A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
You know the saying … a picture is worth a thousand words. This is especially true when trying to visualize how a home could be designed to work well for most everyone regardless of age, size or physical ability. This concept is known as universal design.In this picture gallery, we created 12 different scenes to show universal design benefits that can make your home easier to use, more comfortable and potentially safer for you and your family. For each scene, we first show an area with traditional design features, followed by the same area with universal design.
Take a look through the pictures below and make notes for discussion with your contractor. Ask how some of these ideas can be folded into the work being done to your home.
Traditional Design: A kitchen faucet with two handles requires a grasping and turning motion, and it’s not always easy to adjust the pressure or get the temperature right.
Universal Design: For the simplest operation of a faucet, choose one with a single-lever handle rather than two separate turn-style knobs or handles.
Traditional Design: Small round knobs on kitchen cabinet doors and drawers can sometimes be tough to grasp or pull, especially for those with arthritis.
Universal Design: Hardware shaped like “D” or “U” makes it easier for anyone to grasp and pull open a cabinet door or drawer.
Traditional Design: With fixed shelving in kitchen cabinets, it can be tough to access storage space because you can’t see what is there. Plus, there is bending and reaching required to get items out.
Universal Design: It’s easier to access storage space if base cabinets have pullout drawers, adjustable-height shelving and Lazy Susans in corner cupboards.
Traditional Design: When countertops are all one level throughout the kitchen, there may not be workspace or seating options for the variety of people who live in or visit the home.
Universal Design: Multi-level countertops can make the kitchen easier for every family member or visitor to use or relax in – regardless of their size, age or ability. For cooks who prefer to work while seated, an alternative is to install pull-out cabinetry or removable cabinet doors and shelves.
Traditional Design: Using a range with oven below the stovetop means there’s a certain amount of bending required to not only put heavy items in to cook or bake, but also to pull hot items out when done.
Universal Design: Consider a wall oven, which can reduce the need to bend with hot or heavy items. A separate stovetop should have staggered burners with controls at the front to eliminate any need to reach over hot burners, pots and pans.
Traditional Design: With a single overhead light fixture in the kitchen, there never seems to be enough light in the places you need it most – especially the work areas where you are preparing meals.
Universal Design: Supplement natural light with lighting from multiple sources. These may include under-cabinet lights, track lighting, recessed lighting or pendants that hang from the ceiling. Add glare-free task lighting over the sink, stove, countertops and island work areas.
Traditional Design: Round door knobs aren’t easy if hands are full, and they can be a challenge for anyone with slippery hands, limited strength or difficulty grasping.
Universal Design: Lever handles are easier to grasp and allow the door to be opened with a wrist, forearm or elbow.
Traditional Design: When thresholds are used between rooms or different flooring materials, a tripping hazard may exist.
Universal Design: Eliminating thresholds makes it easier and safer to move from room to room. Other alternatives include lowering thresholds to 1/4” to 1/2” or using angled wedges.
Traditional Design: Standard toggle-style light switches require a pinching or grasping motion to turn on and off – not always comfortable or easy if your hands are full.
Universal Design: Rocker-style light switches offer a larger target and can be turned on and off with the back of your hand or elbow. Some styles have a backlit feature that makes them visible in the dark.
Traditional Design: The standard positioning of switches and outlets makes them not always within comfortable reach for the tallest or shortest family members, or from both a standing and sitting position.
Universal Design: Lighting controls can be easier for everyone in the house to reach by making small adjustments in their location. Mount switches at 42” to 48” above the floor, and outlets 18” to 24” above the floor.
Traditional Design: Peek inside this shower and you find no features to make it safer or easier to use. The fixed shower head and lack of a shower seat offer no flexibility if someone wants to shower while seated. Without grab bars there is no support.
Universal Design: This shower has an adjustable-height, handheld shower hose (60” to 72”) with easy-to-operate controls. The built-in seat allows someone to sit while bathing. Properly placed grab bars provide an easy way to steady yourself in a slippery environment.
Traditional Design: Bathrooms often have a single overhead light fixture, and it doesn’t always provide sufficient, even lighting throughout the room.
Universal Design: Make your bathroom brighter and easier to navigate with track lighting or recessed fixtures in the ceiling. Add glare-free task lighting over the sink. Install lighting over the bathtub and shower to increase safety.