The Best of Return On Design: Designing With Intention for Today, Tomorrow & Beyond | #42

Return on Design - Rachel Niederhofer

In this episode of Return on Design, host Rachel Niederhofer explores the concept of designing with intention—focusing on aging in place, fu

Key takeaways

• Designing with intention means prioritizing function and lifestyle over aesthetics alone.
• Aging in place is not just for older adults—it's about preparing homes for evolving needs across generations.

Main topics

• Aging in place and long-term home planning
• Functionality vs. aesthetics in interior design

Notable quotes

"Designing with intention is not just about perfection, but it's really about the experience."

"Aging in place is not just about later life—it's about designing intentionally with the future in mind."

Conclusion

Designing with intention—considering future needs, functionality, and architectural potential—creates

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) So the first layer is diagnosis. You know, I can't I can't design anything for you until I understand what your needs are. Design in a house is not just about perfection, but it's really about the experience. This Speaker 1 (0:13) aging in place is not just about the later in life. It's it's about designing intentionally with the future in mind. Speaker 2 (0:21) Elevated architecture is about proportion and scale to the room. So. Architecture is, you know, there's depth and layers to architecture. It's not purely just like the structure of a building. It's placement of windows and ceiling hides and millwork features or even features within the internal structure. Welcome to Return on Design, the podcast where beauty meets strategy and interiors become assets that perform. I'm your host, Rachel Niederhofer, designer, investor, and builder of high-impact spaces that deliver real results. Alongside my husband, I run both a design firm and a real estate investment company, where I live at the intersection of creativity and ROI every day. Each week, I'll be unpacking what most people overlook. How strategic design decisions can grow your investment, elevate your lifestyle, and unlock the full potential of your property. You'll get real tools, proven strategies, and unfiltered conversations with industry experts who are doing it right. So if you're ready to invest with purpose and leverage design as a powerful tool, Speaker 1 (1:35) this podcast is for you. Speaker 2 (1:38) So the first layer is diagnosis. I can't design anything for you until I understand what your needs are. And then once I have the design, then I execute. So if I'm over here in the execution lane, and I don't understand what my needs are, and I don't have a design plan, I mean, you're destituting yourself to a regret situation. Exactly what we're talking about. So many people... make decisions. And it's not that they're necessarily making the wrong decisions, but oftentimes they're making the right decisions at the wrong time and it leads to regret. First step is I want you to start thinking about function. What is the function for you specifically? Do you cook a lot? Or... Do you knock a lot? Do you entertain a lot? What's the lifestyle around Speaker 1 (2:33) that? Speaker 2 (2:33) Is it your primary Speaker 1 (2:34) gathering spot? Because Speaker 2 (2:35) it does vary and it has to become specific for you to identify that functionality piece. And I already mentioned lifestyle, but that's sort of step two is, you know, the experience or the lifestyle. So hand in hand with function, what are you doing in the space and what do you want to be doing? So oftentimes, you have to take yourself through the process of like, where am I? Where do I want to be? Type questions around design. Because if you're designing a space, redesigning, there's something that you're trying to achieve. And you have to be able to give more context to that. And that's the good, where am I? Where do I want to be? Questions. So in a kitchen renovation, as an example, ask yourself like, How is my kitchen functioning right now? And what do I want to do or how do I want this space to function? So I have to go through a series of probing questions that allows me to help them uproot the real cause to the pain that they're experiencing and then design around that. These are great examples of why... Design in a house is not just about perfection, but it's really about the experience and who's living in the space, what do they like to do in the space, and how can you design around that experience to foster the community within your own family and all the joys that come with just being together. As a designer and a mom, it's so important that you understand your audience. Who am I designing the space for? How are we going to use the space? What's the function? And I've got to interview my clientele. I got to know what do they see? What's their vision? And how can I design that to make that vision a reality? I would encourage all of our listeners this new year, maybe start asking your kids and your family, what do they love about this space? And what do they maybe want to see different? See where that leads you into your... Speaker 2 (4:42) cultivating your dream space. This Speaker 1 (4:44) aging in place is not just about the later in life. It's about designing intentionally with the future in mind, though. Speaker 2 (4:52) People are really wanting to understand, you know, what is this going to do for me in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years? And this is a real shift that is happening. I mean, aging in place is pretty much what it sounds like. It's the concept of Somebody being able to gracefully age, get older as their life changes, their physical needs change, and their house be equipped to actually support that progression of age. So accessibility, lovability, the safety, the ability to actually stay where you are and grow into the space. Speaker 1 (5:33) Yeah, and what's interesting is this isn't just... you know, solely limited to, you know, some of the older generation that's looking at long-term living and being with her, but it's also impacting some of the younger generations. So why is designing with this aging in place so important right now? You know, and why is it important to so many different people? Great Speaker 2 (5:55) question. Like I said, people want to be able to stay in their homes. We're kind of on this cusp, this generational shift that You know, the boomers are starting to get out of the workforce more and they don't necessarily want to live in a retirement facility. They want to have the comfort and accessibility of their independence. And, you know, that matters in terms of having a space that can actually support their lifestyle, whether it's assisted or fully independent. Speaker 1 (6:27) And even trying to get into some of those assisted living. The demand is so high right now and it's only getting higher, but the availability of those spots are, are, are limited, you Speaker 2 (6:39) know, Speaker 1