Novellini's tips for making a home bathroom accessible to disabled and elderly people

When we talk about an accessible bathroom, we mean an environment designed and equipped to be safe, comfortable and easily usable by anyone, regardless of age or motor skills. It is a barrier-free and risk-minimizing space designed to allow everyone –the elderly, people with disabilities, walkers, or wheelchair users– to independently and safely carry out their daily activities, such as entering the shower or bathtub for washing, increasing safety and minimizing the need for assistance.

The importance of accessibility in the bathroom is often underestimated, but using this environment can pose real risks for children or people with reduced mobility: wet and slippery floors, raised shower trays that are difficult to navigate, the edges of tubs, or narrow spaces that prevent safe movement. Obviously, there is no one-size-fits-all solution: every home is different in space and size, and each person has specific needs. Designing an accessible bathroom means carefully studying the available space, eliminating obstacles, installing more ergonomic bathroom fixtures and shower spaces, and smart accessories in the right location. Even a small or aesthetically dated bathroom can become accessible with targeted interventions and often simpler and cheaper than you think.

In this short guide, we offer you some useful tips to help you to transform your bathroom into a truly safe and accessible place, and choose the best solutions based on your needs and the characteristics of your environments.

Accessible bathroom: what features should it have?

An accessible bathroom should be designed to ensure maximum autonomy, safety and comfort. One of the first aspects to evaluate is the organization of the space: the environment should include large maneuvering surfaces in each area of the bathroom to allow for the complete rotation of a wheelchair. Access must also be adequate: the door should be wide enough and possibly open outwards or be slidable, to avoid obstacles in an emergency.

Another key feature for making the bathroom accessible is the floor, which should be non-slip, designed to ensure good grip even when wet and therefore reduce the risk of falls. Surfaces should be uniform, with no elevation changes or steps that could prevent the passage of prams or walkers. Another essential element is the presence of a barrier-free shower, flush with the floor (walk-in) without steps or raised plates, with a linear floor drain and an adequate slope to promote water flow without stagnation. Inside the shower, it is important to provide folding seats that allow for easy washing while seated, as well as horizontal and vertical support bars placed in strategic locations to ensure safe holds during access and the shower itself.

The toilet should be high enough to facilitate raising and sitting, especially important for those with reduced mobility. Solid support handles, at least one fixed and one fold-down if spaces allow, should also be present on the sides of the toilet to aid in lateral movement or transfer from pram to sanitary. The toilet should also have a free side space (at least 80 cm) to allow the wheelchair to be placed side by side.

Other important elements are support surfaces (such as shelves and shelves) at an accessible height, useful for storing personal items without having to stretch or bend excessively. All controls and switches (lights, emergency bells) must be installed at a height of between 80 and 110 cm, easily accessible even when seated. As for lighting, this should be uniform and free of shadow areas to ensure good visibility at every point in the bathroom. Finally, to address the needs of children and the elderly, it may be useful to provide modular or height-adjustable elements and rounded edges and corners to prevent any impacts.

How big should a bathroom be for people with mobility issues?

Regulations and good design practice indicate that a disabled-accessible bathroom must provide sufficient space to ensure maximum autonomy and safety, particularly for the use of wheelchairs or other mobility aids. The ideal dimensions of a bathroom for people with reduced mobility include a free maneuvering area of at least 150 cm in diameter in the center of the bathroom, to allow for full rotation of a wheelchair without obstacles. This means that, in plan, the room should have at least 180–200 cm of effective free side, also considering the space occupied by sanitary ware and furnishings. The access door should have a minimum width of 80 cm (preferably 90 cm) and should open outwards or be slidable so as not to hinder internal movements and allow easy intervention in an emergency.

The organisation of space must be designed to minimise complex manoeuvres. The accessible shower should be made flush with the floor, without steps or thresholds, and have dimensions of at least 90×90 cm, but ideally also 100×100 cm or more, to allow entry even with a chair in the shower or with assistance. It must also be equipped with a horizontal and vertical seat and handles.

When working in small spaces, it's essential to optimize the layout of the fixtures to avoid potential obstacles: a practical solution is to place the toilet and shower on the same long side, freeing the other side to allow ample freedom of movement and rotation. Even compact fixtures can reduce visual and physical footprint, while shower enclosures with corner or niche configurations can help optimize space.

The use of strategically placed grab bars is crucial even in small spaces: near the toilet (on one or both sides), in the shower (horizontal and vertical), next to the sink. Even if space is limited, the priority must remain safety and the ability for the user to move and relocate independently or with minimal assistance.

