Down to the Last Detail: How Grab Bars Can Elevate Bathroom Design

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Universal and accessible designs are becoming more commonplace than ever before. As the baby boomer population chooses to age in place, and more designers become cognizant of designing for people of every ability, details like grab bars are being added to every home regardless of the inhabitants age.

Grab bars serve a number of purposes in the bathroom. They can help prevent a fall, allow someone with limited mobility to access parts of the room more easily, and help facilitate transfer to toilets, tubs, and showers.

Just because a grab bar is functional, however, doesn’t mean that it needs to be utilitarian in design. Grab bars come in a wide range of styles, many of which have escutcheons or details that match the other bathroom fixtures. Using a designer grab bar helps complete the look of the room, while still adding the function and accessibility that your clients need.

Grab Bars Not Towel Bars

A common error that many people make in bathroom design is attempting to use towel bars in place of grab bars. After all, towel bars are often available in a wider range of styles and finishes than traditional grab bars.

Towel bars, however, are not designed to catch the weight of a falling user. Nor do they have the stability to allow a person with limited mobility to put their weight on them. Doing so, in fact, could cause the towel bar to break or tear away from the wall.

Grab bars, when properly installed, can handle several hundred pounds without breaking or ripping out of the wall. So if a person slips and falls, they can grab hold of the bar and use it to remain safely standing.

Designer grab bars allow you to get the same look and style as towel bars, but with the functionality and safety they are designed for.

Creating Better Designs

Grab bars come in many of the same styles as the rest of the bathroom fixtures and faucetry, allowing you to create a better, more cohesive design. Choose the faucet style and finish you want for the sink and shower. Then, select grab bars that have matching lines, escutcheons or finishes. This ensures that the room’s style is carried right down to the last detail of the room, creating a more appealing design.

You can find grab bars in modern, transitional and traditional styles.

Modern Design

Sleek, modern bathrooms need to have clean lines everywhere or the one disparate detail will stick out like a sore thumb. That’s why these grab bars will fit into even the most modern of baths.

Edgy Style

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While many grab bars are rounded and curved, these have a sleek, rectangular style. The hard, clean edges will lend a very industrial and modern vibe to the room.

Titanium Rods

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Nothing calls to mind modern style like titanium. The sleek curves of this stylish grab bar are bound to add appeal to the bathroom. The most unique part of this grab bar? There are no escutcheons or flanges to detract from the sleek design, providing a smooth, elegant finish.

Transitional Style

Transitional design is a popular way to blend different attributes into one room, perfect for creating slightly more updated versions of a classic look. These grab bar styles will allow you to add safety and function, without sacrificing your transitional look.

Sleek Bar, Detailed Escutcheon

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Grab bars are completely visible, unlike towel rails, which get partially covered by the towel. These grab bars have a sleek, rounded bar but with a subtle, detailed escutcheon that will let it fit in with a classic to modern transitional design.

Rustic Modern

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If you have a client with a love of rustic modern design, complete their bathroom with these hammered finish grab bars. No matter what finish color you apply, the rustic detail of the escutcheon will be the perfect complement to the room.

Traditional Design

Traditional designs have staying power with nearly universal appeal. If you have a client that wants to complete the perfect Victorian or other traditionally styled bathroom, consider one of these more elegant bars.

Venetian Design

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You can’t go wrong with the elegance of a Venetian-style design. These reeded bars have a unique end and escutcheon that makes them appear far more stylish than functional, allowing them to blend in seamlessly to the rest of the room. But looks can be deceiving—this elegant grab bar will still perform its job perfectly.

Beaded Detail

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Many classic and traditional designs rely on subtle motifs to carry them off. This grab bar has a delicately beaded escutcheon that adds just a touch of detail for the quietly elegant bath.

Create Functional, Fashionable Design

Adding a grab bar to your bathroom design doesn’t have to mean creating a space that’s devoid of style. These designer grab bars are as beautiful as they are safe and functional.

Now, you can give your clients the look they want, with the function they need.

To design every detail of your bathroom, from faucets to grab bars, find your closest Watermark dealer today.