Cartoonists have a crazy streak. They can’t help themselves; it’s how they are made. As a cartoonist-inventor, I sometimes cannot resist the temptation to illustrate a concept even while knowing it is crazy, stupid or at least poorly conceived. For instance, I have invented silly toilets solely to keep myself amused. I have also spent time pondering whether there might be non-traditional locations within the home where a toilet might be placed. Is it merely for reasons of tradition that toilets are consigned to bathrooms? Could toilets be placed in hallways, in dining rooms, or in the middle of the living room? Why not outhouse-like facilities (of modern design) on the porch, deck, or in the garden?
There are likely many good reasons for not locating a toilet in the middle of a kitchen. I understand that. But why not locate a toilet inside a shower stall? In fact, I can imagine extreme situations where water and space are so scarce, as on a submarine, where toilets might be incorporated into showers. But admittedly that is not the case in a home or apartment. But to see what it might look like, I drew a toilet inside a shower and I succeeded in amusing myself. I admit the concept is somewhat disgusting and disturbing given that dampness is the perfect medium for the spread of disease, contamination, smells, and so forth. I will give my idea an F for practicality but an A for whimsy.
Where else in a home might a toilet be placed? In 1983, I proposed The Living Bathroom, a space-saving concept for small apartments and cabins. I like my cute and clever execution of the idea, though I worry that the issue of odors was not addressed.
In 2007 I revisited my Living Bathroom concept, making it more stylish and adding a chimney. The chimney contains a built-in fan that sucks vapors from the toilet toward a roof vent. Both the chimney and the toilet come in polished stainless steel and look very modern. Note how the Toilet Concealment Chair slips over the toilet. It rolls forward on wheels when there is urgent need to use the toilet.
I have also pondered the practicality of freestanding toilet cabinets or closets. A Toilet Cabinet might be placed anywhere, assuming plumbing connections could be attached from below. In this design floor drains are shown. Optional toilet seat heights are offered, allowing the user to select between the thin (standard) and thick (elder) seat lid. The weakness in this design is the lack of a fresh air vent. I do not, by the way, consider the claustrophobia-inducing design objectionable though some users might.
This month I revisited my earlier designs for the Living Bathroom and created a modified concept that offers a vent pipe and a mini-sink. The entire unit fits stylishly in the middle of a living room. I can’t see many flaws in this design, though an objection might be that there are noises attendant with toilet use. The noises I refer to are not just those made while flushing or washing one’s hands. Music or white noise could be broadcast out to the living area while the bathroom is in use. The masking sound would commence at the moment the “occupied” latch is set in place.
If there are good arguments for why the toilet should remain where it belongs – in the bathroom – are there ways of integrating it into the design of the other typical bathroom furnishings? The studies above show some possibilities. Notice how these designs, though seamlessly integrated, seem to conflict with a person's need for privacy and modesty!
Yet modesty is such an outmoded concept. Is anyone modest anymore? Do TV programs, movies, magazines or newspapers show concern for adhering to old standards of modesty? No! Perhaps the time has arrived for promoting my Duplex Toilet for home use. Think of the advantages of a Duplex Toilet. Consider the high cost of adding an extra bathroom to the home and how much space is saved within the home by these designs!
Of course, there might be some issues initially with use of the Duplex Toilet because of ingrained habits of personal modesty. There might be problems between a brother and a sister who just aren’t comfortable being in the bathroom at the same time. But looking far into the future, I can imagine the Duplex Toilet becoming popular. It could even contribute to a melting of a present-day taboo against communal toilet use. Admittedly, just as swimmers frolicked modestly at public beaches in the 1890s while nearly fully clothed, there might be a step in the acceptance of the Duplex Toilet when users will feel the need to don a concealing, tarp-like covering over their knees, allowing them to modestly hide their bare legs, dropped underpants and trousers. Eventually, however, no one will feel the need to use the draping accessory! There will be Duplex Toilets in your future, and you read this prediction first in Neatorama!
Visit Steven M. Johnson at his website.
There are likely many good reasons for not locating a toilet in the middle of a kitchen. I understand that. But why not locate a toilet inside a shower stall? In fact, I can imagine extreme situations where water and space are so scarce, as on a submarine, where toilets might be incorporated into showers. But admittedly that is not the case in a home or apartment. But to see what it might look like, I drew a toilet inside a shower and I succeeded in amusing myself. I admit the concept is somewhat disgusting and disturbing given that dampness is the perfect medium for the spread of disease, contamination, smells, and so forth. I will give my idea an F for practicality but an A for whimsy.
