apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I don't know why I keep reading this site..
Every new post depresses me more and more about my small apartment.

My husband and I looked at Victorian houses a few years ago. We liked our loft, but wanted the charm of an old house. Every single one we saw, though, had been gutted to create an open-plan kitchen, and a bedroom had been invariably sacrificed to create a monster-size modern bathroom. We're still in our loft.

"Alright, let me go on apartmenttherapy to check out some small space, budget friendly solutions"

*See's post*

"What the..."

While you can draw come good ideas from these inspiration photos, its becoming more of a drool fest.

Apartment Therapy needs to get back to it's roots...this entry does not speak to the readers who live in apartments.

That's in a Victorian house? Sigh. It's nice, but there's a lot to be said for context. And water conservation--but not in that tub!

It's the size of a living room because it probably was a living room in a previous incarnation...

I agree w/ the others: We can go to ArchitecturalDigest.com or MetropolitainHome.com anytime to see this - How about some small-space/real life solutions here?

I'm no fan of tiny bathrooms, but I seriously wouldn't even know what to do in a bathroom that size. It's like there's way too much space, like maybe you should be holding a cocktail party in there instead of having a bath.

Someone yesterday asked, rhetorically, on another AT post why Americans need bathrooms the size of living rooms.

Well, why do Americans need bathrooms the size of living rooms?

This is really like gorging on rich desserts -- it really doesn't feel good any more to see this stuff...

I don't like supersized bathrooms because they are too cold. I like getting out of the bath or shower in a warm, steam-filled room. In a big space, the steam dissipates and the room isn't warm enough.

That's bigger than my living room.. I don't really even have a living room. We all know what we'd say if we saw a picture of such a large bathroom is "holy crap, that's bigger than my whole apartment (or some largest portion of one's apartment)." I mean, this is stating the obvious. How about none of that?

Hi, everyone!
I didn't post this bathroom for all of us to lust after. It honestly looks just like my living room and I found it pretty absurd that a bathroom would so closely resemble the largest room in my tiny apartment. That's why I went on to explain where my living room furniture lies in relation to these greedy plumbing fixtures. I don't hold this giant bathroom up as an object of desire for you or myself. It was posted simply as a comment on how absurdly large it is. It's relevant to AT because we who live in small apartments often find ourselves in this scenario, explaining to friends or family in large suburban homes that "yes, my bed and dining table are in the living room" or "no, my bedroom doesn't have a closet". Yet we thrive on finding solutions to make our small spaces work for us. That's all. I should have been more explicit with the sentiment, but believe me, this post is not about oggling this bathroom. I'll pose the question I should have originally: Have you been seen bathrooms larger than your living room or closets larger than your bedroom? Please tell here in the comments.

regina, it does look like a living room! there's something so odd about it (besides it size). the color scheme, layout, fireplace, perhaps? but I think I might feel odd getting naked here!

and I have to say, not only does that toilet not look very comfortable, but it's placement out in the middle of such a large room and right next to the bathtub seems odd to me.

and yeah, it makes me sad this is in a victorian house. it reminds me of the neighbor on the ivy-covered street I grew up on who moved in and promptly ripped up all of his ivy because he was allergic-- umm, why did you move there?

Good point about small rooms keeping in the warmth and steam, Kimg924. I think doing private and personal activities in a private and personal sized space feels, well, more private. Maybe this is a room shared by a large couple who like lots of togetherness or need wheelchair access or bathe a bunch of kids.

Note that this bathroom is in Australia - Melbourne, in the state of Victoria... which is why it is 'in a Victorian home'. It may or may not be a Victorian era house...

Whew, thanks for the explanation, Regina! It makes it easier for me to say that I think the bathroom's kinda hideous. It looks more scattered about than designed, IMHO. There's such a thing as too much empty space when a room doesn't pull together as a whole.

If space is a problem then a great alternative to installing a stand alone bidet is a portable bathroom bidet sprayer from BathroomSprayers.com. A hand held bathroom bidet sprayer is actually better than a stand alone and this is why: 1. It's less expensive (potentially allot less) 2.You can install in yourself = no plumber expense 3. It works better by providing more control of where the water spray goes and a greater volume of water flow. 4. It requires no electricity and there are few things that can go wrong with it. 5. You don’t have to get up and move from the toilet to the bidet which can be rather awkward at times to say the least. Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com

I'm with Kimg924! My bathroom now is the largest I've every had and taking a bath is less pleasant. The room never gets properly warm and steamy. Getting out of the shower is a major shock as well.

I can't imagine being comfortable in this bathroom.

I live in a (fully intact, unmodified) Victorian house with two tiny full bathrooms, and I can't imagine doing it any other way. I have never understood the appeal of huge bathrooms. What's all of that space FOR, anyway? It's a bathroom, not a party den.

I am not a fan of the horrible hotel art above the fireplace. ish.

It seems downright primitive not to have a bidet--but alas, my present bathroom's too small to install one, so I've been eyeing Totos. They're pricey, so I got all thrilled when I read Jeff9's comment about BathroomSprayers.com.

Hmmmm. It looks like a Bathroom Sprayer provides a blast of cold water to one's bottom. At least, there's no info on the website that would make one think otherwise.

Now there's a morning waker upper for you!