Anne DiNardo
By the time I opened my 2026 calendar, the new year was already a flurry of activity: diving into our editorial strategies, getting this content-packed spring issue to press, and working with the mighty team behind the EFA Conference + Expo to put the finishing touches on the 2026 event, scheduled for March 16-18 in Phoenix. Previews of some of what’s in store are featured in the spring issue and on our website.
Amidst the deadlines and meetings, we also wanted to get a sense of where senior living design is heading, so we invited industry leaders, including members of our Editorial Advisory Board, to share their forecast for the year. You can read their full insights in our “2026 Senior Living Design Predictions” series on efamagazine.com, but here are a few themes that stood out.
For starters, experts see the industry moving beyond basic accessibility toward more inclusive design and neuroaesthetics (the application of neuroscience to architecture). For the design community, the focus will be on utilizing these principles to design interiors that evoke specific feelings, using light, texture, and spatial organization to reduce stress and enhance comfort.
To tackle the industry’s affordability crisis, leaders predict a break from traditional funding models. Developers are expected to embrace creative financing, modular construction, and renovations over new builds to bring more middle-income housing to market.
They also anticipate a priority on strategically designed multiuse spaces that offer engaging experiences without the cost of vast, single-use square footage. For a prime example of flexible design, read the Q+A with the team members from the Opus Newton project, which took home a top Award of Merit award in the 2026 Design Showcase.
Finally, senior living operators and design professionals see a continued focus on intergenerational and community integration. These strategies can help combat isolation and include aligning senior living models with multifamily housing standards to create cohesive, mixed-use neighborhoods where community is organic rather than manufactured.
“The world is too complex, ideas are too available, and people are too networked to think that there is a set design approach that will fit all baby boomers, so we will see much more diversity and mass customization enter our field,” noted Steve Lindsey, chief executive officer, Garden Spot Communities (New Holland, Pa.).
It’s a vibrant picture, though not without its challenges. I look forward to discussing these important topics with you at the EFA Conference + Expo.
Please make sure to stop by the EFA booth to say hello and meet new Executive Editor, April Shernisky, who joined the editorial staff at EFA and our sister publication Healthcare Design. See you in Phoenix!
