Most interior designers don't have to worry about holes in the floor that don't exist, or bugs on the wall that aren't there.
But designing for seniors is different, as a group of students from Century College in White Bear Lake recently discovered.
The students were offered the chance to redesign a care suite at the Pines in Richfield, one of more than 20 senior care communities owned by Augustana Care in Minnesota and Colorado.
Working with input from residents and staff, they discovered some of the issues that make designing for seniors different from sketching out the decor for a bank or a suburban rambler.
"We steered away from carpet patterns of light and dark, because the residents may perceive the dark areas as holes," said design student Lindy Haglund, presenting decorating concepts this week to Augustana's management team.
Haglund explained that the students also rejected wallpaper patterns with "squiggles," because they may look like bugs on the wall to older people.
Blue walls in dining areas were out, because the color is calming and may actually induce residents not to eat. Yellow or red are better choices, because they give off energy.
Fabrics and flooring must be durable and washable, and the style has to appeal both to residents — not too modern — and to their caregiving children or grandchildren — not too traditional.