Gulf Times

Study reveals latest bathroom trends

- By Kim Palmer

Homeowners 55 and older may be showing their age. But their bathrooms are getting shiny new face-lifts. And many of these remodelled bathrooms are more than just a pretty space. They’re increasing­ly designed to accommodat­e the realities of ageing, with built-in seats, curbless showers, grab bars and nonslip floors.

That’s among the findings in the recently released Houzz Bathroom Trends Study. The home-design website surveyed more than 1,100 US homeowners who are in the midst of, are planning or have recently completed a master bathroom renovation.

More than half of renovating homeowners are baby boomers, according to the study. Most of them plan to remain in their homes for at least another decade, and are remodellin­g with accessibil­ity in mind to ensure they’re able to age in place.

“Baby boomers today account for the largest share of renovating homeowners and the largest share of renovation spending,” said Nino Sitchinava, Houzz principal economist. “A significan­t portion of boomers are aware of pending ageing needs, and are proactive about integratin­g universal design features during renovation­s.”

Nearly half of baby boomers change the bathroom layout, and onethird remove the bathtub. Premium features, such as dual showers, onepiece toilets, vessel sinks and built-in

matters. More than 4 in 5 homeowners report changing the design style of their master bathrooms when renovating. Contempora­ry style is the top choice (20%), and more than half of remodelled bathrooms are described as contempora­ry, modern or transition­al. Just 14% of today’s bathroom renovation­s are traditiona­l, although “farmhouse style” is on the rise. – Tribune News Service

 ??  ?? A shower room in a bathroom, which can easily be accessed with a wheelchair. (Mitsu Yasukawa/The Record/TNS)
A shower room in a bathroom, which can easily be accessed with a wheelchair. (Mitsu Yasukawa/The Record/TNS)

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