This Renovated Mansion Puts a Stylish Spin on Aging in Place

Completed in 1914 after seven years of construction, the Werner House in Columbus, Ohio, has worn several hats in its 100+ years. The Prohibition-era mansion went from a lively family home complete with its very own speakeasy to a rooming house during the Great Depression.

Like the Werner House, its current owner and part-time resident, Lisa M. Cini, wears many hats. An author, CEO and senior-living expert specializing in aging-in-place design, Lisa has transformed the mansion into a beautifully designed vacation destination with an endless list of aging-in-place and ADA-accessible technologies. “While living in the home prior to renovating, I kept getting the feeling I was supposed to share the home with everyone, allowing them to really try out all the design tips, tricks and tech that I wrote and spoke about,” she says.

Staying at the Werner House is also a chance for you to see how any home — even a historic one — can be adapted to include aging-in-place features. Book a stay at the historic Werner House to see for yourself.

The sprawling estate is now filled with functional and fun amenities that help seniors and disabled individuals enjoy a short-term vacation while trying the latest independent-living tools on for size. "My mission was to merge the very best design with the most innovative technology for aging in place and senior living all in one elegant residence," says Lisa.

While the updated mansion is full of modern technology and products geared toward senior living and ADA accessibility, Lisa and her collaborators were intent on maintaining the historic beauty of the mansion. By restoring the ceiling and refinishing the original ceiling tiles, the elegant dining room has been brought back to its circa-1900s glory.

There are accessibility features in every corner of this home, even if you can't spot them. The home's original grand staircase was made safer and more accessible with one simple change. By extending the gap between the carpeting and rails from the standard 2-3 inches to a full 9 inches, those that rely on the handrail have a much steadier footing and no longer have to worry about their feet straddling the edge of the carpet. This small change doesn't compromise the beauty of the staircase at all but makes it much safer.

Because most falls happen in the bathroom, each Werner House bathroom is made to be accessible without compromising on style. Throughout the bathrooms, you'll find some basic ADA features like accessible showers and side-entry tubs. But the Werner House is anything but basic. Also included are wheelchair-accessible sinks hidden behind stylish cabinets, glowing sinks (think one giant night-light), senior-friendly bidets and height-adjustable sinks and toilets.

We know what you're thinking. How can you make a standard clawfoot tub accessible? Stowed beneath the bed in the guest room attached to this stunning bathroom is a product called the Drive Medical Bellavita. Users place the auto bath lifter in the tub, sit on the seat, then lower themselves into the bath using a remote. Once finished, the seat lifts them up so they can safely exit the tub. This allows them to enjoy their beautifully designed bathroom without swapping out their favorite fixtures.

The hidden technology throughout the home continues into the many bedrooms, allowing guests to sleep comfortably and independently in their own rooms. A special carpet by Shaw Floors features hidden sensors that can illuminate the room when guests step on the carpet and even notify caregivers if a guest falls.

Each guest room features its own unique design, and, while all are beautiful, some mean more to Lisa than others. "My daughter gave me a watercolor she painted while she was overseas doing her masters in Israel, and I decided to work with JVA Art Group to take her art and turn it into a wall covering," she says. "They not only did an amazing job, but they also created a sticker wall covering for the mini split (air conditioning unit) to hide it. When Addie came home for the holidays, I surprised her with the room, and she was overwhelmed to tears."

Jaclyn Moser, one of Lisa's collaborators for the Werner House project, designed a guest room now known as The Wedding Dress Room, which received its name and personal design touch upon Lisa's first look at the finished space. "[The dress] is actually my wedding dress from 1990. After Jaclyn designed the room, I thought about how much I would have loved to have gotten ready for my wedding all those years ago in that space," she shares.

When not relaxing in their rooms, guests of the Werner House can explore the rest of the mansion. And, with 50 rooms total, there's plenty of space to move about. In The Piano Room, you'll find a few cozy places to sit while you enjoy the on-demand sound of a player piano, which sits on the edge of a no-trip rug. Designed to look like an ordinary rug, the no-trip rug features an edge that sits seamlessly against the floor, helping to mitigate fall risk and be more easily accessed by wheelchairs.

For those who prefer a more active form of relaxation, a trip to the lower level is in order, where guests will find HuSpa, the home's fitness and spa space. Upon entry, guests are greeted with Sky Factory's virtual skylights that set a bright tone for the basement space by imitating a realistic sky view.

The home fitness space may look like an ordinary gym, but it has several tricks up its sleeve. From a SMARTFit gamification machine that assists with balance, mobility and cognition, to a LifetimeVibe vibration therapy plate to a Tonal machine for safe, accessible weight training, this gym is much more than meets the eye. All this and more sits on two special Ecore Forest Rx and FITturf floors that reduce impact and injury while offering superior joint support.

After exercising, a hot and cold plunge await to help guests increase circulation and reduce the effects of arthritis. The same space houses a personal sauna and massage table. With so much to offer in such an immersive space, Lisa believes the high-tech HuSpa will appeal to younger and older generations alike.

Exercising not your thing? Maybe the mansion's speakeasy is more your speed. Now dubbed "The Dirty Laundry," the hidden space is original to the home and maintains its Prohibition-era vibe.

For those who can't take the stairs, a bigger accessibility addition was in order. A must-have for the renovation was an elevator that stretches from the second to the fourth floor, a major addition that Lisa informs us was not the ordeal you might imagine. “It was actually much simpler than one might think,” she notes. “Because it is pneumatic, like a bank deposit tube or Willy Wonka elevator, it does not require an elevator pit or side room.”

The pneumatic elevator reaches all the way to the massive ballroom on the fourth floor, making the space accessible to those who can't traverse the home's many staircases. This expansive room has been left intentionally empty and functions as an entertainment space, which has been used for Christmas parties, yoga retreats, weddings and educational sessions.

The Werner House features plenty of outdoor entertaining spaces for guests to unwind, including a pergola that automatically closes when it senses rain, a bocce court, a fire pit surrounded by soft furnishings, and this second-story covered porch that was once closed and turned into a bedroom during the Great Depression.

It can be hard to imagine all the daily tasks that become difficult or impossible with aging. Even something as simple as making a meal calls for assistance, requiring seniors to forgo independent living altogether. The kitchen at the Werner House proves that with a few changes and some modern accessibility features, a kitchen can be used by anyone.

"I would have to say my favorite [accessibility feature] is the height-adjustable cabinets and countertops. Being only 4’11”, I did not realize how often I struggled to get something out of a cabinet until these features were installed," says Lisa. At the touch of a button, the cabinets lower from the wall to a more accessible height, and the countertops lower to become wheelchair accessible.