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Current Trends in Senior Living

Current Trends in Senior Living

There has been a change in how we think about senior living over the past 10 years. The aging baby boomer generation is influencing this change. It’s predicted that in the next several years there will be more people over 65 than children. As the baby boomers age, more and more are looking to make the move to a senior living community. This group of people is more active than in past generations and holds greater expectations of their living experience.  Because they are planning ahead, the process of selecting their retirement community is more well thought out and thorough. Research has shown that up to 5 communities will be visited before making the final decision. Their new home must check all the boxes. Updated furniture and finishes can ensure a good first impression is made and boost the marketability of any community, whether it’s a new construction or an established facility.

The following should be considered when designing a senior living community:  

  • Finishes should look like home, incorporating residential-type finishes with senior living durability. Vibrant, fresh, approachable spaces that bring people together and foster a sense of community. 
  • Flexible gathering areas that draw residents from their rooms and can accommodate larger groups when necessary. Spots for crafts, games, and other activities that promote socialization are amenities today’s seniors are looking for. A sense of community ranks highly with today’s seniors. Chairs that can stack and tables for crafts and puzzles that fold for storage enhance the flexibility and function.  
  • Connection to the outdoors. Natural light, plants, and large-scale artwork that depicts views of nature foster that important connection with nature for residents who aren’t able to get out as easily. 
  • Wellness-focused spaces promoting engagement and activity.   
  • The formal dining room is being revamped to add flexibility, better serving the needs of the residents. A more modern dining space provides a place to gather with friends for a cup of coffee or a casual chat. This area has become the social hub, and those social connections are crucial to maintaining cognitive function and overall well-being.  
  • Staff attraction and retention is an important consideration as well. Providing a comfortable place for staff to work, and as a recharge, should be planned for. 

Have a project in mind? We would love to hear about it! r.o.i. Design provides full-service design and FF&E services. We have access to numerous resources that can provide beautiful and functional furnishings for all budgets. Additionally, we will consult with you on space planning and allocation to meet the changing needs of today’s senior living residents. We will also help balance input from ownership, management, and staff when designing the space and furnishings.

Contact us to discuss ways we can help.  

Mailloux Dentistry: A New Location for Smiles to Begin 

Mailloux Dentistry: A New Location for Smiles to Begin 

At first glance, Mailloux Dentistry could be mistaken for a spa. It’s certainly a place where beauty is valued.

Dr. Brittany Mailloux and partner Dr. Caitlynn Haas are licensed general practitioners in dentistry and offer a full menu of dental services. What sets them apart is their attention to the beauty and aesthetics of the smile. They are a family dentistry where adult and child patients receive the same attention.

r.o.i. Design met Dr. Mailloux along with her husband, Dr. Kevin Kross, who owns Blueprint Dental. They are not partners in dentistry but did decide to purchase the building that they now share. This allowed them to have a state-of-the-art lab that they both use. And while they are married, the two practices look completely different.

We spent hours at Brittany and Kevin’s home where we met their children (as well as dogs, ponies, and horses) to make decisions. We were influenced by their hospitality and kindness in the design of Mailloux Dentistry.

The lobby of the space has many curves. The reception desk, bulkheads, ceiling accents, accent tiles, and many more elements all incorporate curvilinear shapes. The intention was to make their patients feel welcome and relaxed. Inside the reception bulkhead are wood baffles that enhance the coziness of the space.

The overall color scheme includes gold, warm white, pink, and gray. The elegance of the lobby chandeliers and the waiting room furniture are paired with a carpet that looks handmade. The vinyl flooring (LVT) in the exam rooms has accents of gold in a light parquet wood floor look.

On this project, we were honored to also design their new logo. We came up with numerous concepts and refined them down to the final product. We also provided and branding standards document so they could use their new logo to its full potential.

The lobby and reception furniture were also provided by r.o.i. Design. It is always wonderful to be able to finish a design we start down to these details.

© Photos Courtesy of First Companies, Inc.

 For more of our dental and medical projects click here

 

    Blueprint Dentistry Makes Its Mark in Holland, Michigan 

    Blueprint Dentistry Makes Its Mark in Holland, Michigan 

    The well-named Blueprint Dentistry is a rebrand from Dr. Kevin Kross’s previous Michigan Street Dentistry. Michigan Street was their old location. He wanted his new dental office to reflect his technical and sophisticated approach to complete and premier dental care. His new logo includes architectural lines and symbols that clearly state the focus on precision dentistry. 

    r.o.i. Design met Dr. Kross early in the process and was engaged in shopping for real estate and recommending contractors. This gave our team time to get to know Dr. Kross and his vision. 

    While he doesn’t partner with his wife, Brittany Mailloux DDS, they agreed to purchase a building and locate both practices in the same building, which allowed them to create a state-of-the-art lab that they both share. 

    Blueprint Dentistry’s design elements reflect its brand. The lighting in the lobby is recessed linear LED that runs through the ceiling and continuously down the wall. The exam room corridor has a recessed cavity in the ceiling with unique box light fixtures that fit into the recess and create a special effect. 

    The overall color scheme throughout is mostly black and white, which sparkles with accents of glass and specialty lighting. The reception desk is backlit with a frosted acrylic face with the logo and name etched into the material. In addition, the glass sliding doors with chrome barn door hardware in the exam rooms elevate a patient’s typical dental experience. 

    The desk in Dr. Kross’s office is made from white concrete with flecks of silver and gold randomly embedded in the top. The private office is also set up to accommodate a second doctor. 

    The lower-level break room also has a concrete table, which is 12 feet long, surrounded by Eames-inspired chairs. 

