Safe Bathrooms: Say Goodbye to the Hospital Look

We recently read about a woman, an active tennis player in her 60's, who was hesitant to adopt aging in place bathroom safety suggestions in her new "gorgeous" master bedroom renovation. Her concerns were aesthetic: "What would the neighbors think?" she asked her contractor. Fortunately, the contractor, an "aging in place" veteran, convinced her to install an easy-to-use taller "comfort" height toilet, a wheelchair-friendly wall mounted sink, a curbless shower, and reinforced shower walls tile for later installation of grab bars. Six months after the job was completed, our aging in place convert shattered both knees while playing tennis. Because of her foresight and a smart "aging in place" contractor, she was able to forego several months of inpatient rehabilitation and instead remained at home during her recovery.

The point here is; there can be a reluctance to move forward with the necessary aging in place planning because no one wants an "ugly" grab bar to mar their elegant bathroom remodel. This old and outdated thinking, symptomatic of a viewpoint that aging in place modifications are necessarily unattractive, intrusive, and overly clinical in appearance. As an interior designer, specializing in aging in place, we have the same experience with our 50+ clients.

It may have been true 20 years ago, but now there's a large and growing market for stylish and modern looking aging in place options that manufacturers have been quick to develop. Well known companies like Kohler, Moen, and Delta have revamped much of their product line. They are aggressively aiming their marketing efforts at people who have decided to live and age in place. Lesser broadly known companies such as Seachrome and Jaclo, to name a few are emphasizing luxury and function. Grab bars, for example, come in all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors; you can install them in a variety of angles and stylish finishes, including wood composites, matte black, or high tech metals.

Specialty companies have learned to seamlessly integrate grab bar safety features disguised in towel bars, soap dishes, water regulators, toilet roll holders, and shampoo racks. Designers and contractors are hiding grab bars as towel racks and integrating them into bathrooms as accent pieces, add to the overall design and safety of the room. As one of my fellow aging in place designers pointed out, "it's like hiding vegetables in the meal of a finicky eater."

In addition to the well-disguised grab bars, new tile composites contain grit surfaces that eliminate the need for using a rubber mat in your tub or shower. Artfully designed and reinforced water taps located on the sides of bathtubs not only look terrific but also serve as support bars that facilitate access to and from the bath.

If the goal is to create safe bathroom environments that have a contemporary look and feel, today's aging in place contractors and designers can meet that objective. Besides, incorporating style into your aging in place planning doesn't have to increase the cost of the remodel. We love talking about new products and design features that are revolutionizing our industry. Don't hesitate to shoot us an email or give us a call. We welcome your questions and comments.

P. S. Remember the concerns our tennis player had about her neighbor's reaction to the safer and more convenient bathroom renovation. They loved it!

A Slice of the 2018 Kitchen and Bath Show

With each new year comes new industry trade shows featuring the best products, trends, and technologies in the industry. The KBIS, Kitchen & Bath Show, took place last week in Orlando, alongside the IBS, International Building Show. KBIS certainly is one of the largest trade shows in the country hosting 600+ leading brands, as well as, 100 new companies with pristine products for the interior design industry. The exhibits mimic whole houses, each packed with fully built kitchen and baths that allow you to easily experience the full impact of new innovations, design, and technology on display at the show. 

Kitchen and baths are two of the most important rooms in the home. They are the rooms people often remodel, requiring the largest investment, which in general, provides the largest return on investment related to the value of any home. Homeowners often decide to update kitchens and baths when moving into a new home, looking to update their space as part of a larger remodeling project, or when deciding to age in place. These rooms now require modifications to better support a changing lifestyle, and along with it, mobility, accessibility, and safety issues.  

The products and exhibits highlighted the ever evolving design trends, colors, and styles. Whether the style is modern or classic, cabinetry is not only functional but evolving into beautiful home furnishing pieces. Appliances, however, are showing up in vibrant colors and in a variety of styles including historic, retro, and vintage, combined with cutting edge technology. We were in attendance at the show not only to preview some of the latest kitchen and bath trends and products, but also look for those products or manufacturers that specifically addressed the needs of our aging population or anyone with accessibility issues. Here’s just a slice of the show pie, so we hope it gets you hungry for more: 

The Intelligent Toilet

Every toilet manufacturer was highlighting these personal hygiene or bidet-toilets and making the statement: “once you have one, you will never go back.” Often highlighted as an “Aging in Place” toilet, as it promotes bathroom independence, it is now being promoted as “hands-free,” so you can toilet and text while remaining germ free. These toilets sense when you are entering the room, they have heated seats, provide a nightlight, wash and dry you in multiple locations, and offer other anti-bacterial and sterilization features. You can either purchase the toilet or just buy the toilet seat, just make sure you have an electric outlet nearby.  Here’s a link to the new top of the line Toto: https://www.totousa.com/neorest-750h-dual-flush-toilet-10-and-08-gpf-with-actilight. 

A Shower Experience

“It's not a shower. It's an experience.” Kohler’s DTV+ touchscreen interface technology allows you to create a multi-sensory spa experience at home by infusing the shower with water, sound, scented steam, and light. You can select from a variety of mood setting experiences including Relaxation, Well-Being, and Energy. The touch screen interface eliminates multiple knobs and levers, allowing you to pre-program your experiences, become more present in the moment, while increasing overall accessibility.  https://www.us.kohler.com/us/DTV+-Digital-Showering-Experience/content/dtvplus.htm.

Designer Shower Doors

Have you always thought that shower doors are considered to be more function over style? Well think again, as these shower doors are the new bathroom centerpiece. Coastal Showers has collaborated with designers including Bobby Berk and Vanessa Deleon to create an inspiring series of doors, panels, and room dividers. https://www.coastalshowerdoors.com/

Smart Appliances:

One of our favorite exhibits included the Samsung 4 Door Flex Family Hub refrigerator (pictured above). You can shop for food, organize family schedules, listen to music, share calendars, photos, notes, and more between your refrigerator and your family’s smartphones. Create shopping lists, look inside your refrigerator from anywhere and set expiration notifications to keep all your food fresh. In addition to the technology, the 4 Door Flex allows you to easily interchange compartments from refrigerator to freezer, making it incredibly accessible. https://www.samsung.com/us/explore/family-hub-refrigerator/connected-hub/ 

The Kitchen Workstation:

Sounds like an office environment, but the kitchen workstation offers a large counter space that incorporates a variety of functions and culinary tools, to help prep, cook, serve, entertain, and clean up, all in one convenient place. Marketed to be the new all-in-one “cooking triangle,” it may include a double faucet, an extra wide sink, different tiers of sliding boards including cutting boards, grates, drying racks, as well as, an upper deck to create additional work surfaces. Offered by many manufacturers, the one that really caught our attention was The Galley Dresser. http://thegalley.com/galley-dresser/

Steam Ovens:

Steam ovens offer tremendous cooking flexibility and nutritional benefits. These ovens easily cook many different types of foods including vegetables, fish, bread, custards, and so much more. When reheating foods, the steam re-hydrates foods, and as a result, offers superior warming to leftovers over microwaves. The steaming process also allows the food to retain all the vitamins and minerals with using less fats and oils, and is preferred over boiling as the food retains its color, texture, and flavor, as well as, reducing the possibility of burns from boiling water. https://www.mieleusa.com/domestic/steam-ovens-1461.htm

Automated Storage:

Regardless of your range of motion or accessibility issues, the automated pantry, wardrobe, and shoe systems (offered by Storage Motion) will improve your overall storage. It will allow you to access items regardless of storage height, through its automated rolling shelves and wardrobe lifts. The shoe system, called ShoeSelect, maximizes shoe storage by rotating the shoes on a vertical carousel, and can be operated by a wireless remote or wall switch. Any person with a large shoe collection should not be without this luxury! http://storagemotion.com/

All in all, KBIS was a big success for discovering new and improved products not only for our clients but also for our own homes. It certainly left us hungry for more, so we hope this post did the same for you!