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Purposefully Designed Communities That Feel Like Home

Our properties are a vibrant part of their wider communities. Inside, private residences, intimate nooks, and gathering spaces reflect the spirit of home and the aesthetic of the region. Outside, beautifully manicured grounds immerse you in the abundance of nature, with local flora, culinary gardens, and water features.

Each community has its unique design features that echo the local land and architecture. We design spaces with purpose; including elements that feel warm while functioning as a stimulant for cognitive ability and independence. Incorporating natural light, courtyards and outdoor spaces, open dining rooms, ample interior space, and contrasting colors, each community feels like home.

Here are just a few ways we incorporate purposeful design at Maplewood Senior Living.

Natural Light – Whether you’re walking down a hallway, sitting in the chapel, or visiting one of our dining rooms, you’ll immediately notice the role light plays in our strategic design.

Light offers practical functionality, by allowing our residents to see better as they move around the community. It also serves as a sense of comfort to many of our residents battling dementia, and anxiety that can be caused by dark areas and is proven to reduce depression.  In designing our home-like environments, natural light is a crucial component.

Courtyards and Outdoor Spaces – To continue the feeling of home, our communities offer secure spaces where residents can go outside, as the weather permits. Outdoor spaces are the perfect setting for gardening, gathering, or just soaking up nature.

Outdoor seating and dining area at Maplewood at Strawberry Hill.

The connection to nature – whether it is seeing, smelling, or touching, the ability to enjoy the outdoors safely is especially important for individuals with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia and is an important part of our memory care program. Our team focuses on giving our residents the ability to feel independent and in control of their lives as much as possible, and these spaces allow them to make decisions to engage as they choose.

Ample Interior Space to Stroll & Engage – We invite you to take a walk through any of our communities and see if you notice what makes us different. Our design layout encourages our residents to stroll while engaging along the way. Wide hallways decorated with art allow for residents and associates to pass easily but also allow for impromptu conversations without blocking others. You’ll notice destinations in every direction, like a library, welcoming sitting area, art studio, and more. Our large living spaces also provide great areas to connect with visiting family members and host our numerous exercise classes or visiting speakers.

Whether our residents want to connect with a group or sit quietly with a book, they’re empowered to make those choices for themselves.

a senior woman holds hands with an employee while walking the halls
An associate walks down a hallway with a resident.

Contrasted Colors – We didn’t just hire a qualified interior designer to choose our paint and fabric swatches. Our purposeful design covers the colors we choose, and how we contrast them. Down the hallways, you’ll notice gentle variations in carpet patterns. These contrasts help our visually impaired residents better see the floor and reduces their risk of a fall. The same visual cues continue in the fabric of our chairs and couches, which vary slightly from the carpet colors that lay beneath them. As dementia progresses, and depth perception fades, color and pattern variations help our residents see clearly as they sit down or get up.

Down the hallways, soft wall colors contrast with our resident’s doors, and other areas they are welcome to enter. If a door is used primarily for staff, it’s a different color; one that blends in with the wall, helping to reduce confusion.

Open Dining Rooms – Our dining rooms are designed for socializing. These large open areas are a combined effort of natural light, ample space, and contrasting colors for our resident’s safety. Beyond that, we have created dining rooms that mimic fine dining restaurants, set with complete dinnerware.

Kitchens that open to the dining room, have been created to invite our residents to enjoy the aromas of freshly cooked meals and foster communication with our culinary team. Our white dinnerware serves as a lovely backdrop – allowing our freshly prepared meals to take center stage and entice the eyes as much as the palate.

We’ve designed the communities and neighborhoods to adapt to the needs of our residents, and not vice versa. As you consider Maplewood Senior Living, we invite you to visit us and see the difference purposeful design can make; in the transition to assisted living and the future quality of life for your loved one. To schedule a tour of our communities, please contact us.


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475-259-3252

1 Gorham Island Rd

Westport, CT 06880


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