We have begun the most enjoyable makeover that I’m so excited to tell you about. Projects like these are my absolute favorite because one of my trusted partners hires me to help someone deserving to give them a free makeover. It’s a real win/win/win. This is another one for Velux (shout out to their genius marketing team), who wants to brighten up the life of Beth, our beloved winner. Beth’s daughter, Colby, nominated her because Beth has macular degeneration, which means she is losing a lot of her vision, and her living room is so lacking in natural light, making it even harder to see. And it’s going to get worse. She wants to age in place for as long as possible, and it’s my job to design this room to be comfortable and stylish, but most importantly, easy to navigate around and live inside. I’m learning so much already about designing for seniors with vision disabilities, but could really use more help (which is where you come in). Beth, it should be noted, is so delightful to be around, hilarious, fun, and open to any ideas. We feel honestly so grateful to be working with both her and Colby. I look forward to every meeting or shopping session, and once again, I feel so lucky to have this job.

This is Beth’s den/living room, and where she spends the most time. She is in her late 70s and has mostly grown grandkids who visit her, but otherwise doesn’t entertain much. She’s new to Portland, moved up to be near her daughter and granddaughter during Covid. Most of her things are from FBMP (not heirlooms or meaningful pieces), and she is 100% open to anything. She has never really thought about design, never really had new furniture, and is so blown away that she won a makeover. She is outgoing, effusive, and extremely fun to be around and design for. I feel like we could do anything, and she would be so grateful, and yet I really want to nail this one for her needs.

The room is big and dark, likely an add-on with a focal fireplace and furnished with a huge sectional (that actually works scale-wise, but is hard for her to get in and out of). It’s full of opportunities.

This makeover is mostly cosmetic, besides the addition of the skylights. So we aren’t moving walls or changing windows. We likely aren’t going to even put wood over the cement floor. It’s more about furnishing to be more comfortable, arranging it to suit her needs better, and, of course, making it look really good. I’m pursuing quotes to change out the recessed lighting and to skim coat the ceiling, but TBD on whether or not that happens. A new fan will happen 🙂

The Bones Of The Room

The room has a few cutouts from the adjoining fireplace in the dining room, but otherwise it’s a nice box.

So here is Beth’s wishlist, based on her needs and how she uses the room:

1. A bigger TV. Her vision impairment means she can see some in front of her, but sees pretty well peripherally for now. If she had a bigger TV, she would be able to enjoy it so much more. She lives alone, so this falls high on the list.
2. More senior-friendly furniture. A sofa that is easy to get in and out of and is more supportive. She is fine in this big cushy one for now, but even I was struggling to get out easily – it’s deep, and you really sink in.
3. A recliner. This was my idea, but she lit up so fast when I said they were motorized now. So we are on the hunt.
4. Furniture that she can easily see to navigate around. I’ve done some research, and my common sense says that the design of this room needs to be high contrast to make things easier to identify, even as vision gets reduced. But if anyone has experience here, let me know!
5. Comfortable, cozy, and warm but not cluttered. She spends most of her time in here. She eats and does all her activities at the coffee table.
6. More natural light. While the room has two big windows, they face a covered patio, so there is very little natural light. The new Velux Skylights are going to make a massive difference.
7. Keep a ceiling fan (she loves the air flow).
8. Easy to clean (clutter-free).
9. She doesn’t need it to be loungey. She mostly wants to sit, not curl up.

We used Spoak’s AI program to make all of her stuff disappear so we can start envisioning it with fresh eyes. We are still working on the plan, but our hopes are to do the following:

1. Add two skylights. The size is still TBD, but they’ll be easily automated.
2. Tile the fireplace. This is mostly for the overall design of the room and something that we are going to try to DIY.
3. Move the TV to the left wall and buy a much bigger one that is easier for her to see.
4. Arrange the furniture to work with both focal points – the TV and the fireplace.
5. Paint or add a treatment to the walls.
6. Ideally, knock down the ceiling texture.

That could be the big TV wall with a huge storage unit underneath. She doesn’t have a lot of books or stuff to go in shelving, but she does have some pretty great paintings that we want to frame and perhaps arrange around the TV, as well as family photos.

So I could really use any anecdotal help from those who have experience needing senior-friendly furniture (whether you are one or you care for one). I know the basics – shallow seat, high back, not too low, and we’ve gone shopping together and found some pretty solid options, but any recs would be great!

• Besides choosing high contrast (dark against light), are there specific patterns or colors that are easier to see as your vision wanes?
• Are big bold patterns a good thing, or are they dizzying? The whole point is to brighten up this room, so I don’t want to paint it dark, so I’m trying to figure out which elements should be dark and which ones lighter while also making it easy to stay clean.
• The only style she says she likes is “farmhouse” and “whimsical,” so what I’m taking away from that is casual and fun, nothing too stuffy, fancy, glam, hard, sterile, or serious. You got it, Beth 🙂

So before I get too deep in the design process, hit me up with any ideas to make her future in this room even better 🙂