Exploring the design of a home product through DIAC’s Design Impacts Framework, looking at the vision, functionality, brand, environmental benefits, and health & wellness.
Industrial Design: Capella Design
Designer: Kaly Ryan
Project Completion: Completed and on the market
Target audience: Senior's
kaly@designbycapella.com, designbycapella.com ,Instragram: designbycapella
Capella Design is a Vancouver-based company specializing in stylish, assistive home products that blend modern aesthetics with functional design to enhance home mobility. Their offerings, such as the Lotic Shower Seat and Corbel Adjustable Side Table, are crafted from sustainable materials in North America, aiming to provide elegant and practical solutions for individuals seeking accessible living spaces.
3 key points
ADA Compliance – User-Centered Design
The grab bar’s innovative design balances functionality and visual harmony, shaped by 75% user input from older adults and occupational therapists, resulting in a discreet, art-inspired product that meets strict ADA standards.
Discreet User Empowerment
It enhances independence by blending seamlessly into homes with a warm, textured wood finish and secure mounting, supporting evolving mobility needs while helping users maintain confidence and control in their daily routines.
Sustainability Focused
Made locally with durable, modular materials for easy repair, the product minimizes environmental impact and promotes safer movement, reducing fall risks and adding emotional and practical value to users’ lives.
Image source: Capella Design
The DIAC Design Impact Framework centers around five key themes:
1. VISION: Design embodies the vision
What innovative design strategies shaped the Selora Grab Bar Frame to balance functionality and visual harmony for older adults, and how were these guided by user input versus designer foresight?
The Selora Grab Bar Frame was shaped by years of research, co-design with older adults and occupational therapists, and a user-centered approach—about 75% of the design was driven by real user needs, including safety, accessibility, and aesthetics. Inspired by elements like picture frames and lighting, the grab bar blends discreetly into the home while meeting strict ADA requirements, balancing functional support with visual harmony.
2. FUNCTIONALITY: Design enhances functionality
How does the Selora Grab Bar Frame promote independence and a sense of control for older adults, and how has its design brought tangible value by helping users maintain their routines with less assistance?
The Selora Grab Bar Frame was designed to empower older adults with a product they’re proud to have in their homes—something that blends seamlessly with their space, unlike the many unsightly, cheaply made options on the market. Locally made with sustainability in mind, it reflects personal style while supporting evolving mobility needs, helping people stay safely and confidently in their homes longer.
What specific features were incorporated into the Selora Grab Bar Frame to ensure accessibility, safety, and comfort for older adults, especially in high-use areas like bathrooms?
The Selora Grab Bar Frame features an ADA-compliant diameter optimized through occupational therapist input, a warm textured wood finish for comfort, and secure wall mounting with butterfly brackets spanning two studs to safely support up to 250 pounds.
4. ENVIRONMENT: Design embeds environmental benefits
How does the Selora Grab Bar Frame minimize environmental impact through its material selection, durability, and lifecycle design while balancing sustainability, affordability, and functionality to ensure usability and accessibility for aging users?
The Selora Grab Bar Frame minimizes environmental impact with locally sourced, durable materials and a modular design for easy repairs, all made onshore. It balances honest pricing and sustainability to ensure functional, accessible support for aging users.
5. HEALTH & WELLBEING: Design promotes health and wellbeing
How does the design of the Selora Grab Bar Frame promote safer, more confident movement to support older adults in maintaining a balanced, healthy lifestyle while empowering greater control, autonomy, and independence in aging-in-place environments, and how does it add value to users’ daily lives?
The Selora Grab Bar Frame offers a beautiful, art-inspired alternative to traditional grab bars, encouraging proactive installation that enhances safety and boosts confidence in the home. By reducing risk before accidents occur, it adds emotional value and empowers older adults to maintain independence and control in their daily lives.
6. Key Success Performance Indicators
Success indicators for the Selora Grab Bar Frame include multiple purchases by clients to support various areas of the home, positive customer feedback highlighting its discreet design, and reports of decreased falls.
