We were approached by a couple who wanted to age-in-place in their condo on the river, and the kitchen was a big hurdle to this objective. The Meriwether Condos were built in the 90s and had small galley style kitchens with limited storage and poor layout. Due to structural constraints, we were limited to working with the existing footprint of the kitchen. We solved the storage problem with the use of thoughtful cabinet design, including tall upper cabinets, with detailed attention to strategies that would make access to stored items easy.

The objective was to ensure that our clients wouldn’t have to get on their hands-and-knees to access stored items deep in lower cabinets (for mobility reasons), nor get on step stools to access high items (for safety reasons). So we installed smart shelving solutions that drop down for upper cabinets, lower cabinets all were built with drawers and pull-outs, and the blind corner cabinet boasted a pull-out shelf solution that makes access to the back corner easy.

The client also wanted elegant finishes that would be easy to clean, so we installed quarts counters and splashes with no grout lines to clean. We provided a classy range hood instead of a micro hood, and supplied a drawer-style microwave in a lower cabinet to remove the microwave from the visual field while also maintaining ease of use.

If you’re considering strategies to age-in-place, give us a call! We would love to help you plan solutions for a long future in your current home.