Tranquil Senior Living | Nani Wen

In our recent project at Tampines, we were tasked with designing a home that would cater to the elderly, let’s call it senior living. AR-kee Design Studio takes on a human-centric design approach and this project was no different. We were designing a home concept of tranquil senior living.

 Gone are the days when senior living equates to standard plain designing when it comes to building a home or even a community space for the elderly. Senior living these days is a far cry from the cookie-cutter or institutional design. It is shifting toward the concept of “home-meets-hospitality”.

Think color play, natural lights, safe and easy accessibility, and smart space planning.

This project enabled us to explore the play of colors to demarcate different sections of the home as the rest of the home is accented in cool, calm, and tranquil colours such as light blue and green. With a common problem of the elderly with failing eyesight, this is a good solution. The color ‘Bright Smile’ from Nippon’s Odour-Less AirCare series was the color of choice for the entryway of the kitchen. Bright Smile as the name suggests is an orangey yellow that induces a bright and chirpy feeling of happiness. Nippon’s Odour-Less AirCare series has anti-bacterial properties and does not contain lead and mercury making it perfect for senior living homes.

Vinyl flooring is resilient. It is water-resistant and very low maintenance, has long-lasting durability and are softer on the feet.
The flooring of choice for this home was vinyl. This option made perfect sense as it would require minimal cleaning from the aged homeowners. The color of choice was Premier Oak. It is a timeless medium brown that easily complements furniture of any concept.

To minimise hazards around the home, the carpentry in this home was customised to take on round and soft edges. We also installed grab bars around the home. This is to aid the home owners maneuver safely around the house.

 Lastly, space is a key design feature to consider when planning for senior living. Elderly are prone to falling and typically suffer from deteriorating eyesight. We kept the design of the home simplistic and not cluttered to avoid accidents from happening.

The kitchen was built with natural wood finishing of a darker tone and installed a concealed dining table in one of their cabinets. We created a larger and safer walking area by concealing the dining table. This also future-proofs the space in the event they need to maneuver in a wheelchair. We carefully curated the knobs of the kitchen cabinets. We selected a pull knob in white. This would stand out against the darker wood cabinet enabling the elderly with poor eyesight to recognise the distinction.

 At AR-kee Design Studio, we design spaces that work for you, with you. We have the experience and expertise to walk you through your design choices. Whatever your personal needs are for your space, we’ll deliver them through our design and build.