Mitzi Beach: Designing for Baby Boomers

What an exciting privilege and opportunity I have to speak at the largest home furnishing market in the world, High Point Market of Hickory, North Carolina.

I’m at market this year to give a presentation that speaks to the needs and wants of the most influential, wealthiest, and largest demographic in America today by any means: Baby Boomers. Who, really, they are, and what do they want alongside what they need in their futures as far as products, furniture and beyond. 

A coffee ad geared toward Boomers. 

First off, there are 78 million Baby Boomers in America today (those born between 1946 and 1964). They are the Silver Tsunami about to hit and will change America as we know it in the realms of housing, social services, products and more. Catering to this demographic, then, opens up a whole world of possibility for designers, builders and architects. 

It’s staggering to realize that 12,500 Americans turn 50 every day and also more than 10,000 enter the Social Security or Medicare systems every single day in America.  And yet who is talking, preparing and designing for this Silver Tsunami? 

Companies are still clueless on the enormity of the financial power of this group. How do we know this is true? Look at who they are marketing their products to…the 25-35 age group. Now who has more financial security…a 30-year-old or a 50-year-old?

When we do the math and simply look at our demographics today, this is just an amazing opportunity for those professions and companies to get on this huge bandwagon….Selling and Designing to Baby Boomers.

So we are delving deeply into this chasm of furniture and products for the Boomers at High Point, North Carolina and it will our privilege to share what we find in photos and beyond in our next guest post. 

Til next time!

-Mitzi Beach

Mitzi Beach is a lifestyle design expert for Baby Boomers in Kansas. Find her at mitzibeach.com.