A safe bathing environment can look chic, contemporary and stylish, according to Lee Brand, manager of BMAS (Bathing Mobility Advisory Service) Hitchin.
Serving clients living across Hertfordshire, Huntingdon, St Neots and the surrounding villages, the family-run company caters for individual tastes, as well as safety requirements.
As an expert mobility bathroom designer, with 28 years’ experience in the field, Lee explains exactly how this can be achieved:
Q: What do you have to consider when a customer approaches you for a new bathroom?
A: Most important of all is to create a safe bathing environment for them. Our customers come to us for a variety of reasons: they might have had a fall or perhaps don’t generally feel safe in their bathroom anymore. They might be at a stage in their lives where they realise that if they don’t make their bathroom safe, they will have to move house.
Others feel safe at the moment but wish to future-proof their home to avert worrying at a later date. We, therefore, have to consider each customer as an individual. This means discussing with them how they are bathing at the moment and any special requirements they have. We bring them into the heart of the design, looking at their tastes and preferences, in terms of products, style and colour etc, as well as their safety requirements.
Q: Are your customers often concerned about how their new bathroom will look?
A: Yes. One of the top questions I get asked is whether they can have a bathroom that doesn’t look like a mobility bathroom. I always explain to them that it can be as modern and stylish as they would like it to be. We have a wide range of walk-in showers, baths and other products, so can offer them a great choice. Ultimately, it is down to them to choose the individual items, but we are there to help them every step of the way.
We carry out the whole service for them, so they have nothing to worry about. I meet every single customer and carry out a free home visit and quotation, with no obligation. I do all the drawings and designs, with their input and taking into account their budget. We do the full installation; recycle all the waste from the original bathroom and do all our own electrical tests. Our customers also know they can stay in contact with us – many of them often pop into our showroom to see us any time during opening hours for a cup of tea if they are passing.
Q: What difference does having a showroom make?
A: Our customers love it because it means they can come down to see the products in place and even test them out. What many people don’t understand until they have seen our showroom, which is Covid-safe, is that a safe bathing environment is more to do with the way a bathroom is laid out than the products themselves.
Bathing should be the most natural thing in life and people should be able to feel they can do it safely, but the bathroom is, in fact, the most dangerous room in the house. A bathroom is normally a very small room and so if you fall in there you could easily bang your head or get stuck. When we plan and fit a bathroom, we take all that into account and also think about whether someone could reach you to help you if need be. But you can achieve all of this and still have a bathroom that looks great.
Q: Can someone have stylish flooring, contemporary fittings and chic accessories?
A: Yes! All our flooring, for example, is R11 rated slip-resistant and many of the designs are very stylish and modern looking. We have some lovely tiles but can also use hydro-lock panels on the walls. We have more than 60 of these for people to choose from. They are all timber-based and can be used to create a maintenance-free, antibacterial bathroom, which looks incredible.
We have some very stylish wall-hung products too, which are fantastic because we can set them at just the right height required for the customer. We can install vanity units, mirrored items and even upgrade lighting. Lighting is a very important safety feature. Our aim is to make sure the whole of the bathroom is very well lit, and we can also fit sensory lighting, so you don’t have to fully wake yourself up at night.
With each item, the customer chooses the model and the colour and everything we fit has a high warranty value. We are very versatile and can create the bathroom the customer wants aesthetically as well as practically, ensuring they are safe but can also benefit from a bathroom they really enjoy using.
For more information, visit bathingmobility.co.uk, call 01462 889097 or email herts@bathingmobility.co.uk.
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