Hidden Treasures: Unknown Accessibility Opportunities in the Kitchen and Bath

Gail Zahtz feature article in Kitchen and Bath Business

The vast majority of your clients need accessible environments. This is the result of a statistical perfect storm of simultaneous changes in demographics, lifestyles, healthcare legislation, disability codes and city community planning. In addition, the consumer market that currently has the most need for accessibility also has the greatest means, desire and plans to spend their money on kitchen and bath remodels today. But ask many a designer, architect, contractor or manufacturer, and they will say that clients are just not calling for accessibility – even when price is not an issue. Why is that? It’s because most people associate accessibility with ugly and institutional design. The solution is to provide people with what they need and what they want. Don’t sacrifice beauty for function.

By using any or all the tips in this article, you can create hidden accessibility opportunities – designs that can work better for everyone with their current or future needs – but isn’t obvious. Even people in the most dramatic of situations don’t want a home that strips them of beauty, dignity and independence. Create bathrooms and kitchens that make life easier and still meet the style and budget of your client, and you will have those clients for life. In this article, hidden accessibility is defined as what is accessible and safe to the most members of the home – regardless of age, health, height, weight, mobility or vision.

Counters
There is no perfect counter height for everyone, because not everyone is the same size. The solution? Create work areas and storage units in the kitchen and bath at different heights. Near the stove (induction is safest), incorporate a heat-proof counter of the same height so heavy pots can slide from the stovetop to the counter without having to be lifted. Add flexible counter space with such tricks as hanging Murphy tables, rolling kitchen carts that can be stored under a counter and open space under the ends of counters. Sinks Don’t fill the space under sinks with permanent cabinets. Instead, be flexible with doors that fold in, open shelving, cabinets that can be wheeled out to create additional workspace and curtains that cover items stored under the sink. Homeowners can then easily change the under-sink area if a member of the family or a guest needs access to it. The ideal sink depth is 7.5 inches. Use the width of the sink – under- mounted when possible – and the height of the faucet to increase usable sink space. The faucet should feature a tall curve and a pullout spray option. Place the faucet on the side of the sink rather than behind, with the single lever facing forward so anyone can reach it from any position. To test the usability of a faucet, use a fist to operate it. This is an easy way to see if someone can operate the faucet independently regardless of grip, joint pain or tremors.

Cabinets
For flexibility in the smallest of spaces, add pullout options. Those can include deep drawers with peg dividers, steps that have hidden storage, trash and recycling bins – even a hidden tile that pulls out to reveal a drawer in the shower. For upper cabinets, there is high-end shelving that lowers electronically. There are also manual pull-down shelves available. You can also plan open and closed shelving at different heights so family members can store items they use the most at the best height for them.

Flooring
Falls cost people billions of dollars a year in medical costs alone – not to mention lost time and function, pain, hospital stays and more. So safe floors are serious business. First, remove loose rugs in the kitchen and bath. Make sure floors are even. Avoid design that adds even an inch of step into the shower or from one room to another. In bathrooms, ceramic tile or VCT is 10 times safer than linoleum flooring. With carpet, use low-contrast patterns with a low pile and tight weave. Medium-sized patterns are the greatest risk when selecting tile. For bathrooms, the more grout you add, the safer you are (think even penny tiles with a flat, non-slip surface). Using color tile to show transitions throughout the room can be helpful but try to avoid transitions from carpeting to hard flooring.

Appliances and Electronics
Bending and stretching can cause unnecessary pain and risk even for the healthiest person. Since people are of such varying heights, the ADA gives a very broad range for placement of appliances and outlets. An ideal kitchen appliance set up is one in which ovens and microwaves are built in or placed at torso height. Take the same approach to counters when you can. Also take advantage of placing outlets in the front of a cabinet or use a pop-up outlet that can house additional plugs and USBs. If a project’s budget allows, refrigerator and freezer drawers are fabu- lous options for the flexible kitchen, as you can place them in different locations around the room. You can also bring parts of the kitchen to other areas of the house, such as coffee stations in the master bedroom. A mini-fridge and electric induction burner can make life much more enjoyable for longer-term guests in guest rooms and can be used in home offices, in-law suites and outdoor spaces.

