaces all at the same time. Whether they are entertaining several generations of their family or their bridge group, the space must be multi-functional but in an aesthetically pleasing way, well beyond the carpet and wall color. Custom created artwork and lighting reflecting their location to various zones for intimate conversation or group gatherings. All with the goal of life well lived.

Now more than ever, retirement does not mean retiring from life. It now offers the time to create the life one may have never had time for during their working careers. With this new way of thinking about living and designing for it, Douglass Fabrics offers many fabrics and vinyls to add life to those years in many of those spaces. If your design calls for abstract organics or calming neutrals or lively patterns, we have many options that you can select from. Just do a search by your various requirements right here on our website, www.douglassfabrics.com!

Patterns shown Gatehouse Stone, Tatami Rainforest, Chakra Seafoam, Tributary Oyster and Botswana Ocean.

Images used Senior couple on cycle ride in countryside — Photo by monkeybusiness (Deposit Photo), Old couple looking somewhere. Back — Photo by ryanking999 (Deposit Photo), and Group of happy seniors playing chess together — Photo by photographee.eu (Deposit Photo)