Senior living as a broad segment category in commercial interiors has been a growing market for several decades for many Starnet members. The industry has been supported by the demographic trends as well as the carefully mapped business strategies of the developers and operators.
Phil Buda has been focused on the senior living market during his career with Starnet member Axis Interior Systems. His experience spans over nearly two decades in the segment with new construction and renovation, and in the following interview, relates how developments in the flooring market have brought changes in his clients' preferences.
LVT now dominates with my clients as the preferred product, and the manufacturers are doing a good job providing more design options, Buda says, with broadloom as the preferred product only for individual units because of its thermal properties.
My senior living clients were some of the first to adopt resilient wall base with architectural profiles and shapes. When I brought profiled base in as a solution to the chronic problems I had observed in these spaces, they responded immediately. They loved the improved appearance. Profiled resilient base continues to outperform traditional solutions like painted wood and traditional resilient cove base for durability. The adoption of LVT has also been successful. In wood patterns it is being used as a neutral background that does not disrupt the navigation of memory care patients, and at the same time seems to please independent resident and families that visit. We do have to watch some of the patterns that introduce knots and crowns in the wood pattern. That can be disruptive to some patient navigation. Read More
