You Can Design Your Assisted Living Unit to Feel Like Home

They say that “home is where the heart is.” But when you’ve left that home for assisted living, the old saying feels a bit more complicated. So today we’re going to talk about how to decorate a senior living apartment so it feels like home – whether you’ve just made the move or you feel like you’ve been in your unit forever.

1. Hit the Walls

The first thing to look at when you decorate a senior living apartment is the walls. Why? Because the color of the walls is going to have a huge impact on the way the place feels. If you don’t like the color, you’re not going to feel good. And if you do like the color but it’s dark, you’re not going to feel good either, because once your furniture is in the apartment is going to feel even smaller than it most likely is already.

So if you like the color and it’s light, great. If either of those is a no, then a paint job is in order.

By the way, “light” doesn’t mean “white.” There are soft, light shades of almost every color. Beige, grey, blue, green, yellow, lavender and mauve are just some of the shades you can play with. And if you just love those bold colors, you can still have them by painting an accent wall, especially in the bedroom.

2. Scale it Down

If you’ve moved to your senior living apartment from a private home, you most likely have pieces that are either going to crowd your new space or won’t fit at all. As hard as it is to part with things you’ve loved and used for years, try to resist the temptation to hold on to large furniture items. If you can’t bear to give them away, then storage might be an option to think about.

What to do about new furniture? Some people like to look for new pieces that resemble their old furniture as much as possible. Others feel that if they’re going to decorate for a whole new life, then they want to change things up. There’s no right or wrong here, so listen to what your heart tells you (not what well-meaning relatives say you should do).

One tip, though: Again, when you decorate a senior living apartment, try to go for lighter colors if you can. Part of feeling at home is a feeling of space, and lots of dark furniture won’t give you that.

3. Photo Shop

Do you have lots of family pictures and albums? If you do, bringing them with you will go a long way to turning your senior living apartment into a home. Purchase frames that match your decor and create wall collages by using photos of different sizes. If wall space is at a premium, you can buy double-duty accessories like wall clocks with picture frames as the numbers.

If you’re the type who had their walls at home covered in photos and you really have no room, consider digital frames where the image changes every few minutes. Hint to your relatives: These make great housewarming presents.

4. Spread the Light

Light fixtures make a huge impact on the way a room feels. Try to avoid having a single fixture in the center of the room’s ceiling – it’ll create a pool of light in the middle and leave all your corners dark. If that’s your only ceiling option, add illumination with slim, unobtrusive floor and table lamps. Just make sure that the cords aren’t a fall hazard.

Wall-mounted nightlights in the bedroom add ambience and convenience (no need to get up and turn off a lamp when you read before you go to sleep).

To save electricity and add to the feel of your apartment, see if you can install dimmers on your fixtures. Those really help optimize your lighting.

Oh, and if you want to add even more light and space, try placing a mirror opposite a window. Unless the window faces something you’d rather not see (like the inside of your neighbor’s living room).

 5. Pool Your Storage

When you want to decorate a senior living apartment, one of the tricky things is that space is at a premium. In other words, you don’t have a lot of space to put stuff, so be creative with storage.

Some options are: footstools that open up, end-tables that are really small cabinets, coffee tables with storage underneath. Maximize closet space by using pretty linen baskets and brackets that allow you to double up on shelf space.

6. Curve Call

Smaller space means it’s easier to bump into things. Round tables and chairs with rounded edges not only give the illusion of space, they make that space safer because they’re harder to bump into – and they hurt much less if you do.

The same thing goes for open shelves: keep them rounded if you can. They’re much more aesthetic – and you don’t have to worry about anyone slamming their head into a sharp corner.

7. It’s Curtains!

Whether you like drapes, curtains or blinds, window treatments take any living space to a new level. If you’re sticking to the light color rule but wish you had a touch of something more lively, your windows might very well be the place to do it. Blinds with a splash of color or soft-colored drapes with a bold valance are one way to go. Another is to go all-out and use bright shades like cherry or bright blues, pinks or yellows. Your imagination is your only limit here. And your budget.

Tip: Like long curtains but don’t have large windows? Don’t be afraid to go higher with your rod. Longer, higher-mounted window treatments are another way to give the illusion of space.

Decorating you senior living apartment can be fun.

Moving can be hard, especially when you have to downsize. But decorating can be exciting. The best tip for decorating a senior living apartment so it feels like home? Have fun with it as much as you can.