These bathrooms were clearly designed by people who have never used one

These bathrooms were clearly designed by people who have never used one

Every so often, nature calls and you just have to go to the place where even the king goes alone – the bathroom. Unfortunately, sometimes – and we really hate it when that happens – reality forces us to actually get out of the house. Whether you’re going to work, to a restaurant or to the movies, you find yourself having to go in a public restroom of some sort. It’s never fun, but we’ll settle for the experience not being scarring for life, really. These are the worst bathroom design crimes ever committed.

Bathroom gymnastics

We’d really like to meet the person who designed this bathroom, and find out if they’ve suffered a concussion or three. Let’s just break it down. You have the bathtub in the background there, and the toilet directly in front of it.

Bathroom gymnastics

And so, it’s impossible to take a shower without long-jumping over or around the toilet. Then, the cherry on this cursed sundae is the sink, which is also entirely too close to the toilet. Remember: stretch before going!

Slip and slide

This is… a very unusual design for a toilet-and-sink combo. For one, it’s jarring to even look at because instinctively we feel like we should be facing that curve. Of course, you sit like you would on any other toilet, but this precise photo proves why this design was a terrible idea.

Slip and slide

When you have the sink connected to the toilet in that specific way, you’re guaranteeing that every time – every single time – you happen to clumsily knock something off it, it’ll go sliding right into the toilet. Just like the toothbrush helplessly floating in it in this photo. It doesn’t look attractive, it doesn’t make sense practicality-wise… Someone just needs to find another job, because design clearly ain’t it.

Too much of a good thing

We’ll happily concede that there are few things worse in this universe than going to the bathroom only to find out after the fact you don’t actually have any toilet paper. That’s objectively the worst. But this… this is actually not any better, strangely enough.

Too much of a good thing

Okay, so you’re guaranteed to never run out of toilet paper once you’ve done your business in that bathroom. But is it just us or is there something just a little bit unnerving about having so much of it in there? Not to put too fine a point on it, but just what exactly goes on in that bathroom that necessitates that much toilet paper? You know what, nevermind, we don’t want to know.

Peekaboo

This bathroom door takes a novel approach to an age-old problem, and offers up a solution that’s as dumbfounding as it is embarrassing. We’re sure you’re familiar with the conundrum of the full-length bathroom door, where you can never be quite sure if the bathroom is occupied or not and you end pulling on the bolted door, giving the person inside a heart attack.

Peekaboo

With this door and its handy built-in window, however, you won’t ever have to second-guess whether a bathroom is occupied or not. But, to be fair, you might need a good psychologist to help you work through the trauma.

So lonely

We’d like to begin on a positive note, and compliment whoever was in charge of the overall design of the bathroom. Très chic, guys! That having been said, we would like to call into question the presence of that lone toilet in the corner there.

So lonely

Is this where grown men who have been placed on time-out go potty? Even if it is exactly that place, we feel like just a teeny tiny bit more privacy would not have been too much to ask for. A wall, a divider – give us something!

Hawkeye is watching

This public restroom has dividers separating its patrons, which is frankly impressive progress on its own. However, if we may be allowed to pick at nits, are these dividers the best place to put promotional materials?

Hawkeye is watching

We guess this one is for the Avengers, as it features a stern, judgemental Hawkeye, as played by Jeremy Renner. You make money where you can, we get that, but did they have to use an image that makes us guys feel so… evaluated? Give us a break, Hawkeye, we were in a pool!

Why even bother?

Allow us to address the bathroom’s designer themselves. Dir sir, or madam, you saw fit to place actual doors on the different stalls. That’s great. All those years at bathroom design school have clearly been well-spent. Only, if we can make just one suggestion.

Why even bother?

Feel free to stop us if we’re way off-base here, but would it not make sense to have the doors reach all the way down? We think privacy is the main issue here, and judged by that metric those doors are as useful as screen doors on a submarine. Sir (or madam).

One major flaw

This bathroom is clearly in a place of business or other public establishment. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates specific demands for accessible bathrooms that most public and commercial entities have to follow.

One major flaw

And so, the owners of this property did indeed install an accessible bathroom. There’s really only one problem. If you can’t tell, the bathroom door is a few inches off the ground, and there’s no ramp to speak of. Well, that’s as good a time as any to practice those levitation powers, we guess.

