NEWS & INSIGHTS

Bathrooms were never designed for modern family life. For decades, the assumption was that one person uses the space at a time, and most households move through similar life stages together. Today, homes look very different. Young adults are staying with parents for longer, grandparents are moving in with family, and more households are bringing together three generations under one roof.

This means that bathroom retailers are increasingly encountering conversations with customers around inclusivity for the whole family. They need to think about how to offer bathrooms that work equally well for a teenager rushing to get ready for work, a parent juggling family life, and an older relative whose mobility is beginning to change. This is becoming the new reality of bathroom design, and product portfolios on offer around the UK should reflect this. It’s why we have spent years designing and developing our Bathe Easy range.

The shift is backed by hard data: recent ONS statistics show more adults aged 20-34 are living with their parents than a decade ago, driven in part by rising housing costs. At the same time, the UK’s population continues to age, with the number of people aged 65 and over projected to reach 22.1 million by 2072.

The changing demographic indicate that more homes will need to accommodate people with very different physical needs at the same time.

For bathroom retailers, this means that customers are no longer simply choosing between style and practicality. They’re looking for products that can work for everyone in the household today while remaining suitable for the people who may be using that space five, 10 or 15 years from now. The retailers who are recognising this change are increasingly moving away from accessible bathrooms and towards the broader picture of inclusive design.

One of the biggest misconceptions in the industry is that accessibility only matters when a customer has an immediate mobility issue. In reality, the best accessible products often solve common issues for everyone.

A Living Shower, which sits flush to the floor with no sill to step over, is easier for an older adult to navigate, but it’s also simpler for young children, busy parents and anyone helping a family member. Anti-slip surfaces provide reassurance for someone with reduced balance, but they also minimise risk in one of the most accident-prone rooms in the home.

The same principle applies to bathing. Many families find themselves balancing the needs of an older relative who wants to remain independent with the practical realities of a shared household. In those situations, a walk-in bath allows someone to continue bathing comfortably and confidently in their own home without forcing compromises elsewhere in the bathroom.

When homeowners renovate a bathroom, they expect it to last for years. This puts pressure on the bathroom retailer, who is being asked to anticipate their customers’ future needs, as well as their current ones.

While it may seem like a challenge, this presents an opportunity for retailers to gain a competitive advantage by offering holistic, future-proofed solutions rather than selling individual bathroom products

Features traditionally associated with accessibility are also slowly becoming part of mainstream purchasing decisions, because they offer flexibility, longevity and peace of mind. An example of this is our adaptive bathing solutions, adding accessible doors to walk-in baths without compromising on style.

Retailers need to recognise the importance of including these features in their product portfolios, helping customers make better design choices which can prevent expensive alterations in the future.

Retailers who continue to position accessible products as specialist solutions risk missing the opportunity entirely. Instead, they should offer inclusively designed bathrooms that are:

As a trusted trade partner with over fifty years of expertise behind us, at Trojan we take the time to understand our clients’ needs and advise retailers on how to create bathrooms that continue to support households as they evolve.

Our range of inclusive products, such as walk-in baths, deep-soak baths, Living Showers, and anti-slip technology, are valuable options for retailers to consider when expanding their product ranges to account for these changes in demand. As multigenerational living becomes more common across the UK, that adaptability may become one of the most important selling points a retailer can offer.