Yahoo Lifestyle One Designer’s Mission to Make Homes More Accessible — Starting With Her Own
After a diving accident at 17 left Maegan Blau paralyzed, she experienced firsthand how draining it can be to find an accessible place to live. After the accident, she stayed at home with her parents, and during college at Arizona State University, where she got a degree in environmental studies, she lived in an on-campus ADA-compliant apartment.
But after graduation, she and her boyfriend (now husband), Chris, went hunting for an apartment that was accessible and stylish. She longed for all the bells and whistles any 20-something might want: natural light, room to entertain, a big closet, outdoor space, etc.
"The floor plan was important to me,” Maegan explains. "I wanted it to feel open — not just for my wheelchair but also the vibe.” Bonus points if it happened to reflect her personal style, a balanced, moody mix of muted cool tones and earthy textures. Finding a perfect spot didn't come easy. “With a lot of the apartments, I couldn't even get into the bathroom, and any accessible apartment I found had a year-long waiting list,” Meagan says.
Luckily, her frustration led to inspiration. Given the difficulty of finding what they needed in a rental, Maegan and Chris decided to buy a place. Once they found the perfect property, she worked with a contractor friend to add her own touches. Impressed with her design choices and understanding of accessible accommodations, Maegan’s friend encouraged her to think about becoming a professional interior designer. It made sense in a way: “My family owned a furniture business and I was obsessed with watching HGTV as a kid,” Maegan says. She also grew up painting her childhood guest bathroom way too many times. “I'm sure there are layers of paint still there,” she says.
Her design firm, Blue Copper Design, became official in 2018 with the tagline "design for everyone." They specialize in renovations that are visually appealing and suitable for various disabilities, depending on the client.
“My mission is to make homes more accessible, whether that is with a barrier-free client or not,” she says. “I want people to have homes that are beautiful and functional.” Luckily, she has the knowledge and experience to deliver just that. “In the beginning of being paralyzed, doctors, nurses and therapists always told me, 'You have to be an advocate for yourself,'" Maegan says. “But not everyone with a disability knows what they want from a design standpoint. That’s where I come in.”
Here, Maegan shares some of the most rewarding recent projects from her design portfolio.
South Mountain (Phoenix, Arizona)
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Client: Young bachelor, new wheelchair user
Focus: Functional bathroom
“This home is for a man in his 20s, who was newly disabled. He has a spinal cord injury, so that was a pretty big life transformation. The original bathroom worked really well, so I didn’t have to move walls or any plumbing. We just reworked the functionality of things. It was very tan, so we wanted to elevate the style of the house. Blending the warm tones of the orange tile with the darker, cooler tones of the gray was a good way for me to do that aesthetically.
Even though he was paralyzed, he was taking baths and able to get in and out of the bathtub. I was amazed by that, because I typically don’t put bathtubs in for people who are fully paralyzed. However, I kept the bathtub, but thought, How can I make this easier and safer for him to get in and out of? So, we did more of a wet room-style, where the shower and bathtub are enclosed in one space.
Then, I built a ledge for him to transfer onto, catch his breath and have some stability. We also put a grab bar there for him to get in and out of the bathtub. There was still plenty of room for a really nice roll-in shower, too. And since he had a lot of products, we created a shampoo ledge. It’s the perfect height, so that when a full-size shampoo bottle is sitting there, he could access it.”
Silver Creek (Queen Creek, Arizona)
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Client: Young couple, busy professionals
Focus: Living room and kitchen refresh
“We added some customizations to their builder-grade home. We renovated the kitchen, then extended that into the living room, which is shown here. It's a big, open floor plan. The design challenge here was creating the proper scale because the living room wall is huge. It’s about 20 feet high, so we got a bigger TV to fill the space and scaled up the cabinetry details to allow for a simple, clean design.
In order to make the space feel cohesive, we used the same blue for the cabinets as we did in the kitchen. We installed mesh paneling on the middle door of the media center so their electronics would still work. They also needed drawer storage, which are almost four-feet deep. The drawers are easy for able-bodied people and people with disabilities to keep things organized.”
Condo Glow-Up (Scottsdale, Arizona)
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Client: A client's daughter, who uses a wheelchair
Focus: Modern floor plan, including larger bedroom layouts, and accessible furniture
“The clients were renovating this condo for their daughter to rent from them, but also wanted to transition this to a short-term rental property when she moved out. We focused on creating a more modern floor plan that utilized the space better. We opened walls, moved the kitchen, created a work-from-home area and completely reimagined the primary bathroom. We added accessibility features like a curbless shower in the primary, an open kitchen, wider doorways and large bedrooms to accommodate more people looking to rent this home in the future.
For this particular bedroom, we found these blue nightstands on Facebook Marketplace. We had the space to have three feet on either side of the bed, which is good for most assistive devices as well as a Hoyer lift. This person didn't need a lift, but it's just nice to have. It was really important for this client to have a lower bed to transfer onto, so we scoured online for that. The bed height is about 19 to 20 inches, which is the perfect transfer height.
Since we did hardwood flooring, we added the rug to cozy it up. That's a common misconception people have with accessibility. They think they can't have rugs, but they can be really helpful in transfer areas if they're properly secured. They can be in living rooms and bedrooms — anywhere that you're transferring from a chair to a piece of furniture. I don't like to put rugs in hallways, or runners and mats in the kitchen or bathrooms, because that can be cumbersome and a trip hazard.”
Oak Hill (Austin, Texas)
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Client: Young couple
Focus: Full renovation
“This was my first full project outside of Arizona. Accessibility wasn’t really a priority for this couple. However, we opened up the floor plan and removed a bunch of walls. The house needed to be completely gutted.
We became friends, too, so we wanted to make sure the living room felt open enough, so I wouldn’t have any issues if I came to visit. On a professional level, I conquered a lot of logistical challenges with this project, like shipping pieces, including the cabinet in the living room, from a vintage dealer in Arizona. They use it as media storage and as a liquor cabinet. We also added other elements to the home like an accessible laundry room, as well as a bigger guest bathroom with a roll-in shower.”
Icon illustrations: Ananya Rao-Middleton.
Take me back to the issue!
Check out all the stories from our first-ever Accessibility Issue, including expert-approved ways to future-proof your home, an interview with Broadway star Ali Stroker and more!
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