For most people, design in the home is about comfort, familiarity, and self-expression. It’s what makes a space feel like yours.
But when mobility needs change, that experience can shift quickly.
The decision to introduce a stairlift or homelift into the home is rarely just a practical one. It’s often emotionally tied to independence, identity, and the desire to stay in a place filled with memories, routines, and a sense of self.
For many, it also comes with hesitation:
What will it look like?
How will it feel?
Will it change how my home, and my life, feels day to day?
Products designed to support independence, like stairlifts, have traditionally prioritised function above all else. And while safety and reliability are essential, the result has often been something that feels clinical, visible, and at odds with the rest of the home.
That creates a tension many people don’t talk about:
How do you introduce something essential into your home - without it changing how that home feels?
This is where inclusive design becomes critical.
At its core, inclusive design isn’t about creating something “specialist” or separate. It’s about designing products and environments that work for as many people as possible, across different needs, stages of life, and ways of living.
In the home, that means:
Because a home should evolve with you - not force you to compromise on who you are.
As our thinking around inclusive design has evolved, so too has our approach to product development. It’s no longer just about solving a functional challenge, but about understanding how that solution fits into everyday life.
This thinking sits at the heart of our UK message: “Enjoy the life upstairs.”
Because a stairlift isn’t just about getting from one floor to another. It’s about maintaining access to the spaces that matter most - bedrooms, bathrooms, personal spaces, and memories.
It’s about continuing to live fully in your home, on your terms.
More broadly, it reflects a simple belief: it takes all of your home, to be all of you.
And that means the products within it need to support not just movement, but confidence, comfort, and a sense of belonging.
With the launch of JOYA, the aim was to challenge long-standing perceptions of what a stairlift should look and feel like.
Rather than leaning into traditional, clinical design cues, JOYA has been developed to integrate more naturally into the home, through a more considered use of materials, a compact profile, and a softer, more refined visual language.
But beyond aesthetics, it’s about how the product works in real life:
Because the best design often goes unnoticed because it simply just fits.
This shift isn’t happening in isolation.
In a recent collaboration with Zandra Rhodes, one of Britain’s most iconic designers, we explored how accessibility and style can sit side by side in the home.
As Zandra puts it:
“Age shouldn’t mean compromise – or swapping chic for clinical.”
And perhaps more importantly:
“A stairlift isn’t a sign of slowing down… it represents the freedom to plan ahead.”
Her perspective reflects a broader cultural shift, where mobility products are no longer seen as a last resort, but as an enabler of independence and self-expression.
Read more about our work with Zandra here:
Dame Zandra Rhodes x Stannah: When accessibility meets style
This approach to design has recently been recognised by the Red Dot Design Award.
While awards are never the goal in themselves, they can signal something important: that expectations are changing.
That even in traditionally overlooked categories like home accessibility, design is being held to a higher standard - one that considers not just function, but how products make people feel in their own homes.
As more people choose to stay in and adapt their homes, the role of design will only become more important.
For us, that means continuing to focus on inclusive design by creating products that support independence, reflect individuality, and integrate seamlessly into the spaces people care about most.
Because ultimately, good design isn’t just about how something looks.
It’s about whether it allows you to continue being yourself, in your home.