I saw some amazing bathroom designs this weekend. What did you do?

I’m not trying to sound fancy and say I walked around with designers all day and saw million dollar home bathroom designs, more like, picture this…

Out with my friends for a meal, I politely excuse myself to the restroom. Do I need to use the restroom? Nope, I’m just curious! I walk in, stop, and take in the area. That’s it, although I do make sure to get a good hand washing in for good measure, have to test out that water flow! You can tell a lot about a restaurants culture by the care of their bathrooms. I consider a restaurants bathroom like a person’s “baggage” or “dirty laundry.” We try to hide it, are ashamed of it, hope that no one notices, and even though you insist it doesn’t define you, it’s all people care about. Yes, obviously the actual food quality, service, and ambiance are important but, this post is about my obsession with BATHROOMS!  It’s true though! Your bathroom time subconsciously affects your entire restaurant experience.

I’m glad to admit this peculiarity didn’t just originate with me, but with my family. It started with my dad and his childhood teaching of “always wash your hands before you eat” and my mother’s love for design. Things escalated when she found out I was also into design and had someone to share in her excitement. She would say, “make sure you check out the pictures on the wall,” or “did you see all the pennies on the floor?” This eventually just rolled into a family joke at restaurants, “hey did you check out the bathroom, it’s a nice bathroom.”

My favorite restrooms are the ones where it’s unisex because I never leave pondering if the men’s room is designed differently. The single bathrooms are a close second because I can take pictures and stare as long as I want without anybody walking in.

I wrote this because I realized, maybe…

Am I odd? (which may very well be true)

OR does anybody out there have a similar story where they focus on peculiar items in design? I’d love to hear!

While this post was oddly about bathrooms, it’s a good lesson to learn that while you might not think an insignificant space will affect your design it will, however, impact the user experience and it is what designers should care most about. I’ve said my peace.