Project Brief

The client for this project is an 80 year old woman who lives on her own. Her current two bedroom house where she has lived for the past 26 years is becoming a struggle to manage with the stairs after her several recent illnesses, so has decided to downsize to a one bedroom ground floor maisonette, nearer to the local shops and travel links. It is a big move for an elderly lady, and certain design aspects will need to be incorporated to help aid her in her everyday lifestyle.

The house was in a very poor condition when it was bought, so will need to be redesigned from scratch, particularly the bathroom and kitchen which are in need of new units. The third room which needs a lot of redecoration work is the bedroom. 

The client wants to take some of her furniture and soft furnishings from her old house to the new house, so these patterns and colour schemes will need to be considered when choosing the decoration. As a woman living on her own, the designs are to be feminine, and being elderly, the designs are not to be heavily modernised but instead include some more traditional features too.

The bedroom window faces out over the front garden and is opposite a large school, so appropriate window treatment is needed in order to keep some privacy. There are also two built in cupboards that can be used as wardrobes. The bathroom and the kitchen both look out over the courtyard garden, and the two windows allow plenty of light into the two small rooms. 

The client is of middle class and has extra money to spend on the decorating of the house due to her downsizing. The designs are to reflect the tastes and needs of an elderly woman and complement the existing furnishings that she is taking with her to the new house. 

Intended Primary research

• photographs of the space before designs commence
• samples/photographs of existing furnishings for the design to work around
• chat with client to find out ways design could help aid an elderly woman

Intended Secondary research

• research from books
• research from shop catalogues

I have drawn a diagram, simplifying the proposal by picking out the key words, to help identify what the main points of the project are.