apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Why wasn;t this thought of earlier...it's ingenius!!

Gorgeous -- if only I had the room for it!

Outhouse chic.

what a smart and gorgeous idea!

Keisha,

Off topic, but did you get your name from The Muff Mob? My husband worked on that cartoon. I meant to ask the first time I saw you post.

Agreed it's very pretty and looks well made....but is it kind of bizzare that I think the toilet SHOULD be visible in the bathroom? As as this is- I just don't really see the point- who wants to go searching for the loo? Are toilets REALLY that aesthetically disturbing?

Correction - Miss Muffy and the Muff Mob.

And now women everywhere can complain, "Honey, you left the toilet seat *over*."

As for the toilet, it's really nice looking, but I can see it causing problems when guests come over who aren't familiar with it. Who wants to go to someone's home and be embarrassed because they need to ask where the toilet is in the bathroom?

It's like a high end litter box for humans.

I'd always be tempted to put things on that nice big flat surface, which would need to be kept clear at all times.

Hmm, sharp 90 degree corners in the bathroom, tons of recesses behind the bowl and underneath which will be hard to clean, wood right next to the "loo" where, um, overspray would stain ... looks pretty impractical if you ask me.

Hmmm, seems like a good idea but leaves me uneasy. Kinda gross and I can't really put my finger on why.

Becky

Am I the only person who's puzzled by how something larger than a bathtub is "space saving" compared to a regular toilet? That sleek bit of toilet chic requires a bathroom larger than many urban apartment bedrooms.

It is space saving in concept, but I have to think the reality of moving that wood panel over would not really pan out.

What do you leave on top of it that doesn't slide off? And how often do you have to push all the dirty clothes off the other side in order to go?

It looks really pretty, and I do like the concept of not seeing the toilet all the time! But not for your average bear, that's for sure!

That's just not right. Keep wood out of the bathroom.

I'd be afraid guests would think it was a hamper.

Impractical for most of us, yes, but perfect for those unfortunate loft dwellers who suffer from a TRULY open floor plan.

What happens if you have to go in a hurry?

Hmmn...I am not sure I would enjoy that particular bathroom experience. Although the piece itself is gorgeous and kudos to them for the idea. I think the placing of a toilet anywhere but a bathroom (where? the living room? hallway???) feels off to me.

I am not a big fan of touching regular toilet seats, so I am guessing I would really have a hard time with giant wooden toilet seat. Now put a motion sensor on it and we may have something here.

kind of like a common nightmare, *going* in a piece of furniture.

Beautiful design, however, something about it is, well, icky...and could it be any larger?

Becky and Jackie(too) - I also find it kind of icky and can't put my finger on why. Besides being impractical, they're is something just not quite right.

However, I think I would like it a lot if it were a different piece of furniture. What if it were an office piece, where the wooden piece slid over to the left so you could use it like a desk and the part where the toilet goes could container your laptop, or office supplies and the drawer could hold files. I like the materials and the look, just not for a toilet.

P(too) hit the nail on the head. My first thought on seeing it was "outhouse."

I really like the idea of not having to see the toilet all the time... but if I had that sort of space and money, I'd just build the bathroom in such a way as to obscure it from view.

My first thought was, "Oh, look, a second emergency toilet in case both of you get sick!" It reminded me of a friend's story where a group of roommates came down with food poisoning and there was only one toilet. Not good.

A nice option if you have just one huge bathroom, but "why bother?" otherwise -- its impracticalities outweigh the nice visual camouflage.

This is one of the best designs I've seen in a long time. This is very exciting.

I'll bet many designers have been thinking outside of the "can" for a long time.

Brilliant! If I could afford a piece to make my crapper disappear! Pardon the language, but that's exactly what we're talking about. How many people try to make their cat box disappear?

By incorporating the toilet into a piece of furniture the functionality and efficiency of the bathroom has just been increased by leaps and bounds. There is more storage and less space has been wasted. Toilets create dead areas that simply cannot be utilized. With the cabinet closed, taking a bath may be much more enjoyable without that porcelain behemoth in the corner of your eye.

Some practicality issues I would like to explore. Is the area where the bowl is located stainless steel and completely seamless? Can you sit on the cabinet when it is closed, or not closed for that matter. And I'm sure it's extremely expensive given that the bowl looks to be a wall-mounted Duravit model which adds up to a sizable amount after the plumbing alterations, wall hanging hardware and actuator. Add a beautiful piece of custom-made furniture and the sky's the limit.

Sasha-

Yes I did!!! I LOVED the series and was so sad to see them go. What happened to them?

I think it's both the "what about if you're in a hurry" part AND the "no wood in a bathroom" part that I have trouble with, although I think it's really beautiful. I think that if it DID have a motion sensor as someone said, though, it might add yet one more creepy dimension to it.

