Accessible design that isn’t institutional
/
When people think of accessible or universal design, usually the first thing that comes to mind is a commercial space that is cold and uninviting. Today we are able to package stylish products with accessible design. This allows people to design these features into their new home or renovation long before they may even need these elements. When this is done correctly your home will look great and also be comfortable and safe for family members of any age or ability to use.
Comfort height toilets
Toilets are at the top of our list because they are the easiest part of the bathroom to tackle and provides the quickest return for just about any one. As the name suggests, these toilets are just more comfortable than lower height models. Anyone that has ever had sore legs or a bum knee will also agree that the higher seat of these products allows the user to exert less effort to use. A bonus feature is that new comfort height toilets also use less water than older toilets, providing another benefit by saving money.
BARRIER-FREE CURBLESS SHOWERS
Today’s bathrooms are ballooning in size. The average bathroom in a Calgary 1960’s house was 40 square feet (this is your typical tub, toilet, vanity set-up). The average master bathroom today according to Hunker.com is 160 square feet and average. This extra room allows more possibilities to integrate universal design into your renovation or new build. One item that definitely ups the wow factor for your bathroom is a barrier-free or curbless shower. They look great, are highly functional and if done correctly will provide future aging-in-place possibilities.
DUAL PURPOSE BATHROOM ACCESSORIES
Bathroom accessories used to be flimsy things that barely could hold a wet towel without falling off the wall. Now, with proper planning these products can improve the function and safety of your bathroom without sacrificing style. This includes towel bars, corner shelves and curtain rods that are able to function in the traditional sense, but also be used to support up to 300lbs of weight when required to. These products are available from most supply companies and some box stores. They do need to be planned with proper backing installed for them to function properly.
These are only a few options for someone looking to integrate universal or accessible design into their bathroom renovation. If you have other questions regarding these features in your project feel free to contact us for more information.
