Boutique Design - April 2019 - 52

NEW AGE

Senior living design is no longer an oxymoron. The fact that there's a new
generation of retirees opting for 5-star amenities and some paying entrance
fees ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, according to the AARP, means the
design has to match the price tag. So, owners of these retirement communities
are looking to the hospitality industry and designers to amp up their offerings
to keep the style-led pace with the spaces this affluent target market prioritized in their family homes and on the road.
That's going to translate to some major business opportunities for hospitality design specialists. And, it might be worth considering diversification into
this field given the name-drop-worthy companies looking to develop a new
kind of senior living option. Margaritaville has its Latitude brand to bring
founder/musician Jimmy Buffet's laid-back vibe to the 55 and older community.
Atria Senior Living and luxury real estate firm Related Companies partnered in
a $3 billion joint venture to develop senior living destinations in urban markets
across the U.S. Meanwhile, major private equity player Blackstone Group has
been acquiring senior living portfolio deals from many firms and made an
investment in Longview Senior Housing Advisors. As with many deals in real
estate, a new owner requires a new look.
As these facilities look to appeal to a new wave of residents who won't
tolerate patronizing design, they also need to keep in mind the functionality
of the spaces. Designers who want a share of this business will face down
many of the challenges BraytonHughes Design Studios was tasked with
during its renovation of public spaces at an 80-room Spanish Revival estate
converted in the 1970s into the luxe Casa Dorinda retirement community.
"The main lesson to learn is to always be considerate of people who are
hearing impaired or have mobility or visual issues," says Joel Villalon, principal, BraytonHughes. "As an example, this may mean that we include at least
some public space seating with arms and consider seat heights and finishes
when we specify those items."
Just like in the hotel industry, communal is in-but in a different way. "I
believe that the goal in the next five to 10 years will be to focus on health-
not necessarily physical health, but mental health, and what makes people
happy. What kinds of opportunities we, as designers, can bring to the table to
create these moments where community experience is going to be increasingly important," Villalon says. "We need to consider how can we craft places
and 'invitations' so that people reinvigorate their minds by keeping them
active and social."
The sentiment comes into play in public spaces, such as the dining room
the firm renovated at Casa Dorinda. Challenge one: how to mitigate sound
concerns. Solution: rid and replace. "We removed the sagging fabric panels that
were mounted to the ceiling and installed perforated, acoustically backed
wood plank panels that maintained the proper rating required. Plaster was
then applied on the walls," says Villalon. The result is an open feel extending
down from the refinished wood trusses on the ceiling. That made room for
high-voltage visual statements such as the minimalist forged iron chandeliers
reminiscent of trayed candles.
Challenge two: how to give residents some personal choices that would
make this feel more like their own space without having "too many cooks in
the kitchen," so to speak. That's where details really count. Responding to
that brief from the client, the designers added liquor cabinets located adjacent to the dining room entry lounge. "Because most communities are
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allowed to serve only beer or wine, the recognition that some residents like
to have libations before, during or after dinner was included in the program,"
says Villalon. "The private lockers allow for residents to house their liquor
and wine collections." But rather than hide these lockers behind the toilets as
was the case pre-renovation (a speakeasy wasn't part of the equation; there's
no give three flushes to get in, for instance), the millwork was integrated into
the final design, nestled under and behind an entryway arch. And that's
where form and function meet. £

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
CASA DORINDA
CLIENT
Casa Dorinda, owner/
operator
DESIGN FIRM
BraytonHughes Design
Studios: Joel Villalon,
principal; Rachel
Fischbach, design
principal; Jay Boothe,
managing principal;
Robel Dimaano, Meryl
Stern, lead designers
ARCHITECT
Cearnal Collective
CONTRACTOR
ProWest Constructors
LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Anne Kale &
Associates

PURCHASING AGENT
Ness Group
LIGHTING
Formations
Roman Thomas
CARPET
Decorative Carpet
Shaw Carpet
CASEGOODS
Formations
Shawn Austin
Vaughan Benz
SEATING
Artistic Frame
Dennis & Leen
Formations
Gregorius Pineo
MILLWORK
Trummueu Stones
(fireplace)

JOEL VILLALON
BRAYTONHUGHES
DESIGN STUDIOS

J O H N E L L I S ( C A S A D O R I N DA ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F B R AY T O N H U G H E S D E S I G N S T U D I O S ( V I L L A L O N )

CASA DORINDA; MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA
http://www.boutiquedesign.com
Boutique Design - April 2019

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