Designer melds style and function in mobility products
In March 2022, amid the global slowdown, Kaly Ryan launched Vancouver-based Capella Design. Ryan is an industrial designer and previously co-founded design company Willow & Stump.
Capella is the result of Ryan taking the time to reflect on what she really wanted to do with her design and fabrication talents, and her thoughts travelled back to the effort her parents went to in the '80s and '90s to modify her grandfather's house so he could stay there as long as possible. He stayed in his own home until he was 95 years old.
It was difficult then, and it's difficult now, to find functional products that assist people with mobility needs at home that also look good, modern and esthetically pleasing.
A lot of mobility products, though functional, are downright depressing to look at, and people don't really want them in their homes, says Ryan.
SHOWER SEAT, NOT BENCH
It took Ryan two years to create Capella's Lotic Shower Seat. She researched shower chairs and shower benches and was driven by a desire to redesign this often unattractive product.
“Realistically, you and I might need a shower stool tomorrow if we tripped and hurt ourselves. It doesn't hurt to have these kinds of mobility products at home, but people don't want to put them in their homes because they're really ugly,” she says.
Capella's shower seat is made from a “solid surface” called Himacs, a stone-like material that looks and feels like stone but is non-porous.
The stool's slats are made from a composite decking material made from recycled plastic, produced by a “great Canadian company called Newtechwood,” says Ryan. “Essentially, you're sitting on pop bottles that look and feel like wood.”
With mobility design, there is a big difference between following code and considering how a person is actually going to use a space — like a washroom, Ryan explains. Some hotel rooms have showers with bench seats that meet code, but you can't actually reach the shower controls while sitting on the bench.
“This is one of the reasons we created a stool instead of a bench.”
MOBILITY FRIENDLY
Walk-in showers, with no lip, are Ryan's favourite trend because they're easier for people to access, she says.
Contrasting colours is something people don't often consider, but if you have an entirely white or grey bathroom, it can be challenging for people with vision issues to differentiate the floor from the wall.
“Even for me, if I take off my glasses, I can't see anything in the shower.”
Capella has prototyped a good-looking side table with an adjustable tray, called Corbel.
“It's an adjustable side table that sits beside your bed or couch and adjusts up and down and swings in — like a TV tray but modernized,” says Ryan. You can use it to rest your plate, a cup of coffee, or an ipad if you're Facetiming someone or your book.
Nailing good design for people with mobility restrictions requires you to put the people you're designing these products for at the centre of what you're doing, says Ryan.
She says she isn't an expert in mobility design; she's an expert in listening to people and being able to respond.