Your ultimate guide to multigenerational design
It’s easy to get things wrong with accessible and multigenerational design, even with the very best intentions. This guide will demystify the process with advice on best practice…
Words: Francesca Seden.
According to studies by Future Proof My Home, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Centre for Better Ageing and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, home design has a direct impact on our physical and mental health.
Yet 91% of the UK’s existing housing stock lacks basic accessibility standards, which makes life difficult and homes unsafe or unwelcoming for families with young children and older relatives. And by 2050, one-in-four people in the UK will be over 65, many of whom, according to the Centre for Better Ageing, will need help with basic daily living such as eating, washing and cleaning.
Building regulations have recently been updated requiring all new build homes to be ‘age-friendly’ and built with step-free access at the entrance, more space to move easily inside, and easily adaptable to allow for improved accessibility in the future.
Designing a multigenerational or accessible space is about being sensitive to the needs of the clients, both when determining what they want, asking the right questions to deliver what’s expected, and making sure you’re equipped with the right skills and language to ensure your customer feels empowered and supported throughout the journey.
So, how have retailers and designers approached multigenerational and accessible projects?
Firstly, it’s important to consider your language. When thinking about the client and the way they will use the space, use empathetic language by using terms such as “ease of use”, “safety” and “adaptability”, rather than “disability” or “limitations”.
Avoid defining your clients by their disability. Use “wheelchair user”, rather than “person in a wheelchair”. Rather than talking about “future health decline”, if talking about future-proofing, instead talk about “creating a place that works for all stages of life”.
Finally, never make assumptions about a person based on their age, and normalise accessibility by framing it as a universal benefit.
After all, many accessible features, such as step-free entrances, open-plan layouts, pull-out/pull-down storage and carefully positioned appliances benefits everyone, and this removes any stigma that might be attached to the idea of “accessibility”.
Next, like with any project, it begins with an in-depth consultation to establish who will be using the kitchen or bathroom.
“Understand the family’s daily routines, preferences, current needs, and long-term expectations,” comments Belinda Dangerfield, design director at accessible kitchen specialist, Qudaus Living. “This includes discussing current and future household members, mobility challenges, and anticipated lifestyle changes.”
Martina Landhed, founder and creative director at Instil Design, agrees that retailers should “balance current desires with practical foresight.” All this will help determine and cater for the levels of accessibility needed both in the short and long term.
“By focusing on flexibility and adaptability, as designers we can avoid over-committing to features that may never be needed while ensuring the home can accommodate changes as they arise,” Dangerfield adds.
Following the consultation, Dangerfield recommends carrying out an environmental assessment to identify potential modifications. “We would prioritise immediate needs versus those that can be implemented later. Consider universal design principles from the outset, ” she says.
Universal design comprises seven principles accommodating wheelchair users, and those who use other mobility aids, as well as those who might be sight impaired.
In terms of future-proofing, Dangerfield, also recommends offering layered and tiered design solutions. Layered provides flexibility and adaptability, which incorporates features which can be easily enhanced or adapted over time – like a step-free entry shower can be easily upgraded with grab bars later.
Tiered solutions cater for varying budgets and needs. So, a basic tier might include grab bars, lever-style taps and improved lighting, while a more advanced tier could incorporate automated smart home features or fully customisable modular furniture, such as rise-and-fall worktops.
As highlighted, multigenerational and accessible design is not a one-size-fits-all principle, but there is advice on how you might approach projects from other designers who have delivered sucessful schemes.
Kitchen layout
Where layout is concerned, an open plan, or carefully considered zoned approach is recommended.
You could ensure doorways are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair user and also leave 42 to 48 inches between worktops, which will allow for more than one cook in the kitchen. Also think about the turning radius of a wheelchair.
Both designer Johnny Grey and Grid Thirteen’s creative director, Natalie Fry, recommend a mix of seating and worktop heights to accommodate people with different needs: “Best of all is to have a rise-and-fall mechanism on your key working area, ideally on an electric motor,” Grey says. “This means anyone can prepare food without contorting their posture.”
The sink should be at an accessible height, possibly also on a rise-and-fall worktop. In terms of taps, lever operated, sensor control with easy pull-out sprays may be preferred.
Fry adds that along with the obvious task areas, a key consideration is “an adequate and continuous preparation area with varying worktop heights that blends a social design solution such as dedicated seating and relaxing spaces.
“Our most successful accessible-use projects have considered this and ensured key accessible solutions for day-to-day use in a wheelchair, whilst also being a sociable and relaxed space.”
Something else to consider is safety. Designer Adam Thomas, who worked closely with Symphony to create its Freedom range, recommends a “continuous, or peninsular island connected to the rest of the worktop” as this means that the user won’t have to carry hot pans across the kitchen – ideally, it is recommended that the user have the ability to take something from the oven and place it directly on a worktop surface.
Storage and appliances
Accessible storage is critical in any kitchen, but especially a multigenerational one.
The height of storage shouldn’t be so low that users have to bend to get at it, or that it will be too accessible to small children, or so high that the homeowner has to overstretch to access. Pull-out and pull-down mechanisms should definitely be employed.
Grid Thirteen’s Fry adds that “pull-out larders, corner Le Mans solutions, and pull-down shelves within closed cabinets” are great ideas. She adds: “a pull-out worktop in spaces such as a breakfast cabinet or pantry can offer a practical solution for daily tasks.”
