Bathroom of the Week: A Curbless Shower Adds Accessibility
A design-build firm helps a homeowner with a walker and his wife create an attractive and functional en suite bathroom
Jeannie Matteucci
15 March 2022
Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish spaces, smart lighting and a good decaf dry cappuccino.
Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish... More
This Virginia couple didn’t just want a more functional bathroom — they needed one. The husband uses a rollator walker and crutches, so the built-in vanity, bulky jetted tub, narrow entry and curbed shower stall made navigating the space extremely difficult.
The couple looked at inspiration photos online and hired design-build pro Sean Onal of NV Kitchen and Bath for help. Onal eliminated the shower stall and jetted tub and rejiggered the layout to create a curbless shower with a built-in bench and grab bars. Floating sinks and a widened entrance create more space for maneuverability, while a new white-and-gray color scheme brings lasting style.
The couple looked at inspiration photos online and hired design-build pro Sean Onal of NV Kitchen and Bath for help. Onal eliminated the shower stall and jetted tub and rejiggered the layout to create a curbless shower with a built-in bench and grab bars. Floating sinks and a widened entrance create more space for maneuverability, while a new white-and-gray color scheme brings lasting style.
“After” photos by Kaan Ozturk of Filmographer
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Warrenton, Virginia
Size: 112 square feet (10 square meters)
Design-build pro: Sean Onal, project manager and lead designer at NV Kitchen and Bath
Before: In the former bathroom, a jetted tub, built-in vanity and pony wall separating the toilet and shower stall created a cramped layout.
A narrow doorway (about where this photo was taken from) connected the bathroom to a narrow hallway that led to the couple’s bedroom, further creating navigation difficulty.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Warrenton, Virginia
Size: 112 square feet (10 square meters)
Design-build pro: Sean Onal, project manager and lead designer at NV Kitchen and Bath
Before: In the former bathroom, a jetted tub, built-in vanity and pony wall separating the toilet and shower stall created a cramped layout.
A narrow doorway (about where this photo was taken from) connected the bathroom to a narrow hallway that led to the couple’s bedroom, further creating navigation difficulty.
After: Onal and his team stripped the space down and incorporated the narrow hallway into the design, adding about 32 square feet and creating more space to move around.
Onal then rejiggered the layout with accessibility in mind, placing the new expanded curbless shower on the rear wall, the toilet near a small pony wall and the open floating sinks along the right. “The location of fixtures was important,” he says. “Any user should be able to move around and freely access the fixtures.”
Walls painted white with a hint of purple (White Iris by Sherwin-Willams) in a satin finish add a bit of warmth to gray tiles and dark gray cabinetry. “They like a more neutral look,” Onal says. “Even though they have those nice windows, they wanted to balance the light and dark of this space with the neutral colors.”
The rear shower wall is large-format (12-by-24-inch) slate-colored porcelain tiles. The flooring is the same size porcelain tile in a nonslip white finish with brown and black veining and gray grout. “They wanted the focus on one of the walls in the shower as an accent wall,” Onal says. “The neutral colors on the floor also make the space feel larger.”
New recessed, dimmable LED lights in the ceiling provide general illumination. An energy-efficient ceiling exhaust fan with Bluetooth speakers improves ventilation and adds ambiance.
Find a bathroom designer near you
Onal then rejiggered the layout with accessibility in mind, placing the new expanded curbless shower on the rear wall, the toilet near a small pony wall and the open floating sinks along the right. “The location of fixtures was important,” he says. “Any user should be able to move around and freely access the fixtures.”
Walls painted white with a hint of purple (White Iris by Sherwin-Willams) in a satin finish add a bit of warmth to gray tiles and dark gray cabinetry. “They like a more neutral look,” Onal says. “Even though they have those nice windows, they wanted to balance the light and dark of this space with the neutral colors.”
The rear shower wall is large-format (12-by-24-inch) slate-colored porcelain tiles. The flooring is the same size porcelain tile in a nonslip white finish with brown and black veining and gray grout. “They wanted the focus on one of the walls in the shower as an accent wall,” Onal says. “The neutral colors on the floor also make the space feel larger.”
New recessed, dimmable LED lights in the ceiling provide general illumination. An energy-efficient ceiling exhaust fan with Bluetooth speakers improves ventilation and adds ambiance.
Find a bathroom designer near you
The two wall-mounted sinks give the husband plenty of space below to maneuver his walker. The frameless mirrors can tilt as needed. The dark gray floating vanity with marble-look quartz countertop contributes to the open look, and cleaning the floor below is quick and easy.
Onal widened the doorway seen here that leads to the couple’s main closet.
