Architect Erick Mikiten helped Melanie and David Maher build a house in Livermore, California.

On the first floor, a gentle ramp ensures accessibility to common areas; all passageways are at least three feet wide. “Our goal was to accommodate a wheelchair without having the house feel designed differently at all,” says principal Lisa Gray. The builder on the project, Scotty McClelland, has known and worked closely with the families for many years.

So Melanie Maher could access the kitchen, Mikiten created a station with a KitchenAid cooktop, a refrigerator and freezer drawers from U-Line, and a Sharp drawer microwave. He also adjusted the height of the PaperStone counter to allow Melanie to roll her chair underneath.

In renovating the 90-square-foot kitchen of a Boston apartment, architect Chris Greenawalt drew upon both spatial and material solutions to create a pleasing and wheelchair-accessible space to accommodate all three of its tenants.

With more and more baby boomers reaching the age of 65, architect Susanne Stadler believes the time is right to rethink and redefine housing. “Homes for life” share key elements: adaptability, transparency and flexibility. Increasingly, kitchens can double as health centers to promote health and wellness, while bathrooms are more like living rooms than “dark caves with no natural light." Stadler cited Snaidero’s Skylab accessible kitchen as a model for Universal Design.

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Greenawalt also clad the undersides of taller cabinets in marble to create an attractive aesthetic from every angle.

LAYOUT The ADA states the minimum clearance for wheelchair accessibility is 32 inches wide. To improve flow, Soheil Nakhshab of Nakhshab Development & Design prefers a distance of 48 inches between the kitchen cabinets and the island (1). LIGHTING LED lights are long-lasting and easy on the eyes. In addition to task lighting above work stations, install lights in storage spaces to spotlight hard-to-see areas. STORAGE “You want daily-use items at waist-height,” says architect Karen Braitmayer, who recommends rolling cabinets (2) and pull-down shelves (3). Rotating lazy susan trays (4) and full-extension slide shelving also give easier access to deeper storage spaces. Child-safety locks on cabinets keep contents secure (5). DRAWERS Lever-style door handles and wide drawer pulls (6) are easier to grasp. Nakhshab also suggests a touch system “where you push the door and it pops open.” COOKTOP Induction cooktops (7), which conduct heat only when in contact with a magnetic cooking vessel, are safer for homes with children, as well as for adults who may forget to shut off the burners. Braitmayer likes burners set side-by-side with controls at the front. APPLIANCES Drawer-style appliances and side-opening doors can be game changers. “Imagine if you have a bad back,” says architect Robert Kahn. “The side-opening oven (8) is an ADA design that benefits the general population.” Light signals, which can be clearly seen from a distance, can also complement or replace audible alerts like buzzers. SINK Wheelchair users require clearance below the sink (9). Covering exposed pipes with insulating wrap can prevent burns or abrasions, says Braitmayer. Lever-style fixtures (10) are easier to grip than twist knobs, and motion-sensor technology gives users hands-free control. WORK SURFACES Countertops installed at varying levels (11) offer easy-to-use work spaces, regardless of the user’s height. Rails installed along the perimeter (12) offer extra support. FLOOR Surfaces like cork and rubber are comfortable, provide extra traction, and are smooth for wheelchairs plus, they hide nicks and scuffs.

The gradually inclined entrance ramp and open plan help make the house accessible to a range of users.

The living area features a Le Bombole ’07 sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, a Chieftan chair by Finn Juhl, and a rotating hanging stove by FireOrb. The poufs are by Tazi Designs.

In a narrow residual area between the breezeway and the house's northern elevation, Cohen created a so-called "skinny space," with a changing area accessible to the outdoor shower.

The owners are in their seventies – they actually got married during construction at the site – and they wanted to have a home that would be accessible when necessary. The shower is equipped for a wheelchair, and so is every hallway in the house.

The huge master bathroom includes a fully accessible walk-in shower.

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A pair of CH07 chairs by Hans Wegner face a stunning view of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge.

The bathroom's shower is wheelchair accessible, if needed.

A black Arne Jacobsen Series 07 chair from Fritz Hansen, Eames storage shelf from Vitra and white Eames DAX plastic armchairs.

The family room contains furniture reminiscent of Ligne Roset’s Togo collection and a CH 07 egg-carton lamp by Salvadoran designer Eugenio Menjívar.

To open up the kitchen’s tight quarters, Greenawalt removed an adjacent divider wall and created hollow areas beneath the sink, counter, and custom-built bar, allowing resident Amy Corcoran-Hunt to sit comfortably facing them in her wheelchair.

The lanai just off the living room and accessible to the kitchen.

Beds are lofted above the kitchenette and large bench, and are accessible by wooden ladders.

In the bathroom closest to their daughter's bedroom, the owners made the shower accessible to a wheelchair.

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David’s desk, like the other furniture in the apartment, was chosen for both style and wheelchair accessibility.

"The Andersons did a very good job of creating spaces that are completely accessible to all our family and friends,” says Naomi. "This house is so well designed that its accessibility is sometimes overlooked.”

Little fits the extreme indoor-outdoor living of the family better than an accessible spot for their sandals.

The view from the rear lawn towards the house. The outdoor living room is accessible from the family room (on the right) and the living room (on the left).

The green roof is accessible via ladder. "This type of insertion on the plot demanded care and attention with the design of the rooftop, which is the fifth facade of the building," adds the architects.

For the seating area, the couple selected a Charles sofa by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia in addition to CH07 Shell chairs by Hans Wegner, a PK61 coffee table by Poul Kjærholm, and a Nesta rug from Design Within Reach. The dining table, an original design by Burnette, is surrounded by stools that belonged to a previous owner.

The ADA compliant, handicap-accessible guesthouse at the Butterfly Gap Retreat in Maryland, Tennessee, just outside Knoxville.

In an apartment in Hong Kong, the bedroom sits on a raised floor that contains storage beneath. The Japanese-inspired cabinetry keeps the bedroom feeling fuss-free and simple, but the storage spaces are still accessible without needing to lift up the bed.

07 Dining hall corner view with landscape

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A private garden is accessible by a glass panel.