by cbhendricks | Jun 15, 2023 | aging in place, architecture, Charles Hendricks, Interior Design
It’s been awhile since we’ve written about Aging-In-Place, but as promised, we bring Part 2 to this series focusing on aesthetic misconceptions about this type of design. (Read Part 1 here). As a reminder, you can hear more about Aging-In-Place Design on the on the WSVA Early Mornings podcast where Charles recently joined Beth Bland of Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS) to talk about Aging in Place.
In the podcast, Beth addresses the common belief that Aging-In-Place modifications/aging friendly design can’t be beautiful or aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, this is a common misconception that prevents people from adding these modifications to their homes. We want to break that stereotype. You can make a beautiful house that is also accessible to people with a wide variety of abilities.
This misconception stems both from misinformation and often, a confusion of the terms “ADA compliant design” and Aging-In-Place design.” Here’s a recap from Part 1 in case you missed it.
ADA compliant design vs. Aging-In-Place modifications Recap:
Often ADA design and Aging in Place modifications overlap, but Aging in Place is centered around customizing spaces for you and your abilities. It expands beyond simply meeting the bare minimum requirements of basic building codes to creating something unique and beautiful for your day to day life. This sort of design can be added to your existing home or built into a new one.
Not only is Aging in Place customized around each individual’s physical design needs, but the entire process can be customized around your needs and might include financial, location, and relational considerations.
Beth asks, What things can you do to make aging-in-place modifications in a home look pretty?
Many designs are becoming popular that also happen to be aging friendly. In showers, you can take a tub out and put in a roll-in shower. In the interview, Charles says that he now puts no-step showers into most new houses because “they’re just gorgeous… people love them.” Example pictures below.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are particularly important for modifications because water and soap can lead to slip and fall related accidents. For those with balance and mobility challenges, a towel bar that functions also as a grab bar can be installed. (One example here). Sinks can have open space beneath them to allow wheelchairs to slide underneath and give more access to the faucet. A curved front of a sink not only makes a sink more accessible for wheelchairs but gives easier reach for everyone because the sink follows the natural curve of our bodies.
This Modern Home has a beautiful sitting area in their restroom at the vanity (right).
View this custom home portfolio here.
Another example is to have a detached garage (left) that’s connected to the house by a breezeway. This distance from your house keeps chemicals and fumes out that come from your car and things that are often stored in a garage. Air quality is important to everyone, and you can be even more sensitive to poor air quality as you age. A breezeway creates visual interest to a house design and gives space for creative landscaping options. (See left for a beautiful example).
In the kitchen, you can also have a roll-under cabinets, islands, or bars. The space underneath functions dually for stationary chairs and wheelchairs. Counter tops of varying heights make it more accessible for kids, wheelchairs, and any height! Examples of a roll-under island design below.
Aging-In-Place modifications can be an expression of your creative style. For example, this home has a unique pull-out spice drawer that’s hidden in it’s design and allows for easy access without overhead reach (pictured left).
Grand Doorways and Beyond
These modifications are often a common part of design that you may not even notice unless you were paying attention or it was helping with your specific need. One such example is bigger doorways that allow wheelchairs and every size person to easily get through. Imagine too that you’re carrying a large platter of food for dinner or moving a couch into your home. A wider doorway like the one pictured below accommodates these kinds of common activities too. Aging-In-Place is for everyone.
For more information on making a home aging friendly, see these links to a few professionals and experts that are right here in the Valley:
by cbhendricks | Jun 9, 2023 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, Office Culture, team
We’ve had a lot to celebrate recently, from a ribbon cutting to graduations to many new people joining our team to a new arrival soon joining the family of one of our team members. This has given our offices chances to celebrate and get to know each other in this transition time of our company. Thank you to everyone who has celebrated these milestones and changes with us.
Below is a glimpse into some of these celebrations.
On Friday, June 2nd, we had a large party at the Chesapeake Western Depot that combined our ribbon cutting ceremony with our monthly First Friday celebration, this time featuring three artists (Veronica, Asha, and the Clymer & Kurtz band)!
Photos of speeches and the Clymer & Kurtz band by Tony DiStefano
At the ceremony, Deborah Smith, Mayor Deanna Reed, Charles Hendricks, Raymond Gaines, and Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk Chaz Haywood spoke about the importance of community. It really was a community event, and we felt the love and support. Thank you to everyone who came out to join us in this celebration!
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Yesterday we celebrated our team members and their accomplishments: new family additions, graduation from three universities (UVA, JMU, and Liberty), and welcoming the hiring of six new staff members in the past year!
Team Lunch
Site visit to 5|Row Apartments, a project that Paul, Ray, and Adrienne are working on, to see up-close what the process looks like.
