Beauty Bars

How many people want to think about those metal grab bars in bathrooms that are now becoming necessary to install for the elderly and infirm? It seems that the very idea of these functional but cringe-worthy attachments seem to put a damper on design plans.

Well recently a number of City College Of New York students decided to change this, revamped the grab bar into a functional but visually appealing device. Student designs ranged from incorporating a toilet paper dispenser into the bar to a bar that contained an ipod holder. In the end, five student designs were selected, and have subsequently gone into production, picked up by New York plumbing-supply company Blackman and architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle. With these attractively designed grab bars, perhaps architects and designers can begin to sweat a little less when they need to make accommodations to their original designs.