Where else in a home might a toilet be placed? In 1983, I proposed The Living Bathroom, a space-saving concept for small apartments and cabins. I like my cute and clever execution of the idea, though I worry that the issue of odors was not addressed.
In 2007 I revisited my Living Bathroom concept, making it more stylish and adding a chimney. The chimney contains a built-in fan that sucks vapors from the toilet toward a roof vent. Both the chimney and the toilet come in polished stainless steel and look very modern. Note how the Toilet Concealment Chair slips over the toilet. It rolls forward on wheels when there is urgent need to use the toilet.
I have also pondered the practicality of freestanding toilet cabinets or closets. A Toilet Cabinet might be placed anywhere, assuming plumbing connections could be attached from below. In this design floor drains are shown. Optional toilet seat heights are offered, allowing the user to select between the thin (standard) and thick (elder) seat lid. The weakness in this design is the lack of a fresh air vent. I do not, by the way, consider the claustrophobia-inducing design objectionable though some users might.
This month I revisited my earlier designs for the Living Bathroom and created a modified concept that offers a vent pipe and a mini-sink. The entire unit fits stylishly in the middle of a living room. I can’t see many flaws in this design, though an objection might be that there are noises attendant with toilet use. The noises I refer to are not just those made while flushing or washing one’s hands. Music or white noise could be broadcast out to the living area while the bathroom is in use. The masking sound would commence at the moment the “occupied” latch is set in place.
If there are good arguments for why the toilet should remain where it belongs – in the bathroom – are there ways of integrating it into the design of the other typical bathroom furnishings? The studies above show some possibilities. Notice how these designs, though seamlessly integrated, seem to conflict with a person's need for privacy and modesty!
Yet modesty is such an outmoded concept. Is anyone modest anymore? Do TV programs, movies, magazines or newspapers show concern for adhering to old standards of modesty? No! Perhaps the time has arrived for promoting my Duplex Toilet for home use. Think of the advantages of a Duplex Toilet. Consider the high cost of adding an extra bathroom to the home and how much space is saved within the home by these designs!
Of course, there might be some issues initially with use of the Duplex Toilet because of ingrained habits of personal modesty. There might be problems between a brother and a sister who just aren’t comfortable being in the bathroom at the same time. But looking far into the future, I can imagine the Duplex Toilet becoming popular. It could even contribute to a melting of a present-day taboo against communal toilet use. Admittedly, just as swimmers frolicked modestly at public beaches in the 1890s while nearly fully clothed, there might be a step in the acceptance of the Duplex Toilet when users will feel the need to don a concealing, tarp-like covering over their knees, allowing them to modestly hide their bare legs, dropped underpants and trousers. Eventually, however, no one will feel the need to use the draping accessory! There will be Duplex Toilets in your future, and you read this prediction first in Neatorama!
Visit Steven M. Johnson at his website.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/poop-love/twodaloo-for-couples-who-share-everything-327370.php
She also reported that in Denmark because space is at such a premium the entire bathroom is effectively a shower and toilet all combined, and the shower is used to hose down the entire room to clean it. Nice...
A couple years back we saw a TV show about buying apartments in Paris, and the master bathroom was really a toilet behind a drawn curtain, on a dais, right next to the master bed. Wow.
And finally regarding your very first statement, something that always stuck out to me: Watch Moll Flanders, set in the 18th century. In it is a very formal dinner scene where the male head of the family is standing behind a screen doing his business into a pail while chewing food and talking to the family at the dinner table 5 feet away.
No point in responding to him. He's what I like to call a "Shit'N Run" commenter. You won't be seeing him again.
You're suggesting that a blogger's postings be not featured anymore because in your opinion "they're not neat" and they're "horrible inventions"???
If you can't appreciate art/satire/humor... there is an option of a concept known as "moving along". Just because something is not for you doesn't mean it shouldn't be in existence. Just like no one can and should ask you to stop making any comments because they don't like your comments.
You can also place the sink inside the shower along with a mirror (protected somehow from the water) and then you can use the toilet, shave, and shower in the same tiny little space. I think this if perfect for an office, apartment complex, or prison where you may need to do these things over the course of the day but you need privacy and there isn't enough room for a full-sized bathroom.