Privy, loo, water closet, spa.... whatever name your bathroom goes by, no doubt it has a special place in your heart.
Years ago I was soaking in the bathtub in our old apartment when I noticed that the drain plate was staring at me. The arrangement of the screw heads on the round metal plate made for an oddly expressive face, and it was one that wouldn't take its eyes off me. So we stared at one another for a few minutes and I pretty quickly forgot all about whatever it was that had made me retreat to the bath for a soak in the first place.
(pic: Bathroom Face by rocktoklezmer)
When we moved, we traded that earnest face for a bathroom with a window (which was high on my wish list) and we never looked back. But even now when I take a bath I often smile at the memory of the bathroom where I had no privacy.
In a lot of unrenovated SF Victorians the bathroom was tacked on to the back of the building near the kitchen, an architectural afterthought that can make you curse your bladder on middle-of-the-night treks. In other apartments the bathroom is more centrally located, and civilly divided into a WC and a bathing/washing room. And still others have the luxury of a jacuzzi on the rooftop or in the backyard. Travel up to a spa in Sonoma or Napa and you'll really see what a NoCal bathoom can be.
What makes your heart sing in the loo? Tip us.
For more faces in strange places, see the work of Francois and Jean Robert.
Luxury and soft edges. Things have to be pleasing to the touch in a bath, for me. I bought a floor-sample honed-stone vanity top for my most recent bath remodel. It was wonderfully darkened on the edges from people touching it, and it's so beautifully shaped that it reads as almost as sculpture. With the new honed-stone floor, soft, warm colors, and a sculpture-like tub (with an edge round enough to sit on comfortably), I feel calm an pampered the minute I go into this room now. It used to be a cave.
I had one of those split baths (separate WC) in SF years ago. Always grossed me out that there was no sink for hand washing. Now you can get sink attachments for the top of the tiolet tank. Clean water comes in, then drains into the tank. Great idea.
Bathrooms are a place that we all spend a lot of time, whether we realize it or not. Having a nasty bathroom is just no fun at all - I've been there far too many times.
Having a window in the shower is something I've always wanted. Of course, I don't want lots of people being able to see in, but it would be nice to shower and have a window open with fresh air at the same time.