Accessible Custom Furniture | Made for You

A good friend has used a wheelchair for a number of years. I asked him what he would look for in custom furniture from an accessibility standpoint. His first comment was that 90% of people in his experience seemed to know what’s best for him without even having a clue.

Whether it was ineffective hand controls for a car or inconvenient leg braces to help him walk, he suffered the classic fate of most of us that use computer systems - the huge disconnect between designer and user.

Commercial doors are often ambiguous - do you push or pull?

What Knucklehead Designed This? | Colorado Furniture Precisely For You

How many times have you asked yourself, “Who designed this?” Why is the delete button next to the send button, so that instead of deleting that angry email to your boss you accidentally send it? Why put the hand controls on the left where they get in the way every time you get in and out of the car? Because it’s easier or cheaper? What about asking the user?

As a furniture designer, I’ve thought about how someone using a wheelchair, or with balance problems might interact with their furniture. But after collaborating with end users, I realized just how limited my thinking was. Even though I was correct, it wasn’t sufficient.

Think about opening a cabinet door. The swing on a larger door might run into a wheelchair. Opening that door might require a three point turn, like parking a car. But if the door pull was in the middle of the door, or even closer to the hinges, that can make it more efficient to navigate.

I never thought of that. To most designers, door pulls go opposite the hinges to get the most leverage, requiring less force to open the door. Notice I didn’t say easier, because for some, that design makes it harder to open the door. Perhaps we change our thinking and thus the priorities we design for.

Sliding cabinet doors

How Do We Elevate The Furniture Experience? | Designed To Fit Your Life

Or what if there is minimal room in front of the cabinet? Might a sliding door work better? Try finding that in a standard cabinet catalog.

Then there’s sleeping. Beds are often too short, making it a challenge to get up if you have hip problems. Or too tall. Towards the end of my mother’s life we actually cut the legs of her bed shorter so she could get in and out of bed with less struggle.

The Goldilocks height for a bed is different for everyone. It requires collaboration with the user and asking the right questions. You probably won’t find it at the box furniture store. How can we do a better job of creating beautiful, functional furniture that complements lifestyle rather than hinders it?

We’ve often discussed that custom furniture’s value is that it’s tailored to you. Focusing on your wants/needs is what makes handmade craft so special.

Are you ready to invest in what you deserve?