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A progressive, prototype house in Colorado was designed and built to allow its owners to age-in-place comfortably, safely, and independently. The house’s owner and designer, Cynthia Leibrock, is also a building consultant and Harvard instructor. Both were profiled in a recent article.

Leibrock believes that aesthetics are just as important as functionality when considering aging-in-place modifications to one’s home. “In the marketing minefield of design for aging, it may be good for you, but if it doesn’t look good, nobody’s interested.”

Her home is an attractive and modern glass-and-steel structure nestled in the Colorado Rockies. It comes equipped with a high-end kitchen that has a Gaggenau magnetic induction cook top (which won’t burn if you touch it) and column refrigerator with shallow shelves that brings food (and their scents) closer to seniors who may have diminished olfactory senses.

The guest bath has a reflecting pool and a steam shower—but the mechanical lift that gets one in and out of the tub is hidden in the ceiling. Should support bars ever be needed near the toilet someday, the required engineering is concealed behind the wall—no complicated installation is required, as the tiles snap off allowing the bars to be added. Said Leibrock, “Designing a home with an eye toward easy renovation is key to aging-in-place.”

Her newly renovated home is named, Green Mountain Ranch, and it is intended to be a showcase, laboratory, and training center for those interested in universal design. In fact, a dozen manufacturers have each donated thousands of dollars worth of products for the house.

Other aging-in-place friendly features include two Murphy beds, a barrier-free bathroom that has a wheelchair accessible toilet in the shower, and a moveable wall between the bathroom and the den which can allow wheelchair access if needed.

Leibrock’s inspiration for her aging-in-place designs come from negative personal experiences with care facilities. “I have a brother who has schizophrenia, and he was inappropriately housed in institutions and nursing homes when I was younger, and I saw how much suffering that caused.” As a result, she wants to stay far away from the “gross” aesthetics of rehabilitation hospitals in her designs.

When Leibrock and her husband bought their home in 1994, she was determined to create an aging-in-place home that was free of any hospital or institutional vibes. Other renovations include universal design features like: a computer-controlled thermostat, kitchen cabinets and counters that can be lowered, recessed door and bath mats, as well as a step-free entrance at the side of the house.

She explained her philosophy for universal design, “I want people to know that no matter whether they have mental or physical disabilities—they are only disabled if they can’t do what they want to do.” Leibrock believes that architecture can eliminate disability through design. She added, “If you are in a house where you can do what you want to do, you’re not disabled anymore.”

Her selling approach is to market her work in terms of great design and good health. She has also written several books on aging-in-place design, including Design Details for Health and Beautiful Universal Design.

Leibrock’s Web site lists information about all of the products in her home and the ways in which other homes can be adapted for aging-in-place. “That’s what this house is all about—Why not do it if it can be exciting and still help you to age-in-place?”