Let me guess … white, right? Ok, maybe ivory but what it probably isn’t is a colour that contrasts with the surrounding environment. A study done at a San Francisco retirement community called The Sequoias showed that when white toilet seats were replaced with black toilet seats it had a huge impact on how well residents could see the seat.
As vision diminishes, it’s more difficult to distinguish where one thing ends and another begins. Add cataracts or glaucoma – or both – to the mix and then factor in the quality and type of lighting in the room and the possibility of not sitting properly on the toilet seat increases – as does the possibility of missing it altogether.
The same theory was applied to the shower sill that is stepped over entering or exiting the shower. Covering it with black gave the sill the contrast needed for those with diminishing vision to see it better and, perhaps, avoid the fall.