How homeowners are renovating their kitchens so they can age in place

Entering their 70s, Jan Volin and Philip Goldstein had a decision to make. Should they move to an over-55 or continuing-care community, they pondered, or renovate their house to allow for safety and comfort as they age?

They had lived in their Maple Glen home for more than 40 years in a community they loved, and weren’t eager to leave.

“We spent a lot of time really thinking about how we wanted to age,” recalled Volin. “We decided we wanted to stay independent in our home as long as we could.”

The couple recognized that getting older often comes with physical changes, including worsening eyesight, reduced grip strength, difficulty bending or reaching, and trouble standing for long periods. In time, they may need to use a walker or wheelchair, or require a caregiver for support.

So in 2023 they began a six-month makeover of their Montgomery County home, including major changes to the kitchen.

Before diving into their kitchen renovation, the couple worked with Lower Gwynedd-based Harth Builders, to anticipate potential physical limitations that come with aging and how they could address those in a renovation.

The new open floor plan includes wide aisles and hardwood flooring throughout, without any thresholds or rugs that could pose a tripping hazard.

They created a large island at counter height for food prep, with a second tier at chair level for dining. The counter was designed without legs, so if necessary, a wheelchair can fit below. Cabinetry includes easily accessible large drawers to house dishes, pots, pans, and other wares.

The lower oven opens from the side rather than the top so “You don’t have to reach or bend over to get food in or out,” said Goldstein. And the microwave is at counter height. Both are internet enabled for use from their smartphones.

Their faucets turn on and off with the tap of a finger, and the sink and doors are all equipped with levers — rather than knobs, which may become more difficult to turn as they get older.

When addressing current special needs in kitchen renovations, about a third of homeowners surveyed focused on aging household members, according to the 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. About 40% of respondents said the future needs of aging household members were a priority.

“There’s no age too early to start thinking about this,” said Amy Goyer, a family and caregiving expert at AARP, who recommends the HomeFit Guide for comfort and safety tips for every room in the house. “Look at how you use the kitchen now and how you might use it in the future as you get older,” she said.

These principles that we started putting in place for older homeowners are now considered best practice, said Gregory Harth, president and chief visionary officer of Harth Builders.

“Nobody wants to trip over a hazard in the floor and everyone appreciates better lighting and lighting control,” he said.

Outfitting your kitchen with the features helpful for age-related changes typically add about 20% to your overall budget, Harth said.

Be sure your plan considers accessibility, safety, and ease of use. That includes wide pathways with enough room for two people to pass each other at the same time — perhaps a caregiver — or for a walker or wheelchair to move through unimpeded.

“We find in kitchens four feet makes a world of difference,” said Harth. “The kitchen is usually the heart of the home with a lot of traffic going through while you also have functionality of cooking and entertaining.”

Flooring should be at a consistent height throughout the room, and if the kitchen flows into other rooms, it’s best to keep those flooring heights the same, as well. Homeowners may want to install a nonslip floor they can stand on comfortably for a period of time.

“Particularly as we age, tile is a very hard surface to stand on, and the difference between wood and tile makes a difference in the comfort of you standing,” Harth said.

Multiple layers of lighting, including overhead, task, safety, and accent lighting, can be helpful for visibility. Under-cabinet lights provide focused lighting during prep. Motion-activated lights and toe-kick lighting will activate automatically, eliminating the annoyance of finding a light switch. Including dimmers and anti-glare features can help reduce shadows and improve visibility for aging eyes.

“Lighting should be installed using separate circuits to highlight the overall kitchen space — the cabinetry, and specific work zones, such as the island, stove, sink and refrigerator — with under-cabinet lighting for all countertops,” said Jonathan Scholl, owner of Dovetail Group, a design and build firm based in West Chester. “Using multiple lighting circuits with dimmers on each, you can adjust the lighting for prep work and cooking vs. entertaining.”

Through smart technology, a virtual assistant can be programmed to do small tasks, including turning on and off lights, starting the coffee, and preheating the oven.

Additional physical tasks can by made more manageable with smart storage design.

“In base cabinets, large drawers with heavy-duty, full-extension hardware, are much easier to access than the old shelves behind doors or even the pullout shelves behind doors,” said Scholl.

Lift cabinets or appliance garages are ideal for heavy mixers or bulky appliances that can be hidden behind cabinet doors, within easy reach without having to lift or move them.

Ease of cleaning is also important to consider.

Glass top induction cooktops are easy to clean and energy efficient. Under-mount sinks are great for wiping counters clean. Positioned where the prep work happens, pull-out trash bins with two bins, one for trash and one for recycling or compost, are more efficient than a free-standing trash can.

Goyer discovered a great kitchen hack: above the pull-out trash cans she installed a pull-out drawer with a cutting board that has a hole in the center. She chops her vegetables, then pushes the unusable parts through the hole directly into the trash.

When Donna and Peter Mill of West Chester approached the Dovetail Group last summer about a kitchen makeover, it was more about the aesthetics of a 1980s kitchen than their concerns about aging in place. Peter loves doing yardwork so staying in the home was important.

“We didn’t think about specific things related to aging in place until Jonathan started talking about it in that way,” said Donna.

Donna and Peter, in their mid-60s, are tall, which is reflected in the kitchen they renovated. For example, they put the microwave at eye level so they wouldn’t have to bend down to reach it, but hid it behind a door that lifts for access.

They also built cabinets up to the ceiling. At 6-foot-4, Peter can reach the higher shelves and they provide a lot of storage space. They also included lower drawers for storage, and, if using the taller cabinets ever becomes a problem, they can rely on the lower drawers instead.

The Mills doubled the number of ceiling lights, brightening the entire space. They added task lighting over the sink and island and installed under-cabinet lighting.

“Especially in the kitchen, you really want to see what you’re doing,” Donna said.

They also adapted their lighting to add dimmers and allow control by smartphone app.

The Mills are pleased with their new kitchen, as are Volin and Goldstein.

“Our hope is that we can stay here as long as possible,” Volin said.