8 minute read
Senior Living Communities: Window Treatments for the Ages
BY GAIL GUTSCHE
Have you ever visited a loved one in a nursing home? Those sometimes-dreary places that can look and feel like institutions? Once upon a time, our aging grandparents, parents, neighbors and friends had few choices when it was time to move to new housing and get more assistance with daily living. Senior living communities, as they are known today, have come a long way in the past 30 years. Designed to look, feel and act like home, communities for aging and differently abled populations offer a smorgasbord of amenities and activities. They also feature practical, safe and well-appointed common areas that include lobbies, lounges, dining rooms, libraries, game rooms, theaters, exercise rooms and more.
Not only are aging and disabled populations able to choose from more diverse and upscale living spaces, there are more companies than ever designing custom window treatments that enhance both the safety and beauty of these specialized communities. We spoke with two of them to learn about this business opportunity.
Tab-top stationary panels with tassel tiebacks made by Sunshine Drapery and Interior Design. The designer’s goal was to enhance the architectural design of the arch windows, accentuate their height and allow plenty of natural light to pass into the dining area. Each panel is one width of fabric with blackout lining to eliminate the sun from distorting the pattern of the face fabric. Draperies hang from black Designer Metal medallions by Kirsch. Each panel has a tassel tieback to create a more traditional design while allowing more natural light into the room.
Drapery fabric: Trend Fabrics. Pattern: 03671-T. Color: Sky. Tassels: Norbar Fabrics. Pattern: TR108-1. Color: Champagne. Hardware: Kirsch. Pattern: Designer Metals collection. Color: Black.
Scalloped box-pleat valance with stationary pinch-pleat draperies and tassel tiebacks. Sunshine Drapery and Interior Design sought to create a transitional window treatment with warm natural colors and contrasting accents. The scalloped valance has closed inverted pleats with a scalloped edge, creating a clean- yet traditional design. The draperies are a traditional pinch pleat with a brushed fringe down each leading edge. The tassel tiebacks are a traditional statement as well.
Valance and drapery fabric: D.L. Couch. Pattern: Tenor. Color: Quartz. Brushed fringe on draperies: Classic Label. Color: Champagne. Tassels: Norbar Fabrics. Pattern: TR108-1. Color: Champagne.
WINDOW TREATMENTS for the AGES
K&H worked with commercial design firm Design Point to select soothing and stylish fabrics for the bedspread, bed scarf, cubicle curtain, valance and faux-wood blind in this rehabilitation and skilled nursing unit.
Bedspread fabric: Fabricut Ottoman. Color: White.
Bed scarf and cubicle curtain fabric: DL Couch Abundance. Color: Spring. Valance fabric: Robert Allen Silk Road. Color: Pistachio.
Faux-wood blind: Lake Forest/ Springs Window Fashions.
K&H teamed up with commercial design firm Design Services to create a cozy, inviting atmosphere in this elegant lounge. Stationary panels and matching shaped cornice boards in warm burgundy accent the lower windows, while operable pinch-pleat sheers provide privacy. Rod-pocket stationary sheers adorn the upper windows.
KUHNS & HELLER (K&H) CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS, TREXLERTOWN, PA
“My mom and I founded the business in 1986. We started in residential and then moved into the commercial market in 2008, when we lost a major portion of our residential market,” says company president Sandy Kuhns. “The senior living market was increasing at that time, so we waded in. The opportunities there are better than in other commercial markets.”
Her mom has since passed away, but Sandy, her two brothers and a nephew continue to run the family business. Kuhns does much of the designing and they have their own workroom, but they also use outside designers and workrooms.
“Fifteen to 20 percent of our business is in senior living communities,” says Kuhns. “We do six facilities a year on average. It takes a couple of months from order to installation for each job. Most of our work is in Pennsylvania, but we also work in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia.”
For the most part, K&H designs and installs window treatments in common living areas, including dining rooms, lounges and lobbies. “The challenge is to make the window treatments attractive to both seniors and their families,” says Kuhns. “Everyone wants a homey, appealing, comfortable space that feels familiar but is still stylish and fashionable and works with today’s interiors. What I hear from children is, ‘Hey, this would be a great place for Mom’ and we want Mom to say, ‘This looks like home to me.’”