Much of these principles apply in the bathroom too. You might prefer to use a Blum SpaceTower for toiletries instead of a traditional vanity, which might not be practical. In the shower, you could have shelving or niches at various heights so that those standing or in a wheelchair have easy access.
Safety is the top consideration for appliances, particularly with hobs, ovens and kettles or hot water taps. Ovens should be positioned at eye level for the user, with the hob perhaps on a rise-and-fall worktop.
For ovens, the Neff Hide & Slide oven (which can be voice-activated) is endorsed by many accessible designers. The reason? The safety of the retractable door.
Accessible design specialist Adam Thomas and Freedom by Symphony also recommend having a pull-out shelf below the oven that the user can place heavy pans onto before shifting them onto the island.
For hob placement, again, a rise-and-fall worktop is recommended and hobs should always be induction as they are safer. For the dishwasher, our contributors recommend the Fisher & Paykel Dish Drawer because it can be raised off of the ground.
Finally, if considering a hot/boiling water tap for the kitchen, it should be situated on the same worktop as the flush-to-surface hob. This means heavy, hot water-laden pans can be simply slid across for boiling.
Bathroom flooring and ergonomics
In the bathroom, because they’re non-slip, fairly soft, warm under-foot, and easy to look after, vinyl tiles are recommended. As The Tap End’s Justine Bullock notes, they “can be much more stylish than customers imagine, with a huge range of finishes available.”
It’s important to also consider the layout and how a person might access the basin and the WC. If the client uses a wheelchair or mobility aid then there has to be adequate access to the sink.
It’s also important to consider the height of the sink and of the mirror behind, if it’s to be useful.
Neurodivergent design
According to recent research, one person in seven in the UK is neurodivergent (conditions such as autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic, dyscalculia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)), so we spoke to a specialist in designing for neurodivergence, Sophia Fish owner of design studio Golden Feathers to get some tips…
Lighting: Use dimmable lighting to adjust brightness, try adding softer lamps for lower-level directional lighting rather than all above head height.
Layout: Keep the layout easy to use, like moving from cupboards to utensils is obvious and not confusing to work in.
Textures: Create a sensory tactile experience with multiple textures, for example, from soft velvet seating to stone flooring tiles.
Noise: Try to limit the excess noise of the room. Choose low noise-emitting appliances, mix in bamboo or natural material plates and cups, rather than glass, metal and ceramic.
Smells: Using natural cleansers such as a eucalyptus vaporiser, uplifting reed diffusers and candles can kill a mixture of lingering food smells. Integrated, lidded bins that are clearly labelled can help with organised disposal and also installing electric sink waste disposal systems can take away the residue of unused foods.
All of the above categories also need to be considered in a bathroom setting, but the biggest difference here is the need to create a l sense of security. In a bathroom we are at our most vulnerable, a time for privacy and also calm relaxation is needed. We start and end our days in this space so it needs to uplift our mood and motivate, but also help us to wind down – a big ask of an often small space.
Mid-tone colours in a bathroom are warming, grounding, relaxing and feel secure, unlike a bright white, shiny tiled space. Underfloor heating is also a consideration where possible as this provides a sensory and warming experience underfoot.
Sanitaryware
For the WC, you’ll need to consider grab bars, or preparing the wall for installation of grab bars in the future – ensuring the wall can support the weight of a person.
In addition, Instil Design’s Landhed recommends using wall-mounted toilets at comfort height (47cm) and if budget allows, a shower toilet. “Add night light on PIR for safety and comfort,” she says.
The basin may need access for a wheelchair beneath, and again, grab bars, where appropriate. Some basins, such as those from Moreability, have grab bars built in, so this could be an option.
Additionally, Nick Collyer, managing director for Independent 4 Life and Granberg UK, notes that it’s also possible to get basins complete with rise-and-fall mechanisms, and an illuminated mirror which can rise and fall at the same time. This, he says, is great for those who might be on their feet sometimes and in a wheelchair at others.
If your client would like a bath, there’s a few accessible options available, including tubs with panels which allow the user to step in, however, the drawback of these, according to Collyer, is that it means the user has to wait in the bath as it’s filling and emptying, so it may not be ideal.
It ultimately will depend on who is using the bath, and might be the case, in a multigenerational home, that it’s mainly the kids using it, and so few considerations may need to be made.
If the user faces a number of mobility challenges, then Collyer says you could consider installing a powered, seated bath, which sometimes come complete with underwater music, air spa functionality, and chromotherapy lighting features.
Showering
In multigenerational and accessible bathrooms, showers or wetrooms can be the preferred option, and it’s what most of our contributors recommend.
Shower spaces should be level access, again, with enough space for a wheelchair. Think about whether you need to include grab bars and a shower seat, or whether they might be needed in the future. Like previously mentioned for WCs, it’s important to reinforce the walls to prepare for these adaptations.
Craig Anderson, managing director at Fitzroy of London recommends opting for fixtures that can be easily upgraded or modified, such as removable shower seats and grab rails.
For shower controls, our contributors recommend voice activated, or app-activated options, or a simple-to-operate lever control. It’s also important to consider safety here and ensure water temperature can’t get too hot and pose a scalding risk, and ideally can be pre-heated to ensure the water isn’t too cold.
Looking to the future, all of our contributors agree that multigenerational living is only going to become more relevant and mainstream. Therefore, it makes sense to refresh the core principles of design.