    The journey from Michigan Street to 16th Street brought Blueprint Dentistry further towards its goals than just the distance between the two locations. 

      © Photos Courtesy of First Companies, Inc.

       For more of our dental and medical projects click here

       

        Kraft Business Systems: New Office, New Look.

        Kraft Business Systems: New Office, New Look.

        When First Companies Inc. introduced r.o.i. Design to Jeff Cousins from Kraft Business Systems he said, “I don’t know design, I just want ‘cool’”. Jeff was very interested in every aspect of the new office. Dixon Architecture had been introduced a little earlier, and Ken Dixon had the space laid out and adjusted as needed to meet Jeff’s understanding of changing needs.

        Early in the interior design consultancy, we noticed and complimented Kraft Business Systems (KBS) on their logo. Not only is it good-looking, but it has been developed based on business values and images that support those values.

        KBS sells printers, but more importantly, printing solutions and technical innovations. The business is built on solving problems for their customers, and r.o.i. Design took that approach as they made interior design decisions.

        Each of the four key values were featured in their own areas:

        • “Honor our company heritage in the print and printer industry.” (Orange)

        • “Committed to continued innovation and I.T. for the paperless office.” (Green)
        • “Focused on our clients and committed to interpersonal communication.” (Light Blue)
        • “Look to the future with continued aspirations for creativity and growth.” (Dark Blue)

        The colors of the five values are very bold, but the overall palette is white, grey, and black, creating a neutral background for the reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and greens. Not only did r.o.i. Design color block some of the walls in logo colors, we also created custom graphics for large-scale wall covering whose imagery is very “techy”.

        As the design was coming to the finish line, Jeff commented, “This is cool, and I didn’t think I liked black, but I do!” The design was so well received that KBS borrowed finishes and accents for their other Michigan offices. That’s the best kind of compliment!

        © Photos Courtesy of First Companies, Inc.

         For more of our dental and medical projects click here

         

        Kent County Office of the Defender Makes an Important Move

        Kent County Office of the Defender Makes an Important Move

        Kent County Office of the Defender (KCOD) has been working with r.o.i. Design for over five years.  KCOD was funded and mandated by the State of Michigan to increase its capacity to serve more people.  Initially, we were trying to squeeze more people and efficiency into their small office. But the demand for space was growing, and it was clear a new and larger office was needed. The new office had to accommodate an increasing staff, be walkable to the courthouses downtown, and be connected to public transportation.  They also needed to maintain as much of the integrity of the space as possible (historical building, loyal realtors, and use type). 

        When KCOD leased the 8th floor at 850 Monroe, it had previously housed a law firm but was vacant for 10 years. 

        The entry, lobby, reception, and training room needed minor updates and the office layouts were appropriate but too few. Generous corridors were narrowed so 12 offices and a conference room could be added. At their move-in in 2023, they had every office filled. To expand more, they would look to add space one floor down in the same building. 

        The suite’s previous design was quite dated and needed major finish updates to the lighting, paint, and flooring. r.o.i. Design added color-coordinated accents in quadrants: navy, green, and teal. The lunchroom, copy room, and client check-in received new case goods, and all received new laminates.  

        It was decided to keep the original cherry paneling and marble floor in the Lobby. 

        The base paint color of the suite remained neutral, removing much of the wallcovering, and adding a lighter paint. All carpets were replaced with a mid-toned product which was better at hiding stains. Accent carpet tiles interrupt the pattern to enhance the color of the quadrant. 

        The lighting was inspected and converted to LED throughout. Very few decorative lights were added or needed. 

        The restrooms had been updated just before the previous tenants left and worked very well for the group with just a few lighting tweaks. 

        It is becoming more common for us to work with our clients in searching for new spaces, helping them imagine their operations in a space before they commit to a lease. In the case of KCOD, this search was organized by realtor CWD. We laid out multiple spaces before the group decided. We engaged with many commercial realtors and found CWD to be very accommodating. McGraw Construction took on the challenge of remodeling this old building, where nuances were discovered every day and handled professionally. 

          The Colors of the Year for 2024

          The Colors of the Year for 2024

          It may not be the Super Bowl or The Oscars, but for designers, a “Color of the Year” reveal is always a big event. We memorialize them by painting a stripe on our office wall for each of Sherwin Williams’ yearly selections.  

          This year, it is likely that residential and commercial designers can find a “color of the year” they like since there are several to choose from.  Here are a few of this year’s colors from our favorite companies that we regularly reference.

          • Pantone: Peach Fuzz 

          • Benjamin Moore: Blue Nova

          • Sherwin Williams: Upward

          • Glidden: Limitless

          • Behr: Cracked Pepper

          • HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams: Persimmon

          Emily VanSchmus and Caitlin Sole from Better Homes and Gardens describe all the 2024 picks as “Earthy, nature-inspired tones will be especially big, according to the color experts that release their predictions each fall. This year’s trend forecast features earth tones like terra-cotta and moody forestcore-inspired picks that include a rich deep green. We’re also seeing an influx of coastal-inspired blues, from light pastels to bold teals.”

          In October of 2023, Martha Stewart writer Madeline Buiano published an article. “Here’s Every Color of the Year (So Far) To Inspire your Home Painting Projects in 2024” This article features 11 paint companies and their choice for “color of the year”.

          What influences those experts in paint colors? There are collaborations between paint companies with partners in yarns (carpet and fabrics), laminates, and chemicals (solid surfaces and quartz) months and years before an announcement. Each of these collaboration groups has manufacturers’ representatives and cultural analysts on their team to influence paint companies because color “sells”.