Universal Design for All: Creating an Accessible and Age-Friendly Bathroom

It’s becoming more common for Australians to want to stay in their own homes as they get older. That’s why it’s important to create a bathroom that works for people of all ages during renovations. This is especially important for families with kids or if you have elderly family members who visit often.

The idea of designing a space that works for everyone is called Universal Design. It’s all about making a space as functional and easy to use as possible for everyone. For example, you might want to have a bathroom floor that’s level with the rest of the house so that older family members don’t have to step into the shower. You could also consider having shower ledges at a height that’s safe and easy for young children to reach.

Benefits of Universal Design

There are many benefits to incorporating universal design into your bathroom renovations.

Enhanced Safety and Accessibility

By incorporating a one-level floor plan into your new bathroom, you can ensure that everyone can use the space, whether they need a one-level floor due to a disability or not. Additionally, not having steps or a ledge to step over into a bathroom shower, for example, is a safer option for those with young children who may be clumsy and risk injury by tripping over the step.

Increased Comfort and Usability

When renovating your bathroom, consider how comfortable and usable the space should be, no matter who’s using it! Universal design seeks to create a seamlessly usable space for everyone, whether that be young children, pregnant women, or individuals who may have temporary injuries, such as a broken ankle. Renovating your bathroom to do away with obstructive elements, such as overly-wide countertops, or sinks that are too far away from the toilet or shower to provide something for an injured to grab hold of if necessary, will make everyone’s bathroom experience safer and more comfortable.

Future-Proofing Your Home

We mentioned above that aging in place is becoming more popular in Australia. By incorporating a universal design into your bathroom renovation, you accidentally-on-purpose can future-proof your home. This will allow you to age in place and remain in your home longer than you otherwise would have, as your accessibility needs could change with age. By adopting universal design principles, you can also be better prepared for unexpected temporary, or permanent, life-changing injuries.

Increasing the Re-Sale Value of Your Home

Another aspect of universal design is that it greatly increases the resale value of your home by maximising its availability to a wider audience. People young and old, of all accessibility needs, will be eligible to buy your home and not have to make any major changes or do their own bathroom renovations immediately to make the space livable.

Key Principles of Universal Design 

There are a few key principles of universal design that you should keep in mind during your UD-inspired Sydney bathroom renovation.

Equitable Use

The first principle of universal design is that the space should be functional, safe and usable for all ages and abilities. What works for one should work for all, from younger children to elderly relatives or those with temporary or permanent injuries.

Flexibility in Use

Your bathroom renovation should consider maximising the flexibility of use in your design. What works for one, should work for all. Elements such as adjustable showerheads, or a secondary shower wand, lower vanities and obstruction-free floors offer maximum flexibility for everyone.

Ease of Use

You shouldn’t have to think about using the bathroom. Incorporate design features into bathroom renovation that are easy to use. Whether this is touchless faucets, easy-to-use taps or other controls for your shower (including perhaps controls for water flow and temperature), sensors or timers for toilet flushing instead of traditional levers/buttons. Using your bathroom space should be easy, don’t be afraid to think outside the box to make it easier!

Perceptual Information

Visibility in the bathroom is important! Consider how well your bathroom space is lit. Ideally, your bathroom light and ceiling fan should be on different switches, as nobody wants that loud noise in their ears when they’re in the bathroom for some solitude. Consider over-the-sink lighting and in-shower lighting. Consider also a soft light over the bathtub to increase the ambience of soaking in a hot bath.

Automatic Lights and Taps

One important element of universal design in bathroom renovations is incorporating motion detection light switches, or sensors that turn taps on and off: things that require little physical effort. And, if you have children, you won’t have to worry about whether or not they turned the lights on or off when they left the room or turned the tap off when they were done washing their hands.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been searching for a way to make your bathroom more user-friendly for everyone, then Crystal Bathrooms should be your first choice! We have the experience and the knowledge base to get your Sydney bathroom renovation started and create a functional, usable, beautiful space that everyone will enjoy, no matter their age or ability.