A limited demographic

We know what they were trying to say here. We really do. We get it. But the comma exists for a reason, and it’s a wonderful invention. So either take that sign down and reprint it with some added punctuation, or continue declaring that this bathroom is to be used only by disabled elderly pregnant children.

A limited demographic

Okay, granted, we don’t know how many of those exist out there in the world, but we can’t imagine that there are too many of them. If you happen to know any, call them up and let them know you have the perfect bathroom.

Where’s the cold water one?

Look, we just finished our business in the toilet and we really want to be on our way. We’re not monsters, though, so we would like to wash our hands first before emerging back into the world. Why does it have to be this complicated?

Where’s the cold water one?

We’re counting at least eight different taps in that photo, and that’s not even going into figuring out which valve operates what. Don’t get us wrong, progress is a wonderful thing. We’re just wonder if the “one tap per sink” formula was broken to begin with.

Wrong target audience

It’s a little hard to make out what the rest of that advertisement says, because the print is so small. We can really only make out the headline – “Thinking of becoming a mum?” Don’t get us wrong, we’re sure this public service announcement has a very important message or lesson to impart to potential mothers.

Wrong target audience

As a point of practicality, however, perhaps taking those posters and putting them in the women’s restroom, where potential mothers might actually be able to see them, would prove to be a better strategy in the long run.

Giving a presentation

This particular photo is really quite mystifying. We don’t know whether this space was a conference room that had a toilet added to it, or a bathroom that had a conference room added to it. And we’re not sure which option makes us fear for our sanity more!

Giving a presentation

Bathrooms are important, and conference rooms also have their place in polite society. But maybe these are two great tastes that simply do not go great together… unless maybe all of the conferences that go on there are catered with Mexican food.

Surprise!

If somebody put a gun to our heads right now and forced us to explain just what exactly was going on in this photo, we’d say it’s spillover from some kind of ad or awareness campaign on the floor of the restroom outside.

Surprise!

Putting aside for the time being the question of whether bathroom floors are the ideal place to run such a campaign, whoever put it there could have taken better care of noticing what it reaches. Imagine going into the stall, sitting down, and only then noticing those waving people…

Not for the faint of heart

We can’t quite see the door leading into this bathroom, but we sincerely hope it carries a disclaimer of some sort. Something like “This bathroom isn’t for people with vertigo or fear of heights.” Now, maybe this is just us, but concentrating on what you’re doing in there is probably pretty hard if you keep feeling like you’re about to drop down that scary, dark shaft.

Not for the faint of heart

But even putting aside these fears, just how was this bathroom conceived? It looks too old to be an elevator shaft. Did someone just up and build a bathroom inside a medieval tower? Why? And who for? This bathroom raises more questions than can ever be answered.

Stairway to heaven

Mistakes have been made in the design of this bathroom. Starting off with the not-quite-as-obvious, that window has jail-style bars that don’t do much to liven up the fact that the rest of the bathroom also kind of resembles a jail cell. But let’s stop tiptoeing around the elephant in the room, shall we?

Stairway to heaven

Let’s talk about the fact that to get to the actual toilet you have to climb at least four steps. What possible reason could they have had to install those? Has anyone ever really felt like they wished they could ascend to their toilet? Just think about those late nights, waking up groggy and having to use the bathroom still half-asleep. Good luck with that.

Mr. Fantastic’s bathroom

We think we know what probably happened here. The designer totally forgot to put in a place for the toilet paper, so they panicked and installed it all the way on the other side of a wall and across the room. At least that’s what we hope happened.

Mr. Fantastic’s bathroom

If it’s intentional, they’re the most evil person we’ve ever seen. Either this bathroom is used by the Fantastic Four’s Mr. Fantastic, who can stretch his limbs at will, or people doing an awkward, careful crab walk is a common sight there.

Honey, I shrunk the toilet

Right off the bat, the man pictured here is not a giant or an NBA player or anything of the sort. He’s just a normal-sized adult male. And that’s a whole heck of a lot more than we can say for that toilet. Just look at it!

