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Three Gardrobes: The Water Closet Inside Closets

The Three Gardrobes by Tamizo Architects Group is an interesting idea: instead of cramming the utilities of the typical bathroom into a small space, the Three Gardrobes compartmentalizes the bath, toilet and wash basin into three separate closets. As described, "...instead of designing a furniture for a bathroom we placed bathroom in a furniture." Obviously you'd have to have a large room to accommodate the conceptual inversion, but then we thought this might be a fascinating idea to apply to a vacation home with an outdoor bathroom with similar functional "gardrobes"...

 
 

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Look!, bathroom, concept, Japan, bath, toilet

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Comments (16)

Yeah, 'cause I really wanna sit in a wide open room and chat w/ other people while one of us is taking a dump...

posted by bepsf on July 2nd 2009 at 1:19pm
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I think these are supposed to have doors.

I don't know about separating everything out, but I've always liked the Euro idea of putting the toilet and the shower/bath in separate rooms. Keeps one person from hogging the facilities.

posted by slowdown on July 2nd 2009 at 1:25pm
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I like the shower/bath separate from the toilet, but I prefer the sink and toilet to be in close proximity for handwashing purposes.

posted by avocado on July 2nd 2009 at 1:37pm
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ok, it's gorgeous.... but it's also very silly. Who wants to sit in a small box while doing their business.... with or without doors

great way to constipate clustrophobics....

What is that closed armoire on the left side? the shower/bath? A perfect example of design to spite function.

posted by modern on long island on July 2nd 2009 at 1:39pm
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I've always wanted a heinously tacky bathroom with rivers, waterfalls, and bridges. Buuuut this one doesn't do much for me.

posted by akay on July 2nd 2009 at 1:55pm
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"the Euro idea of putting the toilet and the shower/bath in separate rooms"

You know, this isn't universal on The Continent. Nor is it unknown in the US.

These boxes seem silly, but architectural firms aren't interested in designing for actual people with actual houses.

posted by FantasticMrFaux on July 2nd 2009 at 2:00pm
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Hmm. Wonder what the plumbing cost implications might be.

posted by Indy Jeffrey on July 2nd 2009 at 2:18pm
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"Wonder what the plumbing cost implications might be."

Longer runs of pipe, particularly within jurisdictions that still require 100% copper for all hot & cold water plumbing and cast-iron for wastewater = Greater costs.

posted by bepsf on July 2nd 2009 at 3:00pm
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I really can't imagine anything better than being able to look out onto a beautiful pond full of koi and lots water lillies while doing #2. :D

posted by -jenny- on July 2nd 2009 at 3:40pm
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Maybe I am being distracted by the koi pond setting, but I don't understand the value of this particular idea at all.

In a normal room, when is it advantageous to put a toilet in the middle of the space that can only be used if the doors are open? Can you imagine the dinner parties?

posted by RichardinLA on July 2nd 2009 at 5:31pm
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I don't get the looking at a pond while going to the bathroom idea. It is an innovative look, but seems a waste of a great view.

posted by baileyb on July 2nd 2009 at 8:22pm
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Our apartment came with the shower behind one door, the toilet behind one door, and the sink area (with two sinks) outside of those doors. Oh, and all of the storage is out by the sinks (so no storage by the toilet or by the shower). Theoretically, one person could be using the toilet, one person could be showering, and TWO people could be washing their hands.

I HATE it. I hate coming out of the bathroom before my hands have been washed, I hate not having space to store extra toilet paper in the toilet area (I guess we could put a cabinet above the toilet, but we haven't yet), and I hate not being able to put in my contacts and brush my teeth right after my shower, without putting a robe on.

Anyway. I loooong for my next house/apartment where it WILL have a conventional bathroom, with shower, sink, and toilet all in the same handy-dandy bathroom.

posted by fresh.air on July 3rd 2009 at 12:07am
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An interesting idea....but I'd prefer it if the bathtub was the giant pond instead (minus the koi) (maybe with those crazy tiny fish that eat dead skin?) (okay, I've just totally creeped myself out) (oh god, it's horrifically creepy now).

It's a little unsettling to see a room that large used just to contain what we are used to shoving into a box sized room, but I'm not a quirky conceptual architect.

Read the newspaper on the toilet? Hardly. We've installed a lounger and a lamp for you instead! Actually, the more I think on this, the more it grows on me. Were I to design the perfect master bath, I can see elements I would definitely pull into the project.

posted by Graceless on July 3rd 2009 at 12:47am
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I would prefer the toilet were the only thing in the room, sitting by itself on an elevated island in the middle of the koi pond. Whereupon, I could sit with both hands raised aloft crying out "I'm the king of the world" as I moved my bowels. Only then would I have a bathroom large and opulent enough to contain both my ego and my effluence.

posted by here2help on July 3rd 2009 at 7:55am
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:-D

everybody should try and look at the pics before they comment, then stuff like "there should be doors" would be off the table. there are doors.
and yes, these things ar fantastic when you have a lily pond in your house … i find them rather weird - an architect's mind game. actually, when they are closed, they look like ugly sheds …

posted by maike on July 3rd 2009 at 2:49pm
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I'm not talking about half-baths vs. full baths, but two separate rooms, one with a sink and toilet and the other with a sink and shower, side-by-side.

And I've only encountered this set-up in various European cities and have not seen it in the U.S., which is why I described it as a European idea. Sorry for not knowing everything about American bathrooms!

posted by slowdown on July 7th 2009 at 5:45pm
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