How to choose bathtubs and showers for disabled and elderly people

The choice of bathtubs and showers for users with reduced mobility must start from a fundamental principle: ensuring maximum accessibility, safety and comfort during daily hygiene operations. Accessible showers are often the most suitable solution, thanks to the possibility of creating flush-floored shower trays, which eliminate architectural barriers and reduce the risk of tripping. It is preferable that the shower tray has a non-slip surface and that the cabin or shower space is sufficiently large and - as we have seen - equipped with horizontal and vertical support handles, firmly fixed to the wall in a strategic position to aid in entry, exit and shower movements.

Another useful element in shower enclosures is the presence of a fixed non-slip seat, made of durable and easy-to-clean material, placed at an adequate height to ensure comfort and safety during sitting. Shower heads should be height-adjustable and have a pull-out hand shower with a long hose, to allow for washing even when seated. It is important to provide sufficient manoeuvring space in front of and inside the shower to allow access with aids, such as wheelchairs or walkers, and leave room for any assistants. Shower doors must also be designed for accessibility: bellows or sliding ones are preferable because they do not invade the external space and facilitate entry even into limited spaces.

Bathtubs for people with reduced mobility and the elderly must meet similar criteria of safety and ease of use. Traditional, high-rimmed tubs are often dangerous and difficult to use for those with limited mobility. For this reason, the most suitable solutions are baths with doors, which allow a lateral entrance at almost floor level, eliminating the obstacle of the edge. The door must have a secure hermetic closure that is easy to operate even with limited force on the hands. The inside of the bathtub must be ergonomic and equipped with a raised integrated seat, which reduces the effort required to get up and sit.

Another important aspect is the presence of non-slip surfaces on the bottom of the bathtub and integrated or wall-mounted grab bars, which offer safe handholds during bathing. Alternatively, for those who prefer a shower but need more comfort, there are combined shower bathtubs - like some of the models proposed by Novellini - with floor-level access and equipped with a seat, which combine the possibility of taking a shower or bath in a sitting position.

Finally, it is important to emphasize the importance of personalizing the choice based on individual needs, evaluating the user's height and build, the level of autonomy, the presence of any caregivers, and the bathroom configuration. Everything must be designed to ensure a safe and functional environment.

Novellini's proposals to make your bathroom safe and accessible

Novellini's proposals to make the home bathroom accessible combine elegant design, advanced features, and attention to the needs of all users, with particular attention to the elderly, people with disabilities, and those with limited mobility. At Novellini, the design is not limited to solving problems of access or security but aims to create a modern and welcoming bathroom, in which each element is designed to ensure comfort, autonomy and ease of maintenance. 

Among the best products we find the Iris bathtub, an innovative solution that integrates the pleasure of hydromassage, the practicality of the shower and the safety of easy access into a single element. The essential geometric design hides advanced technologies: a mechanically closed door allows for a comfortable side entrance, eliminating the problem of the high edge, typical of traditional tubs, while the multifunctional headrest transforms into a removable seat to make it easier for those who have difficulty standing for long periods. Quality materials and disinfection systems simplify maintenance and ensure hygiene and long life. Iris is an ideal tub for those who want a complete wellness experience safely, thanks to the hydromassage system with which it can be equipped, for their own relaxation or treatment of muscle tension.

For the shower, Novellini offers different solutions designed to adapt to every need for space and accessibility. The Young 2.0 shower enclosure interprets aesthetic and practical needs with clean lines and modularity: it is available in corner or niche configurations, perfect for maximizing space even in the smallest bathrooms. The doors can be knockers or bellows and are combined with fixed walls to offer maximum opening flexibility, with a door lifting system that facilitates cleaning. The metal handle and chrome hinges with lift ensure robustness and quality, while the opening both inward and outward simplifies access even with aids.

Another proposal to make the bathroom accessible is H-Style, which combines minimalist aesthetics and solidity. The structure with a fixed wall and a movable door, with large hardened crystals, can be combined with flush-floored shower trays, eliminating architectural barriers and simplifying entry. Thanks to easy-to-clean materials and details designed to simplify maintenance, H-Style is a solution suitable for those who want a safe shower space, with a unique innovative aesthetic.

Kuadra H, on the other hand, is the ideal choice for those who want to create an essential but highly safe fixed-wall shower environment. The 8 mm glass ensures solidity and durability, while the walk-in configuration completely eliminates entry barriers, making the space easily accessible even to those using aids or requiring assistance. The included grab bar provides stability during use, while the adjustable fixing feet ensure a perfect installation.