I'm heartened by two recent newspaper articles dealing with a couple of things I have been wishing would get attention; namely, chesterfields, and the benefits of taking small steps in our own health care. These two lead me to hope that a third pet peeve (okay, downright rant) will soonest be addressed and 'corrected': bathtub design.
Chesterfields are likely a lingering legacy from Victorian times when the point of a social get together was not relaxed communication but a rigid spine in a rigid society. Sofas make no sense, expecting two or more people to sit side by side and - converse? Usually they are not comfortable for upright seating or long enough or wide enough for restful reclining. A single bed with equal height foot and head board (carved in yellow cedar by some unknown artist who I feel gratitude toward whenever my gaze catches on it) is my chesterfield; two people can sit against the ends, legs outstretched (a healthy position), facing each other; four people can fit, cross-legged. The newspaper article cited a new trend replacing chesterfields with "seating centers" which offer bed like platforms, versatile cushions, moveable armrests and tables. Now, if people look as if they might ask why I have a bed in my living room, I will simply say, "and here is the seating center."
Stealth health was dealt with in another article: "slip teeny tricks into your daily life to optimize health, fitness and stress management". A Reader's Digest book called Stealth Health has 2400 scientifically proven lifestyle tweaks such as "At red lights tighten all the muscles in your thighs and butt, then repeat" and "Pack a photo of a loved one, even your dog" and "Go for sushi". The "scientifically proven" claim appeals to my mind. The simple aspects of the tips are reasonable. And anything that is fun will likely persist. A tip a day will cover the next six and a half years!
Bathtubs. I hope collective consciousness is at play and some bright designers are at work to come up with a replacement for what we all seem to accept without question or complaint as a vehicle for cleansing ourselves. Bathtubs are hard to get into, hard to get out of, hard to turn around in, just plain hard. They are slippery and the slope is usually awful. Most don't drain properly. The water level is inadequate and yet wasteful; with all that surface area the water cools quickly. Taps are not very, if at all, toe friendly. They are dangerous.
What about a bathcup: a soft rounded shape that one would sit in like a chair, tilt back, pull legs up and in as one's body slides easily into the 'cup', perhaps have a molded recess for one's legs; turn a lever that would let water seep into the 'cup' from the bottom and sides, drain away in the same manner. A thin outer membrane would keep the water in the cup and also act as an insulator. Warm air jetted onto the person in the 'cup' from a half sphere over the 'cup' would be a nice way of drying off as the water was draining away. Patent is not pending but do let me know when it is on the market.