Going with the flow

These two toilets feature design with similar function in mind. Both designate the flow of water based on bodily functions. less for 'number one' and more for 'number two.'

The one on the left is from the Field Museum in Chicago. Users are directed to pull up on handle for one function and down for the other. 

The image on the right if from the tourist center at Conwy Castle, Wales. The larger button is for the heavier flow of water; the smaller button for the lighter flow. 

The coolest bathroom in Kansas

We were just beginning the day's road trek, several weeks ago, when we drove through Lucas and missed the coolest restroom in Kansas. They actually placed second in a national competition in 2014. The quirkiness of the public restroom is totally appropriate for Lucas, since its claim to fame is a wealth of grassroots art including the famous "Garden of Eden."

Take a minute and look at the slide show on this link. It is really a fascinating work, inside and out. However, I think I would REALLY have trouble as a resident bragging to someone that their restroom was Number 2. Or even number one for that matter. Oh, never mind.

European chic in a SE Kansas rest stop

On our return from a getaway at Flint Oak Lodge near Fall River, we stopped at this rest stop on Hwy 400 right around the Greenwood/Butler County line. It is maintained by a private company and, wow, for a a public rest stop it was immaculate! I half-expected an attendant ready to hand me a towel. 

What caught my eye was this elegant bit of industrial design that reminded me of the compact thoughtful design of European interiors where space is a premium. Although there is lots of space in this particular restroom, the soap dispenser is built into shelving, or they made a soap dispenser shaped like a shelf. 

Heathrow Industrial Chic

I have to be a bit surreptitious when I take photos in public restrooms. I lost my nerve when we went to Harrods, that epitome of shopping decadence in London. The restroom I finally located was crowded with chattering, primping women in party gear. We were at the end of a long day, traveling from Hereford and dressed a bit too casually for the classy surroundings. I didn't even go in - first I would be surrounded by women dressed to the nines, an obvious tourist, and then hoping to get a clear shot for a photo in a 'private' place.

Anyway, I did get manage to get this from Heathrow International. The design is relatively compact with automatic water and soap dispensers. The hand drying is a bit of a reach in the alcove above the sink. And a mirror above that. Not much use to short people - you can barely see the top of my head here.  However, they did allow a bit of counter space for your handbag, backpack or maybe cosmetics (for those who can actually see the mirror)

Stony compact elegance

I have always admired the British and European use of space. With less room to sprawl, they are mindful to make the most of small areas, and often do it most elegantly.

Here are two stone sinks in the train station at Cardiff. They are compact systems with automatic soap, water and airdrying built in to a small space. The warm air drying was particularly welcome; like many public restrooms worldwide the room is not well heated. 

And if you take a look, that they are designed to please the eye as well as conserve space- the basin shape is repeated in the heating vent below, and balanced by the curved opening  above the sink.

Pre-measured toilet tissue

I found this toilet tissue dispenser in the Conwy Castle's visitor center. Despite the round shape, the tissue is not on a roll, but dispensed through the opening in the center in pre-measured strips - much like a box of facial tissues.

A brilliant idea- though your toddler and cat might find it a bit frustrating

Goodbye!

As a graphic designer, I appreciate the design and communication qualities of icons. Non verbal symbols have been particularly important in Europe for decades. This one in the train station of Llandudno, Wales, confused me at first. 

Spraying water? A reminder to wash your hands? Finally it dawned on me. The metal disc housed a light sensor. Wave Goodbye! (Wave your hand in front of it to activate the flush.)

Appropriate for a train station, right? 

Focusing on the details

While I intend for this blog to be entertaining , I also have an underlying theme of awareness and celebration. Celebration and appreciation of the everyday details of our lives.

As an artist and graphic designer, I train my eye to appreciate design elements. This image from the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, inside the women's restroom. I keep an eye out for quirky, unusual fixtures but none were to be found, Instead I captured this inside one of the stalls. The angle was the results of trying to get all what intrigued me within a confined space.

You can see an interesting combination of textures: polished stone floors, industrial-type textures on the stall walls, and the cushy texture of a floor mat, much like ones used to ease the back and feet of workers. Interesting in themselves but all the more so, because they are unusual elements for a public restroom.

Custom Hand Towels

On our last adventure we revisited Chicago, one of my favorite cities ever. We were near the end when I realized that I had not spotted anything unusual or interesting in the restrooms, or bathrooms.
That is, until we had checked out and I went to use the public restroom on the main floor of our hotel.

The Silversmith is a beautiful hotel, renovated in the past two years, just a block of Michigan Avenue. The restrooms reflect this upscale vibe with polished stone counters, and classy soap dispensers. What caught my attention was the paper hand towels. None of this coarse brown paper from a wall dispenser. There on the counter next to the sink was a tray of neatly folded, smooth white paper towels printed with the hotel's name. Not exactly an attendant handing you a fine warmed cloth towel, but an unusual touch nonetheless.