5 Bathroom Trends to go BEYOND the safe accessible bathroom

Who can be ‘over the moon’ about a safe (and simple to maintain) age in place or accessible bathroom which still looks institutional?

Sure – making a bathroom someone can bathe safely (and independently) in can be life-altering.

And making it simple to maintain can save time and reduce the risk of injury while cleaning.

However, should that be ‘the best you can do’ to make your clients and customers ‘bathrooms great again’ (OK – sorry for the slightly political reference here, just having fun with words….). Is there a better way to recommend products or design and build a safe, simple bathroom which DOES NOT look institutional?

IMHO, absolutely.

And sure – while safety (and simplicity) is the ‘price of admission’ for age in place or accessible bathroom, why should the products you recommend (or use) stop there?

What if you could offer suggestions – or build projects – which went beyond safety and also leveraged the latest bathroom trends, AND did it on a ‘reasonable budget?’ (and yes, I know the definition of reasonable will vary from person to person).

Then – I’d argue, you’d be ‘cookin’ with gas!’

Below I’ll share 5 bathroom trends which will take the safe, simple, accessible or age in place bathroom to the next level. These trends will make it… dare I say, stylish. Let’s check them out.

Accessible, yet stylish, bathroom trend #1 – Go beyond the ‘white subway tile.’ You’re better than that!

While white subway tiles are still popular – and you can find them in many easy to maintain shiny, plastic fiberglass or acrylic wall surround systems or ceramic tiles, to ‘claim’ they’re the ‘height of fashion’ in 2024, would be a stretch.

Modern farmhouse – a popular design style years ago, has seen it’s better days.

Pick up a current issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News (or popular interior design magazines) and see how several white subway tile jobs you see in upscale kitchens and bathrooms. I’ll bet you a ‘dollar to donuts’ (yes, a bizarre phrase…I agree) it’s Z-E-R-O.

And the reason you’ll see the acrylic and fiberglass surround panels ‘sporting’ (I’m being sarcastic here) white subway tile patterns in many age in place remodels is it’s in the best interest of the large manufacturers of these products to keep spitting out more, and more, and more subway tile patterns so they can maximize the return on their ‘subway tile’ molds (because making new molds ain’t cheap!).

However, today what you’ll see in fashion-forward kitchen and bath magazines are light wood grains (warm neutral tones are back) and even bold ‘maximalist’ looks (people are staying in their homes longer and throwing more ‘caution to the wind’ with color selections).

And if you’re wondering where you find fun, cool, cost-effective shower surrounds like these without spending big-bucks for hard to maintain tiles – click on the link below.

Wall panels looks which are cool and go beyond white subway tile

Accessible, yet stylish, bathroom trend #2 – Flooring can be cool. Flooring can be easy to install. Flooring can be sturdy. Flooring can provide visual contrast, and style.

I’ll admit my wife Rose and I were very happy when we eliminated our dirty and cracked grouted tile bathroom and shower floor in our recent remodel.

And if you want to see how we incorporated ‘age in place’ products (even though I’m NOT admitting I’m old….and I’m not lying when I say I’m 6 months younger than wife – although she’s waaaay prettier!) in our remodel, read 15 Lessons You Can Learn from My Safer, Simpler, and More Stylish Master Bathroom.

And when you look at a stylish, yet accessible remodel, it begins with a thoughtful (and safe) selection of the shower and bathroom flooring (after all you know the ‘medical price’ a fall can cost). And this selection doesn’t have to be boring to be safe.

For example, for the bathroom floor I love LVT (luxury vinyl tile). They install quickly, are waterproof and come in many patterns.

Then in the shower – I love low, low, low profile shower pans (1 1/16” high curb height) which are sleek, contemporary, have a textured bottom, and can be purchased in fun patterns. And if you think you may need to convert the shower pan to a ramp design in the future –use an add-on ramp component which can be removed if/when it’s no longer needed or circumstances require the home be sold. Because, if you think about it, a ramped shower pan can kill a future home sale to a buyer who DOES NOT need a ramped shower base.

Flooring can be cool, yet safe.

Flooring can be sturdy, yet safe.

Flooring can be waterproof and simple to maintain, yet safe.

Flooring can be more cost effective than tile or stone, yet safe.

Accessible, yet stylish, bathroom trend #3 – Quick install wall surrounds can transform a bathroom in no time flat AND look stylish and expensive.

So, your patient (or customer) is coming home from rehab and the clock is ticking. They’re IN NO WAY ready to move back in.

They need to remove the tub (like yesterday) in their small bathroom. They’d prefer a shower which DID NOT look like the rehab bathroom (with it’s ‘truck stop’ grab bars and white plastic walls) they’ve been putting up with over the last few weeks or months. But time is of the essence.