Lighting
The goal is to use about twice as much lighting as clients think they need by incorporating task lighting into the kitchen plan. String lighting can provide calming sensory integration into any room while adding soft light and meeting many styles. When possible, keep floor lamps from cluttering up the walkways. Place a light switch at both sides of the kitchen or bath so people don’t have to wander around in the dark. Floor-mounted LED panels can provide low light enhancement even when the overhead lights are out. Motion sensors can turn lighting on and off automatically. Hardware When selecting hardware, use the same “closed fist” test that you did with the faucet to see if what you have chosen can be easily used by anyone. Keep in mind that long rails are better than small knobs for open- ing drawers and cabinets in kitchens and bathrooms. Side levers are now available for both the main window lift and the additional screens.

Doorways For extra accessibility in a remodel, specify wider doorways and halls, as well as an open turning radius for doors. Pocket and barn doors can be great options to give the maximum amount of mobility into a bathroom or walk-in pantry, and inside hinge and pocket doors are now available up to 43 inches. With a swing door, allow 18 inches of extra space for easy entry. You can widen older home hallways by removing cabinets that were commonly built in at that time. Software is available to enable you to double check your space while you’re creating the layout. When accounting for space, you can also install plywood backing halfway up behind the drywall to support grab bars at a later time.

Bathrooms
Add a bench or chair wherever you can in the bathroom; tufted chairs can be beautiful paired with a lower-counter make-up station. Have mirrors start at the sink level and expand toward the ceiling so everyone in the house can look at them at their own eye level. For privacy or room division in the bathroom, flexibility and stability are again key elements to universal design. Glass doors can be built that fold in place or can be easily taken out. Shower curtain rods are available that attach directly to the ceiling – a much safer option.

Showers
For years, the rage in European bathrooms has been wet rooms. In the U.S., those lacking knowledge, influence or product selection – or those tasked with following ADA-compliant “accessible bathrooms” too late into the process – have put in ugly roll-in showers. Trench/linear drains make installing zero-step showers possible and environmentally safe from mold in virtually any bathroom. You can use tile or even put in radiant heat floors with the flat drain. LCD lights of any color can be installed inside the drain to provide another marker that’s both safe and beautiful. A double shower system with a handheld shower and fixed shower- head is an accessible combination. There should be a metal (not plastic) clip on a linear bar (a great place to add a hidden grab bar) for placing the handheld while not in use. Separate lever controls for hot and cold water should be placed at the seated level for easy reach – preferably at the shower entrance. For an all-in-one, lower-budget option, use a double shower system with a linear bar and circular lever faucet control. Built-in nooks or attachments for soaps and toiletries should be at multiple levels of reach. Seating options in the shower can be in the form of a fold-down teak seat on the wall or a tiled-in seat at the end of the shower (ensure placement allows easy reach of controls and handheld shower while seated).

Tubs
Bathtubs are most accessible with a built-in ledge on the side or around the entire edge, depending on the layout. Seating within the bath can come in so many beautiful options, and some of the more popular include a fold-down teak seat attached to the wall; a portable indoor/outdoor bench; or a flat, waterproof “transfer seat” of any mate- rial to match the bathroom and that doubles as a place to put candles or toiletries. For clients who request an “open-door” tub with built-in seat, make sure they want to sit in a bathtub while the water is filling and then again while it’s draining. If they do select this, try adding a heating ele- ment closer to the tub area for wet, exposed bathers.

Toilets and Bidets
The most popular environmentally sustainable item in the house is a high-efficiency toilet. With options at various price points, an accessible toilet is oblong with a full base or mounted from the wall. Since this area has the single-greatest need for grab bars, install plywood backing halfway up behind the drywall with any bathroom remodel, and take advantage of the many new hidden grab bars that can double as towel racks, paper holders or soap dishes. The safest placement of a toilet is on a sidewall rather than directly across from an entrance. Studies show that the best placement for grab bars is on both sides of the toilet. For a more attractive look, create a custom design that uses half walls with rails that are secure according to ADA standards but match the design of the bath. From parents of children with special needs to baby boomers who have every intention of living this next phase of life in the same style and ease that’s named them the “me generation,” the consumers who are most in immediate need of accessible spaces have proven they are less concerned with price than they are beauty. They desire knowledgeable service and design that works for their lifestyle. In creating kitchens and baths that offer beauty, independence and function for any situation at hand or that may come, our industry is in a position to make life easier for people with disabilities.