Senior living communities provide a variety of amenities and communal gathering places, but everyone needs a personal sanctuary that feels like home.
Patsy Capps is a new resident at The Estates at Carpenters and describes it as “a top-shelf community; a place to call home and not feel like a stranger.” She’s already enjoying the “outstanding opportunities” and getting involved in the community. And before moving in, she designed her senior living residence. The focus for her as she decorated her residence was to honor great memories and enable her to entertain guests.
Keep reading to learn more about how Patsy has personalized her space and how you too can create a comfortable home in senior living.
Infuse Your Rooms with Personality
It’s understandable to want your new senior living apartment to reflect you as a person. As you consider the feeling you want to evoke with your decor, think about sentimental items, color schemes and feature pieces.
Sentimental Items: For some, it may be important to surround themselves with pictures of their loved ones or to display an art collection they’ve curated over years. In this case, a gallery wall or additional shelving may be a priority. Others might have meaningful gifts or heirlooms. These items are more than just decor; they’re identity statements and represent cherished moments and memories.Color Schemes: Color communicates in a powerful way and sets the mood in a room. As you choose the colors for different rooms, consider the psychology of colors to set the tone you’d like each room to have. Some interior designers suggest calmer, more muted colors in the bedroom to encourage rest, and a bolder color in your living room, but of course it’s about your personal preference.
For Patsy, she knew the exact wall color she wanted in her senior living apartment home – the same one she had in her beach house. She wanted to “bring a little Sanibel” with her. The Estates at Carpenters’ move-In coordinator found the color, Frisco Sand, and had it painted throughout her new place.
Residents at The Estates at Carpenters can customize other aspects of their residences. Common cosmetic requests include new backsplashes, fresh cabinets, or a different type of flooring. Consult with the move-in coordinator at your community to find out what alterations are available.
Feature Pieces: When you’re downsizing, you won’t keep every piece of art or furniture. But maybe there’s some decor that really captures the style you love. A well-placed statement piece will express your distinct style. Then, other items can be arranged to highlight this important piece.
Consider Day-to-Day Life
While it’s important to create a beautiful, peaceful environment, it’s equally important to create a functional home. As you set up your residence, think about safety, usage and storage.
Safety: If you use an area rug to warm up a room, make sure it isn’t a tripping hazard. Keep the edges and corners flush with the floor. You should also make sure cords are safely situated and furniture allows you to navigate your residence easily.Space: Start by assessing whether your current pieces of furniture will fit in your new rooms. In some cases, you’ll want to replace your furniture with smaller pieces or select only a few of your current pieces. Think about what you need most and what will serve you best in this new phase of your life.
When Patsy chose a two-bedroom, two-bath floor plan, she saw the need for a dining room so she could entertain guests. She requested a wall be taken down to create this distinct space. The community handled it, and now she has a perfect place to host dinners!
Creating distinct spaces the way Patsy did – or through thoughtful furniture arrangement – can do a lot to accommodate your lifestyle.
Storage: Infrequently used items can quickly become clutter, so you’ll want to consider how much storage you need. Decluttering starts before you move. As you downsize your possessions, think about the lifestyle you want, the square footage you have to work with, and what kind of storage you’ll need to hold items you don’t want to part with.
An easy way to gain storage is to buy furniture that doubles as storage, such as an ottoman, coffee table, side table, bench or stools. For optimal convenience, keep things you use the most handy, stored in an efficient manner.
Make the Most of Your Space
As you make aesthetic decisions about your apartment, consider dimensions and natural touches to make it feel more expansive.
Dimensions: One way you can make your rooms feel bigger is to optimize the vertical space you have. Hanging curtains from the ceilings can elongate a space, and affixing shelving to your walls allows you more opportunity to display or store your items. You can also hang sconces on your walls for lighting instead of using tables or floor space for lamps.Natural Touches: Natural light makes your home feel warm and cozy, and it’s good for you. In fact, the Vitamin D that comes from natural light can boost your mood and improve your sleep. To let in more light from outdoors, choose light-colored or sheer cotton curtains. It’s also smart to strategically place mirrors to reflect light throughout your residence.
Another great way to incorporate nature is to bring in some plant life. A few succulents or dracaena can brighten up a room and lift your spirits. According to some studies, plants reduce stress and keep you more focused.
Your senior living apartment home can support the retirement living you’ve been anticipating. As for Patsy, she’s able to entertain guests and likes to invite her daughter to stay in her guest room some weekends.
Patsy says, “The best part of the move is knowing I did the right thing. I have no regrets.”
Uncompromised Senior Living at The Estates at Carpenters
The Estates at Carpenters is a not-for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) offering independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing care and rehabilitation. We offer multiple floor plans to meet the various needs of our residents, and we will make your senior apartment home the perfect retirement residence.