Creative Interior Decorating for a Smaller Space in Assisted Living
There are a number of prevalent misconceptions about life in an assisted living community. One of the them involves a misperception about decorating your personal living space, whether it be an apartment or a room. The reality is that a resident of an assisted living community has fairly considerable latitude when it comes to decorating his or her apartment or room.
If you are preparing to move into an assisted living community, you may be contemplating what you would like to do in regard to decorating your private space, in regard to designing your apartment or room. This article presents some creative and uncomplicated decorating strategies you can employ for your personal space in an assisted living community.
There are eight specific interior design tips to consider when it comes to making your new assisted living apartment or room a home:
- Use multi-functional furniture
- Use creative, versatile storage
- Maximize natural light
- Hang things from the ceiling (as permitted)
- Take advantage of mirrors
- Keep window treatments simple
- Consider light color fabrics
- Select smaller scale furnishings
Use Multi-Functional Furniture
When space is limited, a great solution is to obtain multi-functional furniture. You conserve space – and sometimes significantly so – when you obtain furniture that can serve multiple purposes. For example, in this day and age, there is a considerable variety of furniture (tables, beds, and so forth) that also come complete with storage elements. You really are “killing more birds with one stone” when you consider multi-functional furniture for your assisted living apartment or room.
Use Creative, Versatile Storage
Speaking of storage, it behooves you to be as creative and versatile as possible. We already talked about one storage strategy a moment ago in the discussion of multi-functional furniture. Another way to optimize storage is to take advantaged of unused (or even otherwise unusable) space. For example, you can obtain storage units that can nestle under the bed in your room.
Maximize Natural Light
Natural light has a tendency to make any space seem more open and airy. This particularly is the case with a smaller area. You need to do what you can to optimize or maximize available natural light in your assisted living apartment or room.
Hang Things From the Ceiling (As Permitted)
You can enhance a smaller space in assisted living if you can hang some things from the ceiling. There are easy to install ceiling storage units that might be ideal for your apartment or room. Make sure you get the permission of the staff in your community before you take steps to install something like ceiling storage units in your personal space.
Take Advantage of Mirrors
Placing mirrors here and there on the walls of your apartment or room can also be an effective interior decorating step to take to enhance the look and feel of a smaller space in an assisted living community. Mirrors have the proven ability to make a space seem larger when properly placed in a particular area.
Keep Window Treatments Simple
While more elegant window treatments can be very compelling, when trying to enhance a smaller space, these may not be the best options. They can end up overpowering a space. The advisable course to take when moving into a smaller assisted living space is to keep your window treatments as simple as possible. Keep in mind that simple absolutely does not mean that window treatments will not be pleasant, appealing, and attractive.
Consider Light Color Fabrics
Darker colored fabrics on furnishings tend to make a space feel smaller and closer. Using light colored fabrics has an effect similar to taking advantage of natural light. Light color fabrics will mage a particular space in assisted living look and feel larger.
Select Smaller Scale Furnishings
Finally, when creating a décor for a smaller space in assisted living, consider lesser size furniture. For example, get a loveseat rather than a full sofa. The use of smaller furniture is yet another proven tactic that enhances the look and appearance of a smaller space, including in an assisted living community.
Cancel the Throw-Rugs
In addition to the interior design “dos” there is one important interior design for small places “don’t” to bear in mind. Interior design experts nearly always recommend the use of throw rugs as a means of dividing up a smaller space. Throw rugs can help make a space seem larger.
With that said, the use of throw rugs typically is not the best option for an older individual. No matter the benefits of throw rugs, they present a trip and fall hazard. When older people trip and fall, they are at greater risk of suffering far more severe injuries that younger individuals. It is just a fact of natural aging that bones are more prone to fracture as a person grows older.
Check Assisted Living Community Rules
Before you launch on the process of decorating your assisted living personal space, make sure you check with staff to understand what you can and cannot do. Typically, an assisted living community will provide a new resident with written information about what can and cannot be done in regard to decorating an apartment or room. The community also provides certain furniture and other items to all residents as well.