They need a fast installation. However, you hate to recommend the ‘cheap institutional stuff’ just because you can get product quickly, and it’s simple to install. But where can you find products available from stock, which also look nice – DO NOT cost a ton of money, and are simple to install? Is this request like The Impossible Dream sung by Josh Groben below?

One fast-growing option are click lock shower wall panels. They join together like click lock flooring (discussed in trend #2). A bath to shower conversion can be completed in as little as 2 days.

Style – and installation speed – ARE NOT mutually exclusive. You just have to know where to find fashion-forward, high-value shower products which are time-effective to install.

Accessible, yet stylish, bathroom trend #4– Organic is in…. even if it’s with faux organic building materials.

The spa bathroom is still a hot trend. And while it’s nice to see the expensive look of real wood, stone, and concrete finishes – these natural materials are too expensive for most clients.

If this is your client’s reality – then look for products like wood or cement looking laminate shower wall panels, laminate vanities, or click lock flooring systems. Faux materials are far better than the ‘cubic zirconium diamonds’ of days gone by.

Accessible, yet stylish, bathroom trend #5– Even with ‘traditional-ish patterns,’ you don’t have to settle for ‘traditional’ looks.

I know you heard me ‘bash’ traditional white subway tiles above, but if I’m being honest, it’s easy to get stuck in a ‘fashion-time-warp.’ I’ll admit my wife Rose had to ‘inform’ me when the pants and shirts I was wearing made me look like an ‘old guy’ (kind of like Jim Harbaugh’s khaki pants for you football fans out there).  

And while ‘dramatic’ new ‘Vogue-esque’ looks may be hard (to impossible) for most of us to wear (much less look at in our bathrooms every day) it is possible to ‘nudge’ your clients into more stylish selections when you (or your spouse or significant other when it comes to your clothing selections) ‘show us’ the way to cooler looks… even if they are ‘variations’ from traditional choices.

And when it comes to bathroom remodeling this is where – as industry professionals – you can (gently nudge) your clients to better choices so their bathroom will not only look better today – but will be more sellable if their living situation needs to change in the future.

So, here’s a few ‘modern day’ variations you can recommend to turn a traditional tile look on its head for a more fashionable finished project.

• Modernize the subway tile with wider units in different colors. Subway tiles DO NOT have to all be white and purchased in a traditional 6” x 3” size. This 12” x 4” gray Aberdeen brick surround panel has the same subway tile feel, but with a more modern ‘today’ look.

• Turn the subway tile on its ‘head.’ A growing trend are stacked subway tile walls. This is where thin tiles are stacked vertically (or horizontally) on the wall. And vertical stacked subway tile wall panels are gaining popularity because they can make a bathroom with a lower ceiling feel

• Turn the subway tile on it’s ‘side.’ Putting subway tiles on a 45 degree angle creates a herringbone pattern. This is uber-stylish. And if you’re worried about the outrageous costs of a tile setter installing 45 degree herringbone tiles, then choose cost effective shower surround panels with the 45 degree pattern built in.

So, are you ready to recommend, design, or build more stylish, accessible, age in place bathrooms? And, yes, I can help you along the way!

If I’ve done my job (like Pfc. Louden Downey from one of my favorite movies A Few Good Men) in this article I’ve given you ideas to help your clients, customers, patients, or mom or dad see that an age in place (or accessible remodel) can go beyond safe and simple – it CAN BE STYLISH.

And why shouldn’t it be stylish? After all, why shouldn’t even someone in there ‘advanced ages’ (and NO this likely WOULD NOT be a politically correct way to refer to them – ha! ha!) be excited to use their new bathroom? And who wants to associate their bathroom with a hospital room? ‘Er that’d be NO ONE!

I know for one – even though my wife and I designed an age in place bathroom – we in NO WAY wanted it to feel (or look) age in place or accessible. And I’ll bet (once again a dollar to donuts) I’m not the only one out there who feels this way.

So – if you need help (ideas, products, installer referrals)  or want to represent stylish age in place products to not only get safe and simple bathrooms for your clients but also ones which are cool –contact me. Although I can’t promise I’ll be anything but my wacky self, I can promise you’ll I’m likely to have a few ideas (and products) to help your customers and clients get bathrooms which go beyond safe and simple, yet don’t cost an arm and a leg.

For help with your project, or ideas to grow age in place or accessible product sales, call me at 877-668-5888.

For more info about age in place products – and articles – click on the links below.

Age in place and accessible remodeling articles

Stylish age in place shower pans

Stylish age in place shower surround panels  

Thanks for reading –

Mike