The Idea Home in Louisville, Colo. will showcase state-of-the-art features and concepts for Living In Place.
JUNE 5, 2023
Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer Barbara Barton, now designing the baths for the Living In Place Institute’s first Idea Home, keeps a focus not just on safety and accessibility, but also on user comfort. When the Idea Home opens for tours and workshops in Louisville, Colo., in spring 2024, visitors will see bath features selected to create a positive bathing experience, as well as to make them readily available regardless of the user’s capabilities.
That includes in the master bath, where Barton is situating a two-sided gas fireplace along the tub to provide supplemental heat during cold Colorado nights. That feature will also aid a user who has difficulty modulating their body temperature as they get in or out. And of course, the fireplace adds a visual experience that complements the warmth.
Visitors will also find a Brizo Steamist shower—a feature that any user will love, and that provides exceptional convenience to a user with mobility issues. Any steam shower requires a designer to think ahead about some special considerations, including the ceiling slope (so moisture doesn’t drip back on users), a sloped seat that doesn’t collect water, and encasing the entire installation in waterproof materials. For the Idea Home, Barton will also be choosing proper lighting, positioning grab bars to work at the individual heights of the clients, and designating individual niches for bath supplies so that they’re available near the seat as well as the shower head.
Ergonomics have to be factored into the placement of interior controls–coupled with smart technology to enable the bather to control the various water features.