ASSISTED LIVING 47
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF THE FUTURE- PROOFED HOME
Home lifts can offer mobility solutions for multi- generational living and add a design statement to flexible family homes of the future, but safety and sustainability are just as important as aesthetics, says David Schill of Aritco Lifts
D
ramatic sociological shifts are shaping the way we build and design the homes of the future. The middle classes and their disposable
income are increasing, but so is the cost of land, which means more of us will be living in apartments with smaller footprints on multiple levels. According to UN estimates, over 25 per cent of the UK’s population will be aged over 60 by 2025, so no doubt regulations governing accessibility will be tightened up as an ageing population finds that standard staircases are no longer fit for purpose. Add to that other factors – unattainably expensive mortgages, exorbitant rent, and dwindling social care resources – and we will soon find the increasing preva- lence of multi-generational living, a trend that’s already common in Asia and the Middle East. The key to unlocking value in new-
build flats by catering to this new lifestyle is the installation of a home lift. Sales of home lifts in some regions are already increasing by as much as 15 per cent per year, but this extraordinary surge in demand goes beyond catering to those
HOME LIFTS HAVE EVOLVED FROM AN INDUSTRIAL EYESORE TO BECOME ELEGANT, CUSTOMISED PIECES OF FURNITURE
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with mobility issues. Imagine a young family with three children and a busy lifestyle living in a three-floor apartment, with a roof terrace where they enjoy summer barbecues and the kids spend hours painting alfresco. Getting strollers, children and grocery bags from the weekly shop up the stairs to the kitchen can become a quandary. What to take first? Leave the children (let’s say aged two, four and seven) in the garage and take the grocery bags first? Or take the
children first, leave them in the kitchen on their own, and then go down and pick up bags and groceries? Then add grandma into the mix – she lives with them and wants to join them for lunch on the roof terrace and admire the children’s creations, but needs sticks or a wheelchair to get around. These daily challenges just disappear if they have a home lift. And this key to modern, multi-generational living has evolved from an industrial eyesore to become an elegant, customised piece of furniture. In recent decades we have all become more design-aware, so it’s no surprise that when consumers purchase a home lift, aesthetics are a top priority, trumping price, reliability and speed. Top designers have transformed the home lift from a functional steel box into a glass cube crafted from sheets of scratch-proof acrylic that’s an unobtrusive design statement. Customisation has become key to couples for relaxing, so LED lighting should be adjustable to suit a mood – a soft, white glow for an intimate dinner, or a perhaps a hot pink light for a party. Every plane of the lift should offer oppor- tunities for personalisation, from bespoke flooring to a back wall which can be clad in mirrored glass, a graphic artwork, or oversized photography to suit the interi- ors of the customer’s home. Good design should extend beyond aesthetics and embrace functionality, and look to ergonomic design solutions found in the car industry and home electronics. Why have clunky buttons when you can have intuitive handles, knobs and touchscreens? And with smart
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