for the active retirees

Elegant architectural details and luxurious materials conceal accessible design features that will allow this Michigan homeowner to stay in her home for many years to come.

The first thing you notice in this bath are the elegant marble surfaces, leaded windows and door, and decorative gold accents. But what you don’t notice is equally important. Within the bathroom’s luxurious framework, architect Kelly Kerlin-Ropposch and interior designer Lynn Meagher Pettyjohn added functional features that make this space work for a woman with mobility issues. She hopes to stay in the house as she ages, so the design team included wide doorways and aisles to accommodate a wheelchair in the future. They opted for a walk-in shower and wrapped the room with a wood-profiled subcornice that elegantly disguises additional task lighting for the vanity and tub areas. Instead of slippery marble slabs for the floor, they selected 1½-inch marble tiles with more grout lines for added traction. The finished bath proved to the homeowner—and anyone who sees the bath—that high style and accessible design can go hand in hand. Instead of being reminded constantly about her limitations, she revels in the day’s possibilities.

	A leaded-glass door leading into the bath is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair if needed. The 36-inch-wide door repeats a scrolled design found in the transom windows throughout the home.
	The focal-point tub features a side-entry door for easy accessibility. Cabinet panels around the tub match the surrounding vanity and dressing table.