Honey, I shrunk the toilet

It’s so tiny! It’s clearly not one of those deals that’s made smaller and lower so children can use it. We really hope you don’t need to go number two and that thing’s your only option, because good luck getting back up.

The porcelain throne

We’ve heard of toilets being jokingly referred to as the “porcelain throne,” but this is just plain ridiculous. If Game of Thrones had modern-day toilets (R.I.P. Tywin Lannister), this is probably what they would look like.

The porcelain throne

We really, genuinely would like to meet the person who felt like they needed that toilet in their life. From the shiny gold mosaic to the lion head armrests, this is a toilet that says, “I had too much black caviar and white wine so I need to use the commode.”

Style over substance

Bathroom isn’t necessarily the wrong place to experiment with a bold new modern design. It could work, but it needs to be confined to certain spaces and objects that can take on that design and keep on fulfilling their intended purposes.

Style over substance

The mirror, if you were keeping score at home, is definitely not one of those places. Does it look all artsy and modern? Sure. Can you actually look at your reflection and pick up the spinach you have stuck in your teeth? Not so much.

Just what are you trying to say, bathroom?

Something clearly went very, very wrong with the construction of this restroom. Already the designer got off on the wrong foot by making the space between each toilet way too small. But then they had to go and install that middle one on the side wall.

Just what are you trying to say, bathroom?

Not only is it probably too narrow for most men to squeeze in there, but it would also give the patron a clear, unobstructed view of the person using the space on their immediate left. Really hope you’re not bashful, guys!

Make a new friend

When it comes to toilets of this particular variety, more is more. More of them is better than less of them, and the greater the space between each one the better it is for the users. Maybe this particular restroom is really small and space was an issue.

Make a new friend

We don’t know. But to intentionally put those two toilets in such close proximity to one another is indescribable. No two men have ever wanted to be that close to each other while they’re dropping the kids off at the pool. None.

A questionable choice

Finding the courage to use a public bathroom is no easy foot on our best days. We usually prefer to just hold it in until we get home, or until our kidneys give out and shut down. Which ever comes first, we’re really not picky.

A questionable choice

So after a lot of mental exertion, suppose we somehow managed to talk ourselves into going into the bathroom, only to be greeted by the sight you see before you. Obviously, it’s a kind of decal and not actual spray. But still. Eww. This is why we go at home.

Defeating the purpose

Presumably, bathroom sinks are designed to help the people using the bathrooms maintain some semblance of hygiene when they leave. It’s not too complicated – finish up, wash your hands, and be on your merry way.

Defeating the purpose

Just a pro tip to designers, free of charge – if you make the sink that small and narrow, you’re effectively forcing us to touch everything around it, from the sink to the wall. We don’t want to touch those things. We barely want to touch the tap. Why would you do that, you monster?!

The waiting room

This particular restroom combines the two things people love the most – public bathrooms and waiting rooms. We really can’t explain the thought process that led to its creation, though. Maybe it’s an especially busy area and they didn’t want people’s legs to get tired as they waited?

The waiting room

Whatever the case, we’re thinking waiting times are only likely to get longer and longer if every person has an audience of strangers constantly and nervously checking their watches while they’re trying to do their business.

Who needs legroom

We could really go on and on about this room’s color scheme, which is almost blindingly pink. We could, but we won’t – because we’re here to talk about the bathrooms themselves. And as horrifying as that color is, it doesn’t inherently interrupt your bathroom-going experience.

Who needs legroom

You know what does, though? Having the toilet be designed for people who don’t have legs. Can you find any other reasonable explanation for making the bathroom so narrow? There’s literally no other way to sit on that toilet except spread-eagled.

Multitasking

You know, when we’re young we often find ourselves having to settle. There’s not enough money to have a swanky pad AND buy food, so we have to choose one or the other. Oftentimes, that leaves our living situation to be less than ideal.

Multitasking

Cramped apartments are just a fact of life at that phase in our lives, and there’s nothing to do but accept that. Except in this case, because this apartment’s just ridiculous. We mean, unless you wanted to go to the bathroom while loading up the dishwasher.

The water tastes kinda funny

We’re sure the water in that fountain is fine. There’s probably not a single thing wrong with it. Drinking from it likely won’t infect you with dysentery, which is something we only know about thanks to The Oregon Trail.

