Sid Evans, editor in chief of Southern Residing journal, is no stranger to idea homes. Having a pitch for just one from a reader, on the other hand, was a new knowledge. “I gained an email from Scott Rider, who has Parkinson’s condition, about a task he’d previously begun: setting up a cottage designed particularly for folks like him, who ended up residing with mobility challenges,” suggests Evans, who oversees the magazine’s once-a-year Southern Dwelling Thought Dwelling, a ground-up development showhouse that is built in a new place every single year.
“It created so considerably sense to companion with Scott and his workforce on the venture for a selection of reasons—[adaptive design] is just a smarter way to create a house,” suggests Evans. “Whether or not it will work properly for you, so numerous people today will have pals or family members users who have mobility challenges. If you are heading to be a excellent host, specifically from the Southern position of check out, in which we’re all about hospitality, you want any individual to feel welcome there, and you want persons to be ready to obtain the property and get all over. It’s just a superior concept to test to make houses more inviting and much more accommodating, and to present these tips to our viewers.”
Generating areas with easy, even transitions from a single space to the up coming was part of making the property obtainable.Laurey W. Glenn
By the time the journal came on board, Rider experienced already tapped professionals in his neighborhood in Habersham, South Carolina, who were keen to donate time and resources—a team that provided architects Eric Moser and Lauren Kelly of Moser Style Team designer Kathryn Lott developer Habersham Land Organization and builder Allen Patterson. The resulting undertaking can make its debut in the magazine’s August problem. The residence was bought previously this 12 months, with internet proceeds supporting the Parkinson’s Foundation the house strategy is now also out there to buy, and a share of all those profits will go to the Parkinson’s Foundation as nicely.
Specifying cupboard handles as an alternative of knobs had been a very simple decision that manufactured cupboards through the home much easier to open up.Laurey W. Glenn
Pull-out drawers in the closet were being vital to making storage uncomplicated to entry. Laurey W. Glenn
Still left: Specifying cabinet handles instead of knobs ended up a straightforward selection that made cupboards all through the dwelling easier to open up. Laurey W. Glenn | Proper: Pull-out drawers in the closet ended up essential to making storage simple to obtain. Laurey W. Glenn

From the outside, the residence seems to be like any other Lowcountry cottage. Inside, it options thoughtful facts like extra-extensive entryways, pocket doorways, counter-peak stores and even a pot filler set midway up the wall meant for filling pet bowls. The house approach also includes the alternative for an elegantly-made ramp on the home’s exterior. “As the task was producing, I would walk by the area with Scott, and he confirmed me how even the small things make a variation,” says Lott. “He would say, ‘You need to take into consideration hooks at a decreased stage for persons who are in wheelchairs,’ or, ‘We will need to consider cabinet handles that are pulls,’ which was exciting and eye-opening.”
The matter of ageing in location, in spite of the logic of it, is still not a popular 1 in the design and style community, conjuring photographs of stainless metal get bars and other clunky aspects in ADA-obtainable community areas. “When you talk about accessibility in the house, people’s minds do go to what they’ve observed in resort bathrooms,” says Moser. “You would not be in a position to inform that this is an adaptable dwelling, and, in simple fact, the men and women who bought it really don’t have any mobility issues at all—they just beloved the home.”
In the dwelling area, Lott developed seating solutions at several heights.Laurey W. Glenn
Lott hopes that exposing Southern Dwelling’s audience—which spans 13 million people—to the residence will aid illuminate the very simple techniques that designers can prolong the longevity, usability and inclusivity of a property. “I’m 35, and my mom and dad are in their 60s, and I know inevitably I’ll be getting treatment of them,” she says. “To know that my household totally could meet up with all those desires with just some insignificant adjustments, that’s astounding.”
To study much more about the Southern Living Adaptive Cottage, stop by the magazine’s web page or select up a duplicate of the August problem, on stands now.
Homepage image: The exterior of Southern Dwelling’s Adaptive Cottage | Photo by Laurey W. Glenn
