Modern Elevator Design: Why it Matters

Elevators serve valuable aesthetic and practical functions within homes and commercial buildings. With some baby boomers choosing stay at home instead of moving to a retirement facility and the availability of space-efficient designs, elevators could become in-demand features for buildings and residences of all sizes.

Choosing the right design can enhance the look of your property, significantly improve accessibility, and possibly even raise the value of your property. So with the wide range of designs to choose from, what should you look for? We list some of the top design trends – both practical and aesthetic – to consider.

The importance of elevator design

Your elevator or lift could be the first thing visitors see when they arrive in your building, so it can allow you to set the right first impression while making a high-impact style statement at a glance. Your elevator’s design could harmonise with, enhance and support your building decor.

Beyond the aesthetics, elevator design can offer functionality in terms of convenience, utility, and security. Well-designed elevators can provide height mobility and enable you to move between levels with ease. A modern elevator can also be far more space-efficient than expected, especially when compared to stair lifts. Security, such as limiting access, is another practical advantage of modern elevators.

Current elevator design trends

Elevator design matters because it directly impacts how your property looks as well as the functionality of your elevator. Modern elevator design trends encompass both functional and decorative elements. Functional design trends include privacy, security, and lights and music.

  • Privacy – Modern elevators can incorporate privacy and can be design to be hidden away behind a locked door. This is especially practical for residential and medium-rise commercial buildings properties where you might seek to limit access to other levels.
  • Customisable technology – The latest elevator designs offer customisable technology features like vacuum and suction power (rather than rails and cables), in addition to security features. These vacuum-powered elevators could be more energy efficient, space efficient, and easier to install and maintain.
  • Security gates – You can opt for security gates or doors as an extra barrier against unauthorised access. In a residential property, these security doors can also be used to deter younger members of the household and so reduce the risk of injury through inappropriate usage.
  • Scanners and keypads – Modern elevators come with security options such as limiting access with fingerprint scanners, other biometric security tools, or keypad entry. For authorised users, this can enhance accessibility because you don’t need a key or pass to use the lift.
  • Destination control– Commonly used in high rise buildings destination control provides a more efficient way to distribute people. Multi-elevators are installed to get groups of people going to the same level into the same elevator, which reduces waiting times and travel times.
  • Lights and music – The latest elevators offer programmable lighting and music systems that can be set up to turn on when sensors detect users in the lift.

  • LED Screens – The use of LED screens in lifts is becoming increasingly popular. These can be installed and used for community messages, advertising or even entertainment.

Security gates are another way to restrict access to different levels of your building.

Lighting can set the design tone for your elevator whilst fulfilling a vital functional purpose: ensuring visibility.

Style features are also important to users and building owners, and they set your elevator and building interiors apart from others.

  • Cabs – Choose from traditional wood cabs, marble styling, a modern glass design, and sleek and modern steel elevator cabs.
  • Bold colours and greenery – Incorporating greenery as well as bold colours and other themes from the environment in and around elevators is a distinct trend for modern lifts. Ways to incorporate this design trend into your elevator include combining bright blues, reds, and purples with a love of nature.
  • Be inspired by nature – Another trend is drawing inspiration from nature, whether it’s with vivid colours and elements or using light, natural tones and soft and warm colours. You could also get creative by integrating glass to reflect light from outside or even by using rustic wooden panels in your lift design.
  • Metallic accents – Metallic accents bring character to your elevator design whilst easily harmonising with classic steel designs of lifts. More homes are featuring gold, silver, brass, bronze, rose gold, polished silver, and nickel, but mid-rise commercial buildings can also make use of these types of accents.
  • Minimalist designs – The minimalist design trend remains popular with modern elevators, bringing a classic elegance and timeless appeal to home as well as commercial buildings. Offering a clean appeal, minimalist themes use neutral colours as well as open and spacious design elements – the opposite of the bright and bold trend.
  • LED Lights – Both functional and stylish LED lights deliver good lighting as well as bringing down running costs for lifts. Why not try coloured LEDs to line the trim of the lift interior?

A bold foliage print makes a modern statement inspired by nature.

Gold accents can be integrated for a sophisticated, timeless appeal.

While elevators might traditionally have been viewed as symbols of luxury, they could quickly become essential features in homes and buildings, given the wide variety of designs availa ble and affordability of materials. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your commercial building or make simple improvements to your residence, these design trends highlight the range of options you can choose from to find the perfect elevator design for you.

Liftronic is a leading Australian manufacturer of elevators and moving walkways, with over 30 years of experience in the sector. We offer ongoing preventative maintenance service contracts to reduce your running costs while enhancing the working life of your elevators. If you’re looking for the right elevator solution for your property, contact Liftronic’s modernisation department today.

Liftronic

Liftronic Pty Limited is Australia's most reliable vertical transport supplier. With almost 40 years in the industry, our team shares the latest insights on the world of elevators, escalators and everything else that takes us to new heights.