Introducing Andie Day – Part 2: Design for Life Philosophy
Interview conducted by Jenny Bagan of Sabrina, Inc.
Your slogan is Design for Life ™ … what does this mean?
It’s all one full circle – everything feeds into the next step. From young families to the middle-aged caught in between raising their own kids while caring for their parents to the elderly parents themselves. Stress on families is tremendous. We need to design with a purpose by creating a home that will nurture and nourish a family. With all of the stresses and responsibilities we have today, the home should alleviate some of those pressures.
We also have to retrain the eye and how we view what is beautiful. We’re used to seeing glamorous homes in magazines with lots of “stuff.” Adaptable Design/Design for Life forces us to eliminate a lot of that stuff-for safety purposes and for ease of accesibilty. There is a lot more breathing room, wider spaces, and clean lines. We’d love for the public to start thinking that this type of design can also be glamorous. Functionality doesn’t have to be unattractive and institutional – it can also be sophisticated and pretty. It can lend itself to a modern, clean design or a more traditional look, or even country– whatever the client wants. When you live in a functioning home that eliminates the stress in your life, it leaves more time to enjoy family and hobbies – it gives you peace of mind. It’s exciting to take this to a new level.
Why should people focus on this type of design? Why is it so important?
By the time all of the Baby Boomers have aged they will make up 34% of the population – it will be a tsunami! This influx will not only tax the nursing home and health care industries but will add an enormous burden to the families who must decide on the best way to care for them. If homes were designed in this way then many of these people can safely stay put rather than be uprooted and sent to an institutionalized nursing home. The Design for Life philosophy can reduce accidents, reduce waste and increase energy efficiency. Trip hazards and falls are the #1 cause of injury and death in the home (as well as the leading cause for 'boomerang' ER visits) … and most are preventable. By removing thresholds, adding multilevel lighting and creating wider spaces, for example, the number of falls will be greatly reduced. It is also about sustainable design – reducing waste. If homes are built with this concept in mind then there will be a great reduction in waste for remodeling and retrofitting. Also, our energy use will be drastically reduced. A hands-free faucet saves approximately 1,000 gallons of water per year. Induction cook tops are extremely energy efficient as are glass-front refrigerators since you can actually see what’s in there with the door closed. There are no specific models – the functionality serves everybody in every stage of life.
What do you want your audience to learn from you? What is your message?
I want our society to remove the stigma of universal design. It can be glamorous. It can be whatever you’d like. We are eliminating the institutional look. Many of us have focused on gathering “things” rather than focusing on purposeful components of our lives. Adaptable Design contributes greatly to the new philosophy we’re coming into. History shows there is a cycle where we go from excess to minimalism. Now we’re heading into minimalism. We’re focusing on family, friends and what’s really important - rather than “things”.
Continued in Part 3 ...
[...] Continued in Part 2 ... [...]