In addition to being stylish, window treatments have to pass rigorous fire code specifications, be easy and safe to operate, and be durable enough to withstand everyday wear and tear for years to come. Facilities typically prefer coverings that are washable.
Kuhns finds that simple, tasteful treatments work best. Stationary or operable drapery panels topped by a valance add a decorative aspect. These treatments are familiar to seniors, which is comforting. Calming, neutral colors are popular, as are soft blues. Robert Allen, Fabricut Contract, and Covington Fabric and Design all offer fire-retardant lines that are frequently used by K&H.
Shades and blinds are commonly utilized to provide light, sun control and privacy. Faux-wood blinds are popular because there are no cords in which to get entangled, and they can be fire-retardant.
WINDOW TREATMENTS for the AGES
Sunshine Drapery has been in business for 50 years. It entered the senior living market six years ago through auspicious circumstances. A couple who owned a momand-pop window treatment company, which they had built into a lucrative business serving the senior living market, decided to sell. “The woman Googled window treatment companies and Sunshine Drapery popped up,” says Tina Ingrim, project manager of senior living and lead designer for senior living and commercial sales. “They offered to sell us their two large clients and promised to help us train our employees in this work. And that is how we evolved into senior living. One phone call.”
Now senior community window treatments account for about 25 percent of the company’s business. The two large senior living clients are lucrative. One has over 100 facilities, most which are located in rural areas, while the other renovates its facilities every five to seven years. “Senior living communities are springing up everywhere. More and more of the senior communities are resort-like,” says Ingrim. “If you can move your aging parent out of their home and upgrade the standard of living they are used to, that is a bonus for all of the parties.”
She notes that these planned communities offer more than just end-of-life care. Instead, it’s enhanced living with assistance. “Laws are changing rapidly and requiring more amenities,” says Ingrim. “Window treatments have become more important in the overall picture. Residents and their families want it to feel like it’s a second home.”
Needs vary depending on the level of senior care. In independent and assisted living, soft, muted, tone-on-tone colors are prominent. “We do a lot of neutral drapery panels, and then add a colorful trim down the leading edge,” says Ingrim. “However, when we work in memory care living spaces, the treatments are more colorful. Colors really matter for people struggling with memory loss. Red draws people in, and, in the dining room, for instance, encourages them to eat.” Ingrim follows the 60/30/10 rule in most of her designs: 60 percent neutral, 30 percent pop-up color that coordinates with the furniture, and 10 percent accent color or texture. In addition to Fabricut Contract and Robert Allen, she uses fire-retardant fabrics from Avant Garde by Master Fabrics and Duralee.
She also pays attention to hardware. Once again, simple, clean lines are favored. “I use sleek hardware and simple finials and rods,” says Ingrim. “I like Paris Texas Hardware. They offer a one-inch rod, which is hard to find.”
Kuhns and Ingrim agree: Working with senior living communities is a business opportunity that has enriched the bottom line of each of their companies. These residences are literally sprouting up all over the country, in small towns, metropolitan areas and rural settings. Decorative, functional, safe and long-lasting window coverings are key to enriching the physical environment and lives of the residents who live there. z
Nickolas Sargent
< OPPOSITE PAGE: Kingston valance with stationary pinch-pleat draperies and tassel tiebacks. The designer’s goal was to create a formal, elegant dining space. The Kingston valance is a full, luxurious valance with the traditional swag appearance. The bells between each swag provide a more current design, while the cascading jabots on each side represent traditionality. A luxurious brushed fringe was applied to the edge of the Kingston for a more dramatic appearance. Stationary pinch-pleat draperies with tassel tiebacks create the appearance of traditional design favored by the community. Made by Sunshine Drapery and Interior Design.
Valance and drapery fabric: Trend Fabrics. Pattern: 03671T. Color: Sky. Brushed fringe on draperies: Classic Label. Color: Champagne. Tassels: Norbar Fabrics. Pattern: TR108-1. Color: Champagne.
˅ BELOW: Muted colors provide a cheerful environment in the fifth floor lobby of this senior living facility. Operable horizontal sheer shades feature veins that tilt open for light and a view and close for privacy. Shaped box-pleated valances add a homey feeling.
Shades: Comfortex. Color: Shangri-La. Fabric: Maxwell, Finish Line Fabric. Color: Cabernet.
