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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.

Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center May 7-10, the 26th annual Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) hit the jackpot with the wares of its 1,100-plus exhibitors and a full slate of educational seminars, special events, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities attracting 44,154 kitchen and bath designers and dealers and other allied professionals from here and abroad.

The latest K/BIS was filled with a bustle of activity throughout its three halls and more than 610,000 sq. ft. of designated exhibit space, with the New Product Pavilion, the NKBA Industry Trends Marketplace and the NKBA Center Stage offering interested design professionals the latest in product innovations and trends. (To see Kitchen & Bath Design News’ K/BIS show product coverage, click here.)

One could see the show’s great emphasis - and the industry’s increasing awareness - of green design, energy efficiency and water conservation. Manufacturers and designers in the industry were clearly 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.)

This recognition and awareness could be seen in the wide range of products in response to the green movement, including appliances such as induction cooktops and water-saving dishwashers; low-VOC cabinetry; flooring offered in sustainable materials such as bamboo and cork; countertops and surfacing that are made from recycled and sustainable materials; plumbing fixtures such as low-flow toilets and water-saving showerheads, lighting products that use LED technology and color-corrected and longer-lasting fluorescent bulbs; related eco-friendly building products, and much more.

In addition, health and wellness were also prominent at the show. (To read more about Healthy Kitchens, click here.)

As many companies introduced new indoor air filters, tweaked their existing ventilation systems and unveiled a slate of products that promoted healthy living, such as air purification systems; water filtration and purification systems; steam ovens that are meant to inspire better eating habits; hands-free faucets that create a more hygienic environment; built-in refrigerators that feature pure water and air; hygienic stainless steel appliances, sinks and faucets; countertops with eco-friendly and hygienic sealants and Microban technology; showerheads and systems that feature aromatherapy and chromatherapy, and walk-in whirlpool baths that feature therapeutic hydrotherapy.

Many products are also making design more accessible than ever before as the industry notices that Baby Boomers are getting older and demanding products that don’t remind them of that fact. (For more on accessible design, click here, and read Ten Design Trends to Follow for Aging in Place and Adaptive Marketing.)

There was also a slew of high-tech appliances that turned the kitchen into the digital control center of the home, such as those found in the Digital Entertainment Kitchen presented in the NKBA Industry Trends Marketplace. (To read more about this and other K/BIS 2007 news, click here.)

Some of the other noteworthy product trends include:

• The continuing expansion of the appliance suite to include many more specialty products such as built-in coffeemakers and wine/beverage centers.
• The increase in the sophistication level of and attention to outdoor living.
• The demand for more transitional product designs than ever before that skew toward the contemporary and the Asian-inspired.
• The increasing amount of nature-inspired colors in both saturated and muted tones that are creeping into everything from faucet finishes to glass-paneled appliances. (For more products, visit the Product Gallery.)

The same topics also punctuated the variety of educational seminars covering design, technology and leadership issues. For example, this year’s conference tracks feature Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time and Sweet Dreams & Rude Awakenings: Lighting Details for Kitchens and Baths.

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.)  

The latest K/BIS was filled a bustle of activity throughout its more than 610,000 sq. ft. of designated exhibit space at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Popular notion holds that today’s home automation means some lighting and temperature control, while automated appliances remain part of a Jetsons-like future we’ve never quite achieved. However, the future was achieved at this year’s NextGen Demonstration Home, showcased during the 2007 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS). The entire home was equipped with remote and touch panels that powered a home automation system called Life|ware 2.0 from Exceptional innovation.

Life|ware 2.0 controlled everything from the appliances and the lighting to the home’s security, ushering what was termed “a new level of digital living” into the kitchen and throughout the home. It is a digital entertainment and automation solution that expands a homeowner’s ability to manage subsystems and appliances via Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center to create a comprehensive digital living experience. The home automation solution is powered by its use of Web Services for Devices (WSD) to communicate between different home systems.

By integrating Life|ware into Media Center, a user’s entire music collection, complete with album art, can be accessed on screen. It’s also possible to view slide shows of digital photos, schedule and record favorite TV programs, retrieve home videos and watch DVDs. Life|ware also gives homeowners the power to control a home’s lighting, thermostat and security systems, distribute music throughout the house, and enact homeowner-defined “Life|scenes.”

In addition, the home automation solution also allows remote access and management of a home’s systems through a TV with a Media Center PC, Media Center Extender or Xbox 360, from a home or office PC or notebook from a Life|point touch panel or from a wireless device like an Ultra Mobile PC.

The NextGen Home also showed the result of the partnership between LG and Life|ware: Life|ware Connected appliances that employ an adapter module that makes an appliance Life|ware Connected, thereby allowing homeowners to check the status of appliances and adjust functions to better suit their schedule.

Other high-tech touches the NextGen Home showcased included a one-touch refreshment dispenser in the kitchen and a mirror that also served as a nightlight in both baths.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events and Consumer Resources. In addition, try logging onto http://www.securityinfowatch.com/ for more information about home automation systems and home security.    

(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.)