For most of Marteen
Moore’s life, she’s been inspired by design and art. As a child, Marteen spent
summers in France, her mother’s native country. While there, she instantly fell
in love with Europe’s architecture and beauty. Years later, in 1988, she
started her own firm based in Las Vegas, Marteen Moore Interior Planning, where
Marteen specializes in large custom homes. Marteen’s professional life was
blossoming, and around the same time, she got married and started a family.
Marteen’s life
unexpectedly changed years later. As many of us at mobilewomen are familiar
with, Marteen became a paraplegic in 2007. She explains, “It started with a
benign tumor wrapped around my spine at the T6 Level in 2001, when I woke up
one morning with pain. It took about three months to figure it out what was
causing it, and they sent me for an MRI. From the Radiologist, I was taken by
ambulance for surgery. It appeared to be successful until 2006, when I started
to feel numbness in my legs. They first thought it might be MS, but then
realized the tumor had returned. I was immediately flown in a med vac plane to
USC California for surgery. In the hospital, I developed a staph infection.
After four more surgeries, between the staph infection and the surgeries, my
spine was compromised and I became paralyzed.”
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Interior designer Marteen Moore |
When Marteen returned to
work full-time, she learned that there were some new challenges, now that she
used a wheelchair. She reflects: “First, I have to bring an assistant with me.
Next is the issue of entering a home. I have two ramps I use: a small one,
if the step is too big for me to get up with help, and a large ramp for two to
three steps. Typically there is one access to the home that only has one step.
Usually it’s in the garage. I also have my assistant do my measuring. Another
challenge is accessing a second floor or basement. I have my assistant measure
and take pictures. With both of those, I can draw up the floor plan and design
the room. When I need to bring large or multiple items into a home, again my
assistants help me.”
Marteen also noted that
there has been an increasing need for accessible homes: “With all the baby
boomers who are getting up in years, I understand their needs in making a home
more accessible and user friendly. In the past few years, there seems to be a
strong attraction for single-floor housing, from most of my clients, due to
either their lifestyle or seeing what their parents are going through.”
Marteen does beautiful
work, and her style comes from years of experience and knowledge. When it comes
to accessibility, many people aren’t aware of what to keep in mind and what to
avoid in a home. Here too, Marteen has tips.
What to Keep in Mind with
Overall Accessible Design:
* The height of the
counters to access sinks, cook tops, etc.
* The width of the doors,
so that both motorized and manual wheelchairs can access them.
* Showers should be roll-in
showers, with no dams, at least not at the shower entrance.
* Change steps to ramps.
* Place furniture in a
manner that is easy to move around without feeling trapped.
* Use colors on
floors that hide dirt from the wheels of chairs.
* Avoid area rugs in
major walkways, halls and kitchens.
* Cranking, casement-type
windows are easier to open than the standard double-hung style.
* Glare-free
lighting, cabinets, and low-gloss counter laminate improves usability.
* Switches and
thermostats should be installed no higher than 48” off the floor.
* Place electrical
outlets no lower than 15” off the floor.
* Make sure you place
handheld faucets on a slide bar that permits the shower head to function as a
typical shower head, but also low enough for a shower chair.
* Grab bars are always a
good idea throughout the bathroom.
* Place Shower niches low
enough to access.
Mrs. Marteen reminds up
that you can design an accessible home without it looking sterile. “Keep in
mind,” she says, “that almost everything can be designed as you would an
able-bodied individual’s home, as long as things are reachable. But in shower
walls, there are so many beautiful porcelain tiles out, that there is no need
to use the typical 4”x4” white tiles. Also, on floors, use a porcelain tile or
vinyl. They have designs that look like wood, stone, concrete, etc.”
For those of us in
chairs, we know that we want our home to look beautiful and be accessible
without looking like it’s any different than someone else’s home. Marteen
understands this. She points out the importance of a functional kitchen. Some
of her pointers when it comes to accessible kitchen design include:
* Raise the dishwasher 6”
to 8" off the floor, and locate the unit so it is accessible from either
side.
* An appliance
lift is a simple way to make standard appliances more accessible.
* Make the width of
kitchen aisles 42” instead of 36” which allows several people to work in
the kitchen at the same time; allowing someone to get around a person in a
wheelchair.
* Newer technology makes
adjustable kitchen wall cabinets available, which automatically lower
upper cabinets to a reachable level; alternatively shelving lifts can be
installed to lower shelves to the counter level.
* For the upper cabinets
you can use the same pull-down and lifts as the kitchen.
* For a wheelchair user,
you want to lower or install the wall oven and microwave so they are
approximately 31” from the floor. Install an electric cook top unit with
staggered burners and mount the controls on the top front or below the unit to
eliminate reaching across hot burners.
* Space for knees at
the cook top and link are important. They require at least a 24” height from
the floor and approximately 30” in width.
Based on Marteen Moore’s portfolio and
experience, it’s clear she knows what it takes to design a stunning home.
Moreover, she knows how to make a home both gorgeous and functional for a
wheelchair-user. Her drive for success and passion for her work that started
out at a young age has only increased as years have passed. The banner on her
company’s website includes the Carl Sandberg quote, “Nothing happens, unless
first a dream.” Marteen personifies those words and we are sure the dream is
still unfolding.
For more photos and information, visit
Marteen Moore Interior Planning at www.marteenmoore.com.
Mobilewomen, do you have a photo of your accessible home that you want to share? Do you love your adapted kitchen or accessible bathroom? Share on our facebook or twitter pages with #MobilewomenAccessibility!
Mobilewomen, do you have a photo of your accessible home that you want to share? Do you love your adapted kitchen or accessible bathroom? Share on our facebook or twitter pages with #MobilewomenAccessibility!
Marteen, is that YOUR kitchen and shower. They look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteKevin B