Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 26

UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Including the Essentials
Bathroom design decisions for living in place
INCORPORATING SAFETY MEASURES into home design used to suggest an
institutional look. Fortunately, this is no longer the case.
Let's be clear: We're not only addressing aging in place. Living in place
incorporates elegant solutions and preventatives for everyone, sometimes
including visitors. This could apply to individuals or a family with special
needs - or for the active family with kids in sports. An injury - regardless of
severity - will blatantly identify the need for safety elements. Great design
seamlessly incorporates solutions for reasonable "what if " scenarios.
There are enough safety-focused fundamentals incorporated into my
designs that I was hard-pressed to narrow the list to the following six, as it's
more like 16 elements for bathrooms alone.The following are recommendations that should be universal for all homes:
Decorative grab bars are first on my list. These can blend in with the aesthetic
and should never look institutional. There are hundreds to choose from in
myriad styles, and your client doesn't even need to know they're assistive devices. When someone slips, they instinctively grab the nearest item to save
themselves. If it's a towel bar, it's coming down with them. The last thing
we want is a phone call that our client is hospitalized because of a head or
bone injury that could have been prevented with appropriately specified
bars. Proper installation requires fasteners explicitly designed for heavy
weight - often 250+ shear pounds each - for you can never know if the
stud or that solid blocking you specified didn't crack until it's too late. In the
construction docs, always call out the specific fasteners. Don't assume the
contractor will know what to use. You don't want a scrap from the discard
pile used as blocking unless it's for a toilet paper holder. As a recovering
contractor, I can attest that buying $15 fasteners saves a lot in the long run.
Technology has had quite an impact on homes. Voice-activated faucets are
available from a variety of companies. The voice activation combines with
Amazon (Alexa) and Google Assistant, along with a smartphone app.
Installing a GFCI outlet under the sink is usually necessary to power the
voice-activation feature. These faucets are also touch activated, so the user
can position the lever to the "on" position and touch anywhere to control the water. Conveniently, this can be done with any part of the hand

26
26_KBB_1020_UniversalDesign.indd 26

ABOVE This rendering by
Gibson depicts a bathroom
with a textured shower floor,
zero-entry shower with a
linear drain, a contrasting
shower tile that creates a
horizon line, multi-height vanities and abundant natural and
artificial light.

ADAM GIBSON,
CMKBD, CLIPP, CAPS,
is an architectural
designer and consultant
specializing in luxury
homes, additions, kitchens and bathrooms and
entertainment spaces.

without gripping, which is helpful for those
with dexterity challenges. Having a touch- or
voice-operated faucet is not only a great feature for someone with arthritis, but as one who
cooks nearly every day, I appreciate touching the
kitchen faucet with the back of my hand when
my fingers are covered with chicken goo.
Bathroom flooring should have a high Dynamic
Coefficient of Friction (DCOF), which measures slip
resistance during motion and is the industry
standard that replaced the Static Coefficient of
Friction (COF). Anywhere there is potential
for a wet floor, it must be slip resistant. Most
tile companies rate their floor tile for DCOF.
It's our job to specify accordingly. Although
heated floors add to the initial cost, they're actually quite inexpensive to run and contribute to
faster evaporation.
The days of the curb shower entrance are waning. With so many prefabricated shower floor
systems on the market, there's little reason for a
curb. It's a trip hazard for healthy people, much
less someone with a mobility aid. If your high
school athlete ends up in a cast for a few months
or you do after a mountain-biking incident,
you'll be grateful for the zero entry. Plus, linear
drains are attractive and often go hand in hand
with zero-entry showers. Other benefits of a
linear drain are that it's not typically in the center where people are standing, and the number
of floor pitches is significantly reduced. Also,
having a shower floor with a textured surface
engages tactile stimulation by helping the piggies keep their grip.
Incorporating a horizon line is a beautiful decorative accent in a shower and can be of tremendous
importance for someone suffering from a slight
case of vertigo (or a hangover). The horizontal
sightline encourages proper balance and helps
maintain equilibrium. Usually, the placement is
5 feet above the floor. It can be a band of decorative tile or a contrasting surface, but whatever
you do, do not go back to the 1980s. We are
designers, after all.
Lastly, a couple of door issues. For the same reason
codes mandate that shower doors outswing, it's
sometimes better if the bathroom door swings
out. If someone falls against the door, they don't
block it from opening - unless it's a large room.
If there's ever a need for wheelchair access, most
doors can't accommodate its width. By overframing and infilling, the door can be replaced
in a day as long as we specify no electricity in the
to-be-infilled space. A bit of planning ahead can
save time and money.
A design is a success when it looks gorgeous and
safety features are hidden in plain sight. A safer
home is a healthier home.


/ OCTOBER 2020 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

9/14/20 7:48 PM


http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.NKBA.org http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020

Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020
Contents
Editor’s Note
Show Note
NKBA Note
new & noteworthy
Skill Set
Trends
NKBA Student Design Comp
Hot Topic
Universal Design
Special Section
KBIS 2021
Dealer Dish
Balanced Budget
Design With
Before & After
What’s Hot
Last Word
A whole-house renovation caters to multiple generations
A designer overcomes challenges and creates a one-of-a-kind kitchen
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Intro
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Cover2
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 1
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Contents
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 3
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 4
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 5
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Editor’s Note
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 7
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Show Note
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 9
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - NKBA Note
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 11
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - new & noteworthy
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 13
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Skill Set
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 15
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Trends
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 17
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 18
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 19
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - NKBA Student Design Comp
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 21
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 22
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 23
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Hot Topic
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 25
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Universal Design
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 27
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Special Section
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 29
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - KBIS 2021
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 31
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 32
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 33
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 34
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 35
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 36
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 37
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Dealer Dish
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 39
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Balanced Budget
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 41
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Design With
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 43
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Before & After
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 45
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - What’s Hot
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 47
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 48
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 49
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 50
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 51
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 52
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 53
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - A designer overcomes challenges and creates a one-of-a-kind kitchen
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 55
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 56
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 57
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - A whole-house renovation caters to multiple generations
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 59
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 60
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 61
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 62
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 63
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Last Word
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Cover3
Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - Cover4
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