The water tastes kinda funny

Anyway, our point is that everything’s just hunky dory in this bathroom. We really only have one gripe – did you have to put the water fountain there, and have that hose hook up to that specific spot? It… doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the quality of the drinking water.

Safety first

If there’s anything that parents, teachers, and other adults have drilled into our impressionable young minds ever since we were kids, it’s that liquids and electricity mix really well together. Wait, was that really it? We can’t remember for some reason.

Safety first

Maybe it’s all those electric shocks. At any rate, putting the soap dispenser right above that electrical outlet is a grand idea, and we’re sure the people putting their still-wet hands right on top of it are sure to agree with us on that. Once they wake up, that is.

Too evil for words

This just might be the most evil bathroom design we’ve ever seen. It would almost be better if there wasn’t any toilet paper anywhere in there. Instead, the designer put in toilet paper… but it’s not only out of reach for anyone on the toilet but also literally inside a cabinet.

Too evil for words

The mind boggles. It truly does. It’s as if they’re mocking anyone who goes in there. “Of course there was toilet paper in there. Of course there was! You mean you couldn’t find it? Oh, well. We’re sure that’ll come off your shirt.”

Mind the gap

This photo was taken from inside a bathroom stall at someone’s workplace. That’s right. It’s not even a public restroom, where you can rest easy knowing you’ll never see the people you run into there ever again. Imagine having to go really badly while you’re at work.

Mind the gap

And then, as you’re right in the middle of doing your business, Janice from accounting walks in. You two make eye contact. In that moment, you both know your lives have been forever altered. You’ll never have day-old Mexican food for lunch again.

For very close friends

Who are these designed for? We mean… Honestly. There’s literally not enough room for two men to use those simultaneously, unless maybe they were Siamese twins or something, who just so happen to have been given two of everything.

For very close friends

But barring that specific scenario – which we’re pretty sure is physically impossible, by the way – we really don’t think we can conjure up a situation in which those things will ever be used by two separate people at the same time.

One height (doesn’t) fit all

Have you ever been in a situation where the paper towel dispenser or hand dryer were just a little out of your reach? That’s okay, not everyone’s at NBA height. And we guess it’s nice that the designer of this bathroom wanted to accommodate those people, and people of every other height for that matter.

One height (doesn’t) fit all

But this just seems… a bit too much, somehow. We mean, the tall people can still use the short people’s dispensers and hand dryers. You do realize that, Mr. Designer, don’t you? You don’t need to have five at varying heights.

Waste not, want not

This is actually a pretty ingenious money-saving method. Really the only downside to it is that it’s unadulterated, pure evil. The way it works is like this – you make an educated guess as to how much toilet paper you’ll need, and you grab that amount before going into the stall.

Waste not, want not

Guaranteed to stop that wasteful over-consumption of toilet paper in no time flat. We just really hope you’re aces at gauging just how much T.P. you’re going to need, because if you’re wrong… we can’t spare a square!

Test your might

Okay, so let’s talk about the elephant in the restroom – there really is no call for a bathroom to have both of those toilets at the same time. It’s not like you’re going to go in, and someone else will go, “Oh, there’s another one free. Mind if I join you?”

Test your might

So, going off of the much more logical assumption that it’s nevertheless a bathroom for solo use, we can’t help but think of a little challenge. Let’s just say it involves using both of these at the same time and leave it at that.

Making friends

If you’re the kind of person that loves to make friends wherever you go, then you might like the look of this bathroom. After all, it’s the perfect place to meet new people and talk to someone you wouldn’t normally talk to.

Making friends

Of course, you could also think it’s totally weird and think that these toilets are just a little too close for comfort. What happened here? Were there no stalls available to order? Did they just hope that nobody would notice?

All in the details

You probably don’t need to be an interior design master to know that using brown paint in a bathroom is a big no-no. In fact, you probably don’t even need to know anything about painting and decorating to know that you should definitely not smear brown paint in a bathroom.

All in the details

That’s because we’re now questioning whether this is really paint or not. Hopefully, that isn’t what we think it is, and hopefully, the person who used this bathroom didn’t get caught short without any toilet paper to hand.

