Accessible bathroom

If you are already looking ahead to the future, think about your requirements in later life when planning your bathroom conversion. A door that opens outwards will be practical in the event of an accident. There should also be enough space for shower chairs and other seating. A raised toilet makes it easier to stand up, even if you do not need a walking aid. A level-access shower is useful if steps are a problem for you.

Clever lighting is another essential requirement for an accessible and disabled bathrooms. Well-lit areas have been proven to reduce the risk of accidents. Make sure the light is bright and evenly distributed throughout the room. For added convenience, you can integrate your bathroom lighting into a smart home system, allowing you to control it easily from your smartphone.

Rails are useful next to almost all bathroom fixtures to allow you to move freely. Grab rails and support bars also help to reduce the risk of accidents. No special requirements apply for grab rails, but support rails need to be fitted to ensure they can bear at least some of your weight. Fit rails on both sides of the toilet, in the disabled shower or disabled bath area, and next to the washbasin!

If the layout of an accessible bathroom allows enough space for both a shower and a bathtub, you should take advantage of this. As well as showering, many people enjoy a relaxing bath from time to time. A wheelchair-friendly disabled bath is fitted with a door and/or a lift. The DIN standard even states that disabled bathrooms must allow the possibility of retrofitting/installing a bath. Freestanding baths are practical and come in elegant, timeless designs. For accessible bathroom ideas, consider the Villeroy & Boch Theano collection. It stands out with its graceful, elegant shapes, while the Theano Curved Edition brings modern asymmetry into the accessible bathroom.

The disabled shower provides 1.50 x 1.50 metres of space for manoeuvrability, allowing unrestricted movement with a shower wheelchair. The Lifetime Plus and O.novo collections include shower trays in a wide variety of designs. Taps and corner shelves must be positioned at an easily accessible height. Using a shower seat or chair makes showering easier.

The building standard 18040-2 stipulates certain dimensions for a disability-friendly or accessible toilet. To be classed as accessible, a toilet needs to have a minimum distance of just 20 centimetres from the surrounding sanitary fittings and a manoeuvring space of 1.20 x 1.20 metres in front. The washdown toilets from Villeroy & Boch’s ViCare collection are a perfect choice. They are available in wall-mounted and floor-standing versions. Additional requirements apply for a wheelchair-friendly bathroom. In this case, the toilet must be installed at a height of 46 to 48 centimetres, have a 30-centimetre clearance from the wall and 90 centimetres of space at the side. Grab rails are essential for wheelchair users, along with a backrest, usually provided by the room wall.

Furniture for an accessible bathroom or bathrooms for the elderly needs to be functional. However, this does not mean that you need to compromise on design. Make sure that shelves, wall boxes and other items are positioned at a height that you can reach comfortably. This, of course, means the height you can reach when seated. The Villeroy & Boch Finion collection includes modular shelf units that you can freely place on the wall. A vanity unit under the washbasin is generally not an option; shelves either side of the washbasin are a better solution. A mirror cabinet is also not practical in an accessible bathroom and you should choose built-in shelves and cabinets instead.