Lake Barrington Woods

The Partnership

The Chipman team has collaborated with Senior Lifestyle Corporation for over five years on properties throughout the United State. While the concepts are always unique and specific per project, the team references classic vintage details in a nod to the community’s locale for Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care and Skilled Nursing Facilities.

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The Highlights

Within a senior living community nestled onto nine acres of pines and wetlands, designers thoughtfully reinterpreted 2,160 square feet in the main building, creating two distinct, social spaces for residents. Adhering to a strict $300,000 budget and tight four-week turnaround, the architecture/interiors team created a design that not only introduced new furnishings into a lively plan, but also accommodated upgraded kitchen equipment and new prep spaces. To realize the fully renovated Grill and adjoining Bar/Lounge, construction timelines remained sensitive to live-in community parameters of restricted hours and potentially intrusive contractor activity.  

Design sensitively addressed senior lifestyle and ADA function. With client collaboration, existing space usage and dated furnishings were reinterpreted creating a relaxed social destination. In the popular Lounge, bar-seating was lowered to counter-height levels, and removing a little-used pool table added much-needed seating capacity for the senior social Happy Hour.  The Grill’s adjacent expansion relocated a community-run retail space, creating a 30-seat residential eatery accommodating daily lunches and Sunday dinners.

Careful kitchen planning kept budget allocations to a deliberate $17,000 through re-use of existing equipment, supplementing the smart, updated layout with new bar coolers, a soda machine and commercial refrigerators. A former back-of-house corridor was reclaimed for residential passage, adjoining distinct Grill and Bar social spaces while adding a partial height wall to showcase the attractive, new open kitchen.

The overall concept references classic vintage detail in a nod to the community’s locale, including the new art installation featuring a gallery of historic area photography.  Furnishings forged new warmth with the addition of relaxed lounge chairs, comfortable sofas, senior-appropriate dining tables and chairs as well as enhanced lighting. From the warmly reclaimed fireplace focus to intimate furniture layouts and materials for flooring, wallcovering, paint and overall design, this reinterpretation of space celebrates the possibilities of senior lifestyle.