I see you

We will never understand why bathroom designers make anything with frosted glass because they’re really not fooling anyone. While we know that it’s probably cheaper to buy frosted glass than opaque glass, that doesn’t mean that it does the same job.

I see you

This glass just causes problems for everyone. It’s awkward for those using the bathroom stalls, and it’s even more awkward for the people waiting outside for their turn. In short, it’s just a whole load of awkwardness.

Making its mark

Yes, this is just another example of patterns and colors that just shouldn’t be allowed in any bathroom. While we know that this is just an innocent pattern and that it’s nothing too sinister or dirty, that doesn’t mean that we would happily touch this thing.

Making its mark

We would be pretty wary of putting our hands anywhere near those brown marks, just in case they weren’t what they seemed. We guess these people will just never learn. To be clear, you should never use brown in the bathroom!

The ultimate space-saver

If you have a small bathroom, it can be hard to work out how you can fit everything you need for a bathroom in the small space. Do you have to sacrifice a bath? Are there any particular products that will help you out?

The ultimate space-saver

Well, whoever designed this toilet was probably pretty proud of themselves for their supposedly genius idea, but we’re gonna beg to differ. While it certainly takes up less space, there’s no doubt about the fact that it’s just too small for human use.

A long, dark corridor

Very few people would willingly take themselves to a bathroom for the fun of it, but instead, we go because we have to. It’s a natural process, but this is made even better when you have a warm and welcoming bathroom to go into. Of course, this isn’t one of them.

A long, dark corridor

Featuring a long and dark corridor, there’s barely enough space for your body in this place. Couple that with the dark tiles and flooring, and you’ve got a location that could definitely make its way into a horror movie.

Who is the fairest?

Although bathrooms don’t have to have mirrors in them, they are a nice touch. Everyone likes to make sure that their hair is in place when they wash their hands or add a little blush to their cheeks when they’re feeling a bit worse for wear.

Who is the fairest?

Of course, if you’re going to put a mirror in a bathroom, you need to make sure that this mirror is actually going to be useful. By putting this sticker right where the sink is, there’s no chance of seeing who really is the fairest of them all.

A pretty pattern

It’s really important to put a lot of thought and effort into your decorating exploits, and this is especially true when it comes to your bathroom. While there’s no doubt about the fact that this toilet seat, complete with floral inserts and a flower pattern, is pretty beautiful – it’s just not right for the room.

A pretty pattern

The person who bought this obviously didn’t think too much about what it was going to look like on the toilet, which is why it now looks like it’s been visited by someone with an upset stomach.

Don’t look up

How many of you look up at the ceiling when you head into a bathroom? There’s a high chance that you probably don’t take too much notice of it, and that’s largely because these bathrooms ceilings are normally plain. However, the person who designed this one decided to go for a different angle.

Don’t look up

They added a mirror to the ceiling, which would have been a great idea if it wasn’t a bathroom. One look up would greet you with everyone doing their business on the toilet, and that’s not something you want to see.

Leaning over

It’s not uncommon to find hand dryers in bathrooms that are attached to the wall at different heights. This is to allow people of all shapes and sizes the chance to dry their hands comfortably, but we can tell that the person who installed these ones really didn’t think about what they were doing.

Leaning over

If two people wanted to dry their hands at the same time, the taller person would have to lean over the shorter person, or the shorter person would have to stick their hands through the taller person’s legs instead.

A double whammy

Have you ever wished that you could roll out of bed and into the shower or bath? Well, it seems as though the person who designed this bedroom/bathroom setup definitely had that in mind when they put this together.

A double whammy

We can only imagine that they had a small amount of space to deal with, and so had to add a bunk bed into the mix. By turning the bottom bunk into a bath, the person staying here could quite literally roll off the top bunk and into the bath. It might hurt, though.

Sharing is caring

Most bathrooms come complete with toilet paper, but it seems as though this bathroom was designed on a budget. Instead of giving each stall their own roll of paper, it seems as though they want their users to share. After all, sharing is caring!

Sharing is caring

We just hope that two people don’t need paper at once, because touching hands while in such a compromising position will be super awkward. Or do you take the paper you want before you make your way in? We just don’t know which is better.

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