Kbdn

As the American population gets older, and more households become multi-generational, the idea of having a home in which family and friends can access without limitations – no matter what level of ability a person has, or age and physical type a person is – is becoming a topic that kitchen bath dealers and designers can pitch to their prospective clients, regardless of their age.

However, to “convert” clients to the thought that having a Universally Designed kitchen, bath and home can prove delicate, especially when most consumers don’t particularly like to admit they are getting older, but still may need products designed specifically geared toward making their lives easier.

Enter Drue Lawlor, FASID, NCIDQ of Dallas, TX-based education-works, inc. She offered seven Universal Design principles, developed by a working group of architects, product designers, engineers and environmental researchers from the North Carolina State University Center for Universal Design, that will not only improve layouts, but may also change consumer views of Universal Design. She outlined them during the Kitchens and Baths for All Ages seminar she led at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas.

According to Lawlor, the seven principles that kitchen and bath designers should consider when selecting products and design layouts for clients are:

1. Equitable Use: Refers to the same usage ability for all users. Examples of these types of products would be side-open oven doors, which are safer and more accessible; or power doors with sensors.
2. Flexibility in Use: Means that the user has a choice of methods to use, basically accommodating a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. These products would include hand-held showers, especially by the seating area in a shower.
3. Simple and Intuitive Use: Refers to the fact that the use of the design is easy to understand.
4. Perceptible Information: Using tactile, verbal and pictorial guides to communicate information effectively to the consumer. Examples of this would be audible or flashing fire alarms, or tactile, visual or audible cues on thermostats.
5. Tolerance for Error: Ensures that the design minimizes hazards and adverse consequences.
6. Low Physical Effort: Allows users to exert the least amount of effort to accomplish a task. These designs can be used efficiently and comfortably with a minimum amount of fatigue. Lawlor cites levers or loop handles on doors and faucets as effective products.
7. Size and Space for Approach and Use: Required to create a clear line of sight to important elements for seated or standing users in the kitchen or bath. This principle allows for approach, reach and manipulation of products or work areas.

According to Lawlor, these design principles are equally suitable for the kitchen and bath. In fact, once a product has been selected and evaluated, kitchen and bath designers should determine how the product rates according to the design principles.

For example, in kitchens, solid surface material for countertops can provide easier cleaning, so there is less chance for bacteria to build up, she says.

She also suggested rounding off corners on all countertops, especially for visually impaired persons.

Furthermore, Lawlor suggested suspending a mirror above the cooking area to allow vision into pots for a seated person, if the cooktop cannot be lowered. Portable induction cooktops are good for accessibility, as is pull-out shelving or accessible counter space near ovens and microwaves to allow for transfer of hot items.

In the bath Lawlor said that storage considerations are very important, as is the need for clearance space in front and to one side of the toilet. And a curbless shower can eliminate the chance of tripping and falling at the same time it makes it easier for those using wheelchairs or walkers.

The bottom line, Lawlor said, is that when “working with products and clients, no matter their age or ability, design with universal access in mind. Ask many questions, observe and listen.”

For more about this project, log onto to the Live Events, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, as well as the Kitchen & Bath Confidential Blog.

To read more visit the Consumer Resources and Live Events sections , and look for it in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. In addition, for more about Universal Design, click here. And read Ten Design Trends to Follow for Aging in Place.

(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.

Universal Design elements, such as the hand-held showers, grab bars and shower seats shown in this shower created by Jason Smith of Prestige Renovations in Elk Grove Village, IL, are functional and stylish for those who want to age in place.

The 10,000-sq.-ft. Design Idea Center (DIC) explored the idea of home as the perfect mini vacations from daily living at this year’s Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (K/BIS) in Las Vegas and featured five innovative kitchen and bath design concepts that captured the theme of “getting away” without leaving home.

The DIC’s “Everyday Getaways” were the result of the collaboration between the Hackettstown, NJ-based National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and five of Meredith Corp.’s consumer publications – Kitchen and Bath Ideas, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Home, Traditional Home and Midwest Living. Each magazine created a vignette reflecting the theme based on the individual magazine’s core readership.
Upon entering “Everyday Getaways,” visitors were transported to five, distinct, serene and relaxing atmospheres:

• Kitchen and Bath Ideas: Gourmet Traveler At Home was designed for the adventurous couple that loves to discover food and wine while they travel across the globe. Inspired by the trend of combining passions for cooking and traveling, everything in this gourmet kitchen was created to evoke the feeling of past trips, and was positioned for the ease and enjoyment of cooking, such as countertop cut-outs in the prep island and next to the range designed to hold a series of metal bins filled with everything from spoons and spatulas to seasonings. A wine room, which served as an extension of the kitchen, was ideal for those who wished to participate in the burgeoning trend of at-home wine-tasting parties.
• Better Homes and Gardens: A Gardener’s Kitchen brought the outdoors inside via a kitchen designed to act as an oasis in the midst of one’s hectic life. Created for those who think of their garden as the ultimate get-away, this kitchen opened onto a back deck with a container garden and potting table nook. Playing on the trend of multi-functional living, this kitchen’s spaces were designed to be used for cooking, dining, gathering or just unwinding. For example, opposite the range was a dual-function laundry center whose long counter was also perfect for setting up a buffet for relaxing get-togethers.
• Country Home: Big Little House in the Woods was designed as a 525-sq.-ft., two-room cottage that offered a low-key alternative to the massive spaces that have come to dominate home building today. Perfect for empty nesters or the newly single, this tranquil get-away incorporated big design ideas and inventive space solutions in an intimate setting. The cottage, inspired by Minnesota’s wooded cabins, was a cozy get-away featuring a combination dishwasher/sink, a built-in bed alcove and a soaking tub.
• Traditional Home: Natural Inspirations was a kitchen inspired by the sea. It served as a comfortable entertainment space, as well as a high-tech cooking space. Evoking the casual lifestyle of coastal living, the efficiently designed kitchen used soft, earthy finishes and glass mosaic tile to bring the Pacific Northwest environment home. Bringing the party into the kitchen, this space encouraged guests to participate in preparing meals. A large island and four distinct cooking stations made the kitchen very functional, whether one person was cooking or an entire crowd was.
• Midwest Living: Back to Basics was created as a relaxing weekend retreat, featuring a “back-to-nature” kitchen and bath space. Pairing the Heartland’s agricultural heritage with contemporary cabinetry and appliances, the converted barn was designed to relax and enhance the weekend get-away experience. The space played on the growing trend toward more outdoor living, as the entire structure opened to nature with an 8′ entrance flanked by barn doors, an outdoor shower and a screened porch with a daybed.        Look for more information about this in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, as well.  

   (Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.)

Shown are the kitchen and the wine tasting room from the Gourmet Traveler At Home DIC vignette. Photos: Greg Scheidemann
Shown is the kitchen from the Gardener’s Kitchen DIC vignette. Photo: King Au
Shown is the kitchen from the Natural Inspirations DIC vignette. Photo: Michal Venera

The new color of design was ‘green’ at the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. From manufacturers who are introducing environmentally friendly appliances whose parts are almost all recyclable and those who are unveiling countertop lines that are made from up to 12% recycled materials to those manufacturers who are touting sinks that are made out of recycled copper, those presenting low-VOC cabinetry in warm woods and those offering flooring made from easily grown bamboo, the emphasis is definitely on protecting the environment through great product design.

Manufacturers and designers in the kitchen and bath industry at the show were recognizing that there’s a growing movement among consumers who want to help the environment, but don’t want to sacrifice great design.

To read more about green design, click here. To read about Healthy Kitchens, click here.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming 6/07 and 7/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, as well.

(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.)