Many ICI Homes On Your Land or Ours customers are ready to make their custom home dreams a reality, whether that’s a longed-for locale, a retirement enclave, or a multigenerational retreat.
And there’s one concept worth considering if they intend to enjoy it for a long time: universal design
Universal design means creating structures (and things) that are accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Not only can it help now, it can help our customers age in place.
Truth is, thinking about universal design while planning a new custom home with On Your Land and Ours is forethought that can serve anyone well, both immediately, and down the road.
We’ll share some inspiration below.
Key Takeaways
- Universal design creates a home that is comfortable, functional, and accessible for every stage of life.
- Features like wider doorways, open layouts, and seamless indoor-outdoor transitions improve everyday living while supporting aging in place.
- Thoughtfully integrated design elements, such as lever handles, zero-entry showers, and stylish accessibility features, enhance both beauty and usability.
- With custom home design, universal design features can be incorporated from the start, creating a home that adapts to your needs for years to come.
Blend universal design with interior design
When you build a custom home with On Your Land or Ours, the design process gives you the perfect opportunity to integrate universal design elements into your new home environment.
No matter if aging-in-place is decades down the road, or right around the corner, this built-in thoughtfulness can play huge, happy dividends.
Consider wider doorways and corridors, and spacious closets and bathrooms that could be wheelchair compatible. Taller toilets too. Matter of fact, cramped spaces aren’t fun for anyone of any age or ability. A new custom home is a great opportunity to eliminate them.
Another suggestion: make the inside-to-outside transition as seamless as possible. Florida’s outdoorsy lifestyle is crucial to many On Your Land or Ours customers, and low door thresholds are vital workhorses in universal design. So are lightweight, code-compliant accordion-style sliding glass doors which can be easily opened and closed without feeling like a weight workout.
Plus, our design pros are experienced with all sorts of customer requests and priorities. Universal design is familiar to them too, and they can help in the inspiration department, contributing ideas and solutions past and present.
Attractive rather than utilitarian
Worried that valuable universal design elements might make your home look like a medical office building? Don’t.
Forget those bland grab bars in bathrooms or elsewhere. In a custom home, these features can be decoratively styled and blended into their surroundings as a design element rather than appearing as a stuck-on necessity.
This is only one example of how a future helpful item — if not needed right away — can add to an interior rather than detract from it. Two more examples are doors with lever handles rather than knobs, and lever-style light switches. Both are easy to use, as are ceiling fans with remote controls and apps that control many household components right on your phone.
Deliberately designed
Let’s get granular!
Other universal-design elements that can be beautifully and discreetly incorporated into a new custom home include non-slick floors, zero-entry showers, bathtubs and swimming pools, and ergonomic cabinet hardware.
Need a second or third level in your new custom Florida home? Consider installing a residential elevator.
Ready for your new custom Florida home? Talk to ICI Homes On Your Land or Ours here.