Designing safe & beautiful interiors for low vision & aging in place
- Neyir Urminsky
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
Our interiors need to serve so many functions & in our family one of those is to be welcoming & beautiful while another, even more vital provision, is to function well for my son, now diagnosed with low vision, & my elderly mother who is aging in place.
This spring for my One Room Challenge I will be tackling accessibility in our home. The ORC is a wonderful biennial event sponsored by Apartment Therapy, be sure to check out the other projects here!
Before we go any further it is important to say that I am sharing our experience and my opinion based on the research I have done (please see sources at the bottom of this post). Every person and diagnosis is different and it is crucial that you evaluate what is right for you or your client. Also vision and conditions shift and evolve so solutions need to be equally flexible!
Usher Syndrome and low vision
My son has Usher syndrome which is a genetic diagnosis. There are different types and different responsible genes but in general people with Ushers will be impacted both in hearing and vision. Our son is profoundly deaf and uses Cochlear implants (CIs) for his main communication along with some ASL and at 9.5 he is now experiencing night blindness. The solutions we are implementing at the moment focus on night blindness and light levels but we are also making some changes for my elderly mother that will also be beneficial for our son in the longer term.
As part of his Ushers our son has a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and Vestibular Dysfunction (balance issues). The night blindness is part of the initial symptoms of RP and what needs to be addressed immediately. I won’t go into the details of the science (that’s my husband’s department) but on a basic level my son’s eyes need to dilate more than is typical to allow in enough light to see. In daylight and generally indoors he sees well but in the dark or very low light levels his eyes simply aren’t able to dilate to allow in enough light. Also his eyes take longer to adjust than is typical when he transitions from bright to dimmer spaces.
So what’s a design loving, devoted mom to do? Research, think, research some more and come up with a design solution! I’m not trying to make light of my son’s diagnosis, my goal is to create a safe but wonderful environment for him and for all of us to enjoy together.
Light Reflectance Value or LRV to design safe interiors for low vision & aging in place
All surfaces, including paints have a Light Reflectance Value/Light Reflecting Value (LRV). I knew that understanding and using LRV would be crucial to a successful and accessible design plan but really struggled to find clear metrics to implement! LRV is generally seen as a plain number but is actually the percentage of light that is reflected back. The higher the number the more light is reflected, and the lighter the colour. While I did eventually finally find clear guidance, it is important to remember that personal preference and needs vary within the low vision community just as within society at large.
LRV is available for all paint colours, I only found the info recorded on the Sherwin Williams chips here in Canada but you can look up colours on the brands’ website or on the amazing encycolorpedia.com. From my research The general rule of thumb in creating contrast is to be sure to have at least a difference in LRV of 20 between elements and ideally 30. In terms of hazards in the built environment I also saw as high as 50, that was in relation to hazards such as train tracks. I worked to be sure we had at least 30 wherever there was a potential safety issue, ie our staircase.
Designing an accessible scheme for low vision, consider;
Contrast
In everything I have read and seen in person, contrast is one of the key pillars to making spaces work for those with low vision. That also often means for those aging in place as our vision changes as we get older.
Practically speaking my main takeaway was any time 2 surfaces are in direct contact but serving different functions they need to have a difference of at least 20-30 LRV. Think floor/wall, wall/doorway & door, floor/stairs, wall/railing, countertop/cabinet, wall/light switch, wooden floor/carpet, floor/table, wall/towel rack, wall/toilet, floor/vanity, etc.
A note on paint finish, glare can be a big challenge for an individual with low vision. As such you want to avoid high sheen paint finishes, also white walls need to be evaluated for glare. Having said that I know there are low vision folks who love sparkle. The way I look at it is you can choose to add sparkle and reflective finishes throughout your home but you don’t want your moulding and railings randomly glaring throughout the day as light levels change!
Lighting
Just as individuals differ, needs shift and change even daily and as diagnoses progress. Light levels are highly personal and may shift continually, as such dimmer switches and smart bulbs that allow for different colours of Kelvin temperature should be seriously considered. It is important to note that colour temperature can change the LRV of a finish so this needs to be taken into account. Also the flexibility to position sources of light as needed, along with multiple light sources in a room that can be controlled individually. There is an amazing youtube video I reference below from Molly Burke where one strategy is the use of light is to direct her throughout her stunning space!
Something we will be tackling later will be consistent light levels throughout the house, once we are at that stage a professional evaluator from the Low Vision Clinic will come to our house to give recommendations.
Flooring changes
Changes of flooring in texture can be used to signal a change of space/use however if the surfaces are level contrast should be minimal to avoid signalling a step or hole (PDF p6). Also zero thresholds should be used whenever possible. If a threshold can’t be level then it must be highlighted with a bright/contrasting colour. Using textured strips on stairs is something I saw in many sources and have experienced myself, particularly on the final step to signal the end of a run. Overall flooring is not something we are tackling much at the moment with the exception of on the stairs.
Woes of our Vestibule
I will share more details in the coming weeks of how we are implementing this information. At the moment the first and most pressing project is repainting the vestibule. If you have been around for a while you will remember that the vestibule was the second ORC project I tackled. At the time I was very interested in the notion of expansion and contraction, the vestibule is a small closed room that opens into a comparatively expansive space in the middle of the house. To highlight that relationship I chose a really dark colour (beacon blue by behr, LRV of 9!) but despite a light fixture with two 100 watt equivalent bulbs it is very dark. We all struggle with the low light in this space and it is a nightmare coming from the bright outdoors inside, even on an overcast day!
At the moment the wallpaper will be staying, I did see recommendations to avoid pattern in numerous sources but that is not currently an issue for our son. I will be priming and repainting the walls and ceiling with Sherwin Williams Tidewater (LRV 65) and the trim and doors will be painted Reflecting Pool also SW (LRV 39), giving a differential of 26.
After that I will be tackling the stairwell and hallways which have a number of different elements. I am excited about the colour scheme we landed on, dictated of course by LRV!
Sources;
Canadian Standards Association - Accessible Design for the Build Environment
Royal National Institute for the Blind - Colour & contrast for people with sight loss
Molly Burke's amazing condo!
American Academy of Ophthalmology - 21 ways aging changes your eyes
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