Designing a Free Life
- August 1, 2025
- by Raad Ghantous
How Gen X is reshaping home, work, and wellness on their own terms
Freedom in midlife isn’t about escape—it’s about expression. It’s about designing a life that fits the complexity, beauty, and contradictions of now. For Gen X, that means spaces that work as hard—and feel as intentional—as we do.
At my own interior design atelier, Raad Ghantous & Associates, we’ve seen a powerful shift in how our Gen X clients approach design. They’re not chasing trends or downsizing for the sake of simplicity. They’re right-sizing. Rebalancing. Reimagining what their homes, and lives, can hold.
We’re designing spaces that don’t just look good. They mean something.
Right-Sizing: Living with Intention
Forget the notion of “downsizing.” Today’s Gen X homeowner is asking deeper questions: What do I actually need? Who will I care for? And what kind of life do I want to build next?
Many are trading square footage for smarter space—open layouts that accommodate aging parents, boomerang kids, or new chapters altogether. Step-free entries, wider doorways, and layered lighting are becoming design staples—not because they’re clinical, but because they’re compassionate.
In one recent project, a Laguna Beach couple opted to convert their top floor into a dual-purpose suite: guest quarters by summer and a caregiver space when needed. That’s the kind of foresight—and flexibility—we’re seeing more and more.
Designing Through the Middle
Gen X often lives in the tension of caretaking both up and down the family tree. It’s emotional. It’s logistical. And yes—it’s architectural.
We’ve helped clients integrate ADUs for aging parents who crave independence. Others have carved out shared kitchens that allow for both connection and autonomy. One client, a single mother with a teenage son and a recovering parent, required a bedroom that could serve as both a home classroom in the morning and a peaceful retreat by night.
Design here isn’t just aesthetic. It’s survival with grace.
Wellness, Reimagined
We are the generation that spent decades in high gear and now crave restoration without having to leave home. In a world that demands more of us every day, our sanctuaries should give something back. The solution isn’t a trip to the spa. It’s building the spa into your everyday life.
Think heated floors that greet you at sunrise. Lighting that transitions with your mood. A soaking tub framed by windows, not walls. One client in Newport Beach asked us to convert an unused guest bath into a wellness suite, complete with chromotherapy lighting, eucalyptus steam, and a sound system tuned to their favorite meditation playlist. Designing for wellness at home isn’t a luxury. It’s a declaration that your peace matters. Wellness is afterthought – its a baseline.
Soulful, Not Showy, Tech
We’re not dazzled by gadgets. We remember life before the internet. So for us, smart home tech has to mean something.
Integrated lighting, music, climate, and security? Yes. Talking fridges and tech-for-tech’s sake? No, thank you.
Our atelier focuses on technology that disappears into the background, serving the life being lived. Simplicity, not spectacle. In one Newport Coast home, a single control system adjusts the mood of the entire house, from morning coffee to evening dinner party, with one tap. Smart should be soulful.
The Home as Memoir
At this life stage, we’re thinking more about what we leave behind—and what surrounds us while we’re still here. Home becomes a living document of our story. That might mean a gallery wall of travel photography. A reclaimed wood dining table passed down and passed forward. A ceramic collection, a favorite artist, a worn-in reading chair. We recently helped a widower redesign his space to reflect the full arc of his life, not just the loss that had occurred. Every room became a chapter: joyful, quiet, layered, alive.
That’s the heart of our practice. Designing not just where you live, but for who you are. Freedom isn’t the absence of obligation. It’s the presence of clarity. Design, done right, gives you the room to breathe, to pivot, to evolve. It holds your past and makes space for your next act. And that’s what we’re here to create: not just beautiful spaces, but a blueprint for living freely. Explore the work of Raad Ghantous & Associates at raadghantous.com and discover how thoughtful design can help you live more freely, beautifully, and intentionally—on your terms.
About the Author:
Raad Ghantous is a hospitality design visionary, creative strategist, and founder of Raad Ghantous & Associates, a boutique firm known for transforming luxury environments into timeless experiences. With over two decades of global expertise spanning interior architecture, branded guest experiences, and high-end hospitality, F&B, Wellness, and residential projects, Raad brings a bold, narrative-driven approach to placemaking—where aesthetics, function, and emotional resonance meet. As the founder of The Raad Life, a lifestyle platform and forthcoming magazine, Raad leads conversations around reinvention, longevity, and generational culture. His voice is grounded in wisdom, edge, and unapologetic authenticity—traits that carry into every space he designs and every story he tells. Whether consulting for iconic hospitality brands or redefining what it means to age with style and purpose, Raad’s work stands at the intersection of legacy and innovation. Learn more at raadghantous.com and follow The Raad Life for curated content that inspires life beautifully lived.