Tampa Magazine: Designing Bathrooms for the Long Haul
A new wave of renovations quietly prepares homeowners for the future—without sacrificing aesthetics.
Aging-in-place planning is a leading design trend in Tampa Bay’s residential renovations. Rather than simply rebuild, homeowners are seizing the moment to create spaces that are both beautiful and built to last – especially in their bathrooms.
“I’m seeing a clear uptick in clients asking for features like zero-threshold showers, wider doorways, stylish grab bars and wheelchair-accessible layouts—but you wouldn’t even notice,” says Audra Samnotra, owner of Social Swan Decor. “These aren’t retrofits—they’re proactive, elegant and mostly invisible design decisions baked into luxury builds from the start.”
Design: Social Swan Decor
According to Samnotra, features such as curb-less showers for assisted entry, under-mount tubs with clear deck sides for easier leg swing abd wider shower doorways all support ease of use.
Jose Reyes of Unica Construction has also noticed the aging-in-place trend, particularly in bathrooms.
“The bathroom has become a sanctuary. Unlike the kitchen, it’s a place where you can get away—that’s quiet.” he says. “But when it comes right down to it, the bathroom is also a dangerous area. More accidents happen there than anywhere else in the house. So the bathroom is a major concern for the aging population.”
Unica Construction incorporates thoughtful aging-in-place features into bathroom remodels, including zero-threshold showers, wider entries for walkers or wheelchairs, floating benches and recessed shelving. They favor bypass or doorless designs, large-format tiles for easy maintenance, and sleek, integrated grab bars that match modern fixtures—merging accessibility with aesthetics.
Built by Unica Construction and designed Johnstone Development, (Courtesy of Ellen B. Reyes)
This post was originally published in Tampa Magazine and showcases our elegant approach to making bathrooms beautiful and built to last.
