Ruppies Rule…Trends In Design For Seniors

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the continuing needs of baby boomers and the trends in design that they continue to drive.

For the past couple of years, however, there has been a new boomer trend that has been consistently growing in Chicago and in cities around the United States – retired suburbanites have been downsizing – leaving their “empty nests” in the ‘burbs and returning to the city to enjoy all that an urban setting has to offer (general walk-abilty, plenty of free-time activities, finally getting to do all of those things that they couldn’t do when raising children was the focus).

I couldn’t help but chuckle out loud when I learned the term that is used to describe this cultural phenomenon: “Ruppies” (it stands for “Retired Urban People,”) when reading one of Blair Kamin’s recent columns in the The Chicago Tribune about the opening of The Clare in downtown Chicago – a stylish skyscraper geared toward retirees.

I think that this trend not only affects the senior living market, but also hotels in urban marketplaces – as some retirees who aren’t quite ready to take the leap downtown, may “practice” their anticipated lifestyle by testing the waters during frequent downtown hotel stays for the weekend and sometimes longer.  I know that the hotel projects that I’ve been working on of late are absolutely looking to draw business from the nearby suburbs with the same frequency that they would draw business from feeder cities and major cities on the coasts.  And, with this being the case, appealing to the senior market is important.

Also of note, this trend is leaving the United States, and Asia, in particular, is looking to designers in the U.S.A. for the models that will cater to the growing populations of retires that are on the rise in countries such as Japan, China and Korea.So, food for thought on this Friday afternoon – I spent the morning brainstorming with some of our senior designers and here are three tenets of modern design for senior living – which can be applied not only to senior living establishments but also for hoteliers who are looking to appeal to a senior market. 

Don’t Abandon Sophistication
Take a cue from luxury hospitality design when embarking on a project geared toward seniors. One of the key barriers for seniors when contemplating a move into a group environment is the downsizing of lifestyle.  The very basis of The American Dream is based on the idea that the future is brighter than the past, and this is a concept that is difficult for retirees to abandon as they age.  Speaking to this by creating an environment plush and high quality is key in speaking to this very emotional time in a retiree’s lifecycle.  In short, this move on to an urban setting has to be an “upgrade” in living – not the other way around.

Privacy is Key
As the “noise” in our lives continues to grow (think cell phones that find you wherever you are, constant messaging from marketers, the relentless commuting that has become a way of life for all of us,) while we all want a place to “plug in,” we also desperately need a place that is our own retreat from the hustle and bustle.  In hotels as well as senior living establishments, creating that “pod of privacy” is a key to appeal in the marketplace.

Living in Space
As children, we might have all envisioned living “in space” by the time the new millennium rolled around.  And, while we’re not all wearing gravity suits in space cities as we might have once imagined, seniors do want SPACE in their surroundings.  They want more space on planes, they want more space in between the tables at restaurants and they certainly want more space in their immediate living surroundings.  I know that we all have profitability on the brain, which often drives our executive decisions to squeeze in two more rooms on a floor or two more tables in a restaurant – so this may be a challenge to accommodate.  However, if your business model doesn’t lend itself to space as in square footage – it should absolutely subscribe to creating a sense of spaciousness in the interior design.

Now I am curious to know what you think?  How are Ruppies affecting your businesses in urban settings?  What design elements are you finding most important as you do business with the Ruppie-set?  Let’s talk trends….