Keisha,

The company basically dissolved, became a different company, and then another. My husband no longer works there, but the cartoons are still viewable on www.magicbutter.com. I don't think they've made any new ones though. They were supposed to air on MTV at one point, but it never panned out (which never would have worked considering the number of obscenities - which, without them, would have seriously ruined the cartoon in my opinion).

I'll pass along the compliment to my husband!

Reminds me of a victorian bathroom I used (I think) at the Brown University Office of Admissions. The toilet was built into the room, clad in dark wood paneling, which formed a long bench. There was a wood "lid" that you had to lift up in order to even find the toilet. It made me wonder why we usually so prominently display this piece of equipment.

The reason for the display -- and the convention of porcelain fixtures with rounded edges -- is hygiene. The current standard for bathroom fixtures dates to the early 20th century interest in germs. With white fixtures out there to be seen, it's obvious when you've achieved a clean toilet.

Hidden corners, dark colors, and especially wood all provide great hiding places for germs and dirt. Yes, I'm a squeamish suburbanite who can't cope with the lingering evidence of natural bodily processes like diarrhea.

Wende,

I bet this will totally freak you out.
www.dollysmixtures.com/toiletseat
I have the same one on my Starck toilet. Just kidding! I have a Home Depot toilet right now.

Who ever came up with this idea, in the 70's I'm assuming, certainly did not have hygiene in mind. Thanks to you I have diarrhea cha-cha-cha stuck in my head as well as that song that goes "do you have to let it linger, do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger."

But even if someone had lower gi distress so bad that it sprayed like a busted sprinkler head I would hope the remnants didn't linger in any situation. It's still a porcelain toilet after all and there is clearance in there which is lined with what I would hope to be stainless steel which is a sanitary surface. I would never eat a sandwich in the WC but the ability to create a more ambiguous "toilet" room is forward thinking in my mind.

Art, I think you've identified the one spot in the home where leopard is inappropriate!

I do think a lot of capital-D Design loses track of function in the pursuit of innovative form, e.g., the disco ball stove hood of several months ago. That doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to it or think about it or learn from it.

I like the concept but I think it needs a bit of work.

For example, it seems impossible to clean the underside of the wood piece. And it's in exactly the sort of spot that would need regular cleaning.

I think a flip up lid makes more sense. I'm thinking something like a murphy bed style bench that comes down when the toilet's not in use.

More practical and more space saving too.

Well, I think it's a fabulously gorgeous genius of an idea. The wood doesn't bother me and the toilet bowl is still accesible oon all sides as you can see in teh picture.

Also, since i don't pee or ka-ka on the toilets, but rather in them....I don't have to worry about splashy messes or little brown morsels lurking and hiding.

Keisha - like you, i do my business in the toilet BUT i also had the displeasure of cleaning up after guests with very bad aim.

Space saving?? I've never had a bathroom where this would fit in the almost 40 years of my life living in houses and many apartments. I love to drool over luxury bathroom stuff as much as the next person, but I am hoping that AT will feature more beautiful bathroom products that are appropriate for *small* spaces.

It really is a beautiful piece of 'furniture' and a nice concept, but I have to agree that it seems a bit impractical for "everyday' use. I too, would be tempted to put something decorative on it, or leave something (dirty clothes, towel, etc.) for the next day. And those middle of the night 'stumble in without really waking up' loo calls could take on nightmarish porportions.

This is a giant step backward: the Victorians tried to conceal toilets in enormous wooden (usually oak) chairs carved ornately to resemble some sort of perverse bishop’s throne or other high-minded piece of furniture. Now we have the same prudery festooned in modernist garb. What’s next? A gigantic tea cozy knitted to conform to a Kohler loo? So much for Modernism’s progress in recognizing that there is no shame in basic human functions – all that effort flushed away! The best way to “conceal” a toilet is still a bathroom door. And imagine this nonsensical design in a house with children.

Oh the motion sensor idea: I can see it now, sitting comfy and reading a magazine and suddenly, the motion sensor malfunctions. Could I move quickly enough? And what about my cat? Would she, with all that curiosity, manage to get the cover to move, pounce down for a closer look, and then somehow get locked in there? And anyone with a 6 year old boy in the house knows there will be staining of the wood, or with a 60 year old. Good aim is not a guarantee.

I continue to enjoy the idea of a white toilet where I can see the possibilties of what might be breeding in the nooks and cranies, and pursue my perverse thrill of scrubbing it all clean. I enjoy finding ways to make the bathroom more comfortable and organized, but it is after all, a toilet. We all know what we do in there.

And since we've already discussed bodily functions, what about getting the flu or a hangover and needing to grab onto the bowl quickly and purge only to find in your haste that the cover is still on?