Abode's Dan Biddle – Inclusive design should never mean compromise

Following the launch of Abode's LivInc, an inclusive sink and tap solution that delivers on style, function and affordability, product manager Dan Biddle explains why he believes designing for all is now more important than ever. 

As the latest market reports confirm that over 16 million people in the UK live with a disability, the need to highlight inclusive design as crucial for ensuring home environments are welcoming, safe, and convenient for all users, is now more important than ever.

In fact, following our own extensive research, we have identified a gap in the emerging UK inclusive interiors market, whereby the products available are seldom fit for purpose, unnecessarily expensive, or simply lacking in style, especially in the kitchen sector with respect to the sink and taps.

With a primary aim to make life easier, simpler, and more stylish, it’s no surprise that accessible sink and tap solutions, which have been rigorously tested for performance, durability, and ease of use, are now hitting mainstream markets with a special interest from the cross-generational and inclusive home sectors.

We strongly believe that form and function should go hand in hand to ensure that the latest sink and tap solutions are suitable for both the inclusive kitchen space, and wider interiors market. They should be created to meet real world needs – not just repurpose existing designs – and be sophisticated enough to feature in any style of interior without compromising the user’s design satisfaction or utility.

For instance, a kitchen should never be defined by a person’s disability – it should be a visual representation of a client’s individual style, to ensure it reflects their own design aesthetic, home architecture, and lifestyle needs. 

With huge opportunity for premium manufacturers and designers alike to create homes of the future, the latest premium upgrades seamlessly fitting into the inclusive kitchen space are now competing with regular sink and taps designs.

Key innovations hitting the UK inclusive kitchen market in 2025 include sinks that are designed with clever bowl geometry for easier wheelchair access, integrated sink accessories that maximise the overall wash zone, as well as thermally insulated granite designs, which help to prevent heat transfer injuries in the accessible kitchen.

Professional-style taps are also stepping up to the plate with options now available in a range iconic styles and popular finishes like matt black, white, and antique brass. Also helping to introduce up to 5 functions in today’s wet zone such as making hot drinks, delivering filtered water, prepping food, pot filling, and general washing and cleaning, the latest trends are showing a taste for pro style taps featuring ergonomic controls and powerful spray action through to high contrast touch points.

Highlighting that inclusive design should never mean compromise, the latest must have tap designs are offering pull-around jet and spray heads to extend the user’s reach, provide intuitive jet and spray functionality, and precise flow control to support daily kitchen tasks. Other features include high-grip knurled surfaces to ensure ease of use for all abilities, DDA-compliant levers where end users can control the tap using a closed-fist action, in addition to high-contrast braille markers, which help to provide clarity, and independence.

Inclusive design doesn’t just address accessibility, it also considers age, as we continue to experience a rise in multigenerational households, culture to reflect the UK’s increasingly diverse, multicultural society combined with the economy, where product innovation and efficiency are intertwined.

As a British designer of quality sinks and taps for today’s kitchen, we believe that beautiful, functional design belongs to everyone, and should be able to seamlessly fit into the modern inclusive home, where innovation thrives and design integrity matters.