Floating vanity: Larsen in Moonstone, Kemper Cabinets; vanity knobs: Elara in matte black, Hardware Resources
Shop for a floating vanity
Onal widened the doorway seen here that leads to the couple’s main closet.
Floating vanity: Larsen in Moonstone, Kemper Cabinets; vanity knobs: Elara in matte black, Hardware Resources
Shop for a floating vanity
The two ADA-compliant rectangular white ceramic sinks include single-handle faucets with a chrome finish. The long shape of the sinks gives the couple room to brush their teeth and wash their face, an improvement from the oval sinks they had before.
Sinks: rectangular white ceramic wall-mounted or drop-in, one-hole: CeraStyle; faucets: Lahara, Delta Faucet
Sinks: rectangular white ceramic wall-mounted or drop-in, one-hole: CeraStyle; faucets: Lahara, Delta Faucet
In addition to the back slate-colored porcelain tile wall, the curbless shower features two side walls in the same tile as the flooring.
Two recessed LED lights on the ceiling inside the shower provide illumination. A custom tempered glass enclosure prevents water from splashing into the rest of the bathroom. “We used the same polished chrome finish hardware for the shower enclosure as well,” Onal says.
A grab bar is mounted on each side of the pony wall, as well as on the back wall.
10 Design Tips for Preventing Slips in the Bathroom
Two recessed LED lights on the ceiling inside the shower provide illumination. A custom tempered glass enclosure prevents water from splashing into the rest of the bathroom. “We used the same polished chrome finish hardware for the shower enclosure as well,” Onal says.
A grab bar is mounted on each side of the pony wall, as well as on the back wall.
10 Design Tips for Preventing Slips in the Bathroom
The shower floor features smaller slate-colored 2-by-2-inch mosaic tiles that provide contrast and good grip for wet feet.
The 84-inch-wide curbless shower has a 42-inch-wide opening, with a linear drain between the bathroom floor and shower floor.
The 84-inch-wide curbless shower has a 42-inch-wide opening, with a linear drain between the bathroom floor and shower floor.
A chrome hand shower with slide bar near the bench allows a user to sit and rinse.
Shop for slide bar shower fixtures
Shop for slide bar shower fixtures
The built-in bench features the same tiles used for the side walls. A Schluter trim finishes off the bench.
On the opposite wall is a fixed shower head, a control for hot and cold water and a diverter for the hand shower.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Before: Previously, a tight doorway connected the bathroom to a narrow hallway to the bedroom, creating a difficult-to-maneuver pathway.
After: Onal incorporated the hallway into the new layout. A wider white paneled door now connects the bathroom to the main bedroom.
A new stand-alone floating linen closet with six shelves adds storage. Onal mounted the cabinet off the floor so the husband can use his walker to get as close as possible and access the contents of the closet.
Two round polished chrome robe hooks to the side of the linen closet are mounted at a lower height so they can be accessed from a wheelchair if necessary.
The vertical grab bar next to the shower bench is visible in the foreground, adding to the many elements that make this new bathroom highly functional as well as stylish.
More on Houzz
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A new stand-alone floating linen closet with six shelves adds storage. Onal mounted the cabinet off the floor so the husband can use his walker to get as close as possible and access the contents of the closet.
Two round polished chrome robe hooks to the side of the linen closet are mounted at a lower height so they can be accessed from a wheelchair if necessary.
The vertical grab bar next to the shower bench is visible in the foreground, adding to the many elements that make this new bathroom highly functional as well as stylish.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
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Who makes the 12x24 white w/ veining porcelain floor tile?
I’m so glad to see this post. The ADA compliant projects are so scarce.
Looks like a good job and will make the owners feel good too!
We’ve been building “ADA” accessible residential bathroom for years. A couple of items to keep in mind if I may:
add blocking to the framing pretty much everywhere at a centerline height of 36”. This will allow for additional grab bars, etc as time goes on and it cost pretty much zero.
Vary the kelvin rating of the lighting. As we age our eyes need more and brighter (higher kelvin for a more bluish light) light. Keep the decorative and sconce fixtures but add a few ceiling can lights at 4000k on a dimmer. If you have macular degeneration you will immediately understand.
specify grab bas that are towel bars in disguise. As the need increase, the towels are removed and the bars then serve their next purpose of helping the user. Also at toilets and shower benches grab bars with a 45 degree bend are super useful.
leave transfer space at the side of toilets as well as room for walkers at sinks.
Lastly, make the place a pretty and happy place!!!!! There is no reason for someone to be reminded of their decreasing ability by using a stainless steel hospital bathroom in their own home.
You can do it. Good luck