Bathrooms—they’re an unignorable part of your life. Everybody uses them every single day. However, unless something goes very wrong, you tend to take them for granted. After all, we rarely notice design decisions when they’re done well. When they’re not, it can lead to a lot of laughter through tears.
To that end, we at Bored Panda wanted to showcase some of the most epic bathroom design fails ever. It’s the kind of narrow-minded planning that you wouldn’t wish on even your worst enemies… maybe. Scroll down for a taste of bad design, and a reminder to be grateful for when things work as intended.
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My Friend’s Apartment Has A 1/2 Bathroom On The Ground Floor. This Is The View From The Street
A couple of people have suggested contact paper which can be quite expensive. I used greaseproof paper on my living room windows. It's cheaper, does the same thing as in its opaque, still lets the sunlight in but adds privacy because you can't see through it.
I would make them replace that glass with either a wood or black metal panel.
The Bathroom In Our Airbnb Was Rather Smol
He will still not fit under that roof when sitting on the toilet either.
Load More Replies...This Mirrored Ceiling In Our Bathroom At Work
You must pee with an umbrella... Ella ella yeah yeah yeah... Pee with an umbrella... Ella ella yeah yeah yeah (Rihanna style)
Chevrolet had a genius idea about a decade ago to make all their dealerships look the same. Including the bathrooms. It’s bad enough American bathrooms don’t mind the gap in the doors but the tile they chose was so reflective it was not only slippery when wet, which it obviously usually was, you could see the people next to you if you looked down at the tiles. As a person who doesn’t use a phone in the bathroom this was not something I wanted to learn about my coworkers. Some of the dealerships have corrected this. Some haven’t.
The Statista Research Department recently reported on the most