Late-Life Luxury Living

We live in an ageing society. Currently, 11 million people in the UK are 65 and over – that’s almost 20% of the population. Within a decade, that will increase to about one in four. But instead of viewing these figures with trepidation, what if later life were something to look forward to – a time when, in fact, you have both the means and the space to live your best life? 

This optimistic idea is informing a new cohort of older house-hunters seeking to live in late-life luxury. As Stuart Lewis of Rest Less, an over-50s digital community, says: “People now routinely live 30 or 40 years after retirement. They’re seeking rich and fulfilling lives – and they want attractive homes.”

That means, says Edward Lewis, Savills head of London Residential Development, that they are demanding buyers. “Those in an older life stage are seeking convenience and style,” he says. “Residential developments at the top end of this market are wooing them with good security, car parking and communal aspects like club rooms and spas.” Add proximity to theatres, art galleries and restaurants, and all the ingredients are there for a rich urban lifestyle for sophisticated seniors.

Since the Retirement Villages Group introduced the concept of a later-life community in Surrey’s Elmbridge Village in 1981, we have seen older people’s housing priorities evolve. It’s partly a result of vociferous baby boomers demanding independence, fun, comfort and joy – with a bit of back-up.

Take Auriens in Chelsea, London, which offers apartments specifically for buyers aged 65-plus. It allows residents autonomy with “world-class service and care available if and when you want it”, along with a panoply of on-site benefits including a pool, spa, restaurant, garden and library – and an excellent location, just off the King’s Road. 

Lewis has seen prime developments such as Wandsworth’s Riverside Quarter attract older residents to London. “Sometimes they want to be close to grandchildren,” he says. “But many also want to take advantage of the lifestyle on offer – and they like convenience and low maintenance.” It beats rattling around in a deserted family home and, as he says, both downsizing and “rightsizing” – where older people move to improve their quality of life – are key. 

Prestigious estates such as London’s Barbican Centre are renowned for their appeal, luring older people back to the city after they have sold their family home. These buyers tend to want open living space, fewer but larger bedrooms, dressing rooms and – vital, this – en-suite bathrooms. Some also want to feel medically secure, with defibrillators and doctors close by, plus on-site personnel and panic buttons.

When it comes to providing luxury late-life homes, the UK still lags behind the US and Japan (where 29% of the population is over the age of 65, the highest such figure in the world). Yet older Britons have the lion’s share of equity in housing stock. For some, downsizing is a way to access funds – after all, later life is when you should be having fun with the fruits of your labour. Which is why, as Lewis says, older people want “places where they actually live their lives”. 

The changing mood is reflected in the design of their new homes. In the past, says senior living consultant Ali Powell, older developments had a “disinfectant-scented, nursing-home image”. Now they’re selling “the sunrise, not the sunset”, with housing that offers wellness, culture and sociability – as well as discouraging isolation. Inspired Villages has “wellbeing navigators” at its senior-living hubs to give advice to residents, while Anchor Hanover’s retirement villages in Hampshire and Buckinghamshire are “designed to facilitate healthy and active living in later life”.

The traditional village retreat is being supplanted by design for social ageing. Steepleton, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, is arranged around courtyards, allowing inhabitants independence with support – its model is the almshouse. “The idea is to have your neighbours nearby but not on top of you,” says Stephen Proctor of Steepleton’s architects, Proctor & Matthews. In a similar vein, Wildernesse in Sevenoaks, Kent, provides housing “not for the ‘end-age’ market but for active older people”, says its architect, Joe Morris, of Morris+Company. Offerings include yoga, a library and a swimming pool.

Of course, practical considerations are key – but they must be integrated discreetly. Step-free access and a bathroom at entry level are now standard; wheelchair accessibility is also worth a thought for later in life. But mostly, it’s about what Powell calls “a light dusting of assistance” – maybe a discreet handrail in the pool. Growing old gracefully – and in delightful surroundings – is the goal. 

Read Savills Impacts report: Welcome to the age of ageing and the upscale homes to go with it

Pictures from top: the gardens at Wildernesse in Kent; the bar at Auriens in Chelsea; London’s Barbican Centre is renowned for its appeal; and a stylish sitting room at Auriens