Dondi Szombatfalvy, lead designer at Bella Domicile in Madison, Wisconsin, has recently earned her Certified Living In Place Professional (CLIPP) certification from the Living In Place Institute. Szombatfalvy is one of only two people in the state of Wisconsin with this certification.
In effort to make all homes accessible, professionals go through rigorous coursework and a final exam to demonstrate their knowledge of the course material regarding living-in-place design practices.
Szombatfalvy said she pursued the CLIPP certification because “helping people to maintain their dignity and independence by staying in their home [is a] natural extension of what I do as a kitchen and bath designer.”
Kitchen and bath spaces, which Bella Domicile specializes in, benefit in many ways from living-in-place design practices. Some of the areas Szombatfalvy looks at when designing a space include electrical, lighting and color, the usability of fixtures, appliances and accessibility as it relates to all areas of the home. Living in place benefits not only the occupants of the home but also all visitors.