We are so excited for all of the additions to the team and perspectives and skills that they bring. There’s surely a lot to celebrate.
by cbhendricks | May 25, 2023 | artwork, community, First Friday
Just ANNOUNCED: The Gaines Group Celebration on June 2nd will now feature music duo Clymer & Kurtz as a third artist at our event! (See blogs for other artists Asha L Beck and Veronica Horst). Their music will fill our outdoor area for the ribbon cutting and celebration, and you can see Asha Beck’s and Veronica Horst’s art galleries upstairs. You do not want to miss these gifted musicians who are lauded by how they weave beauty through their lyrics and unique blend of folk-rock style. Join us for food, drinks, artists, music, and community!
As a reminder, this Gaines Group Celebration and First Fridays gallery openings will be held on Friday, June 2nd from 5:00 – 7:00pm.
Folk-rock singer-songwriter duo Clymer & Kurtz seamlessly blends intense and gentle melodies textured with harmonies, agile and inventive guitar playing, piano, and sometimes percussion. Based in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Maria Clymer and Christopher Kurtz have collaborated for decades, crafting music that is at once simple and rich, emotive and unique.
Inspired by Over the Rhine, Indigo Girls, The Proclaimers, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Diamond Rio, Alison Krauss, Donna the Buffalo, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and many others, their music has been called “freshly original” … “outside the usual run” … “subtle and always imaginative. ”They have performed at the Sipe Center, Sing Me High Music Festival, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival’s Spring into Bach 2021, Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg First Night and Best Weekend Ever events, coffee shops, private dinners and parties, farmers markets, house/lawn concerts and various community events. Clymer & Kurtz recordings include Keep Me Around (2022), Coffee & Cake (2021), Here Comes the Moon (2020), and a debut release Clymer & Kurtz (2019). Their former band’s recordings include Snow on Snow on Snow (2018), Rain (2014), and Arms Uncrossed (2012).
Gaines Group Architects Celebration
This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.
Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We have food and drink available year-round!
by cbhendricks | May 19, 2023 | artwork, First Friday
On Friday, June 2nd from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening at The Depot featuring artist Asha L Beck! Asha is a talented artist who is also on staff here at The Gaines Group Architects as the Office Manager/Marketing Team Leader. Join us to view her powerful photo exhibition entitled “The Earth On Our Backs” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community. Also don’t miss our other featured artist, Veronica Horst for her own exhibition “Stitched In Place”.
Below Asha shares more about her work and journey as an artist, and you can view the online gallery and expanded artist statement here. Contact her if interested in reading her full length thesis.
A local from the nearby Linville area, Asha L Beck (she/her) is a recent graduate of Eastern Mennonite University with a Bachelor’s in Digital Media & Communications. She also currently works as the Office Manager/Marketing Team Leader for The Gaines Group Architects and spends many of her evenings painting the mural in the EMU Science Center. Asha loves to dabble in a wide range of art forms including watercolor, ink sketches, ceramics, photography, graphic design, and dance. She is drawn to art forms again and again as a way of expression and story-telling.
“The Earth on Our Backs” weaves bodily experience with natural forms to create a definition of beauty that is rooted in inherent power from the earth. It exposes beauty as an interplay between forms that are more similar than we might imagine. Instead of seeing ourselves in nature or seeing nature in us, we can see that nature is us and we are nature.
Instagram: @the_artful_a
Behance: Asha Beck
This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.
Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
by cbhendricks | May 19, 2023 | artwork, First Friday
On Friday, June 2nd from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening at The Depot featuring artist Veronica Horst! Veronica is a talented artist with experience in a wide range of mediums. Their exhibition ‘Stitched in Place‘ brings together embroidery, watercolor, pen and ink, 3D canvas elements, and interviews to create interactive portraits that tell the story of each individual’s connection to a space. Join us to welcome Veronica and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community. Also don’t miss our other featured artist, Asha L Beck for her exhibition “The Earth on Our Backs”.
Below they share more about their work and journey as an artist, and you can view the online gallery and expanded artist statement here.
Veronica Horst (they/she) graduated in May 2023 from Eastern Mennonite University with Bachelor’s degrees in Art and Psychology. Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, they have enjoyed living in Harrisonburg and exploring the Shenandoah Valley. Veronica values experimentation as part of the artistic process and has utilized mediums including ceramics, stained glass, wire, fabric, charcoal, paint, and stitching. They created and displayed their first mixed media series entitled “Stitched in Place” this Spring as their senior thesis project at EMU. Although the pieces being displayed are not for sale to the public, commissions are open for anyone interested in a map portrait of their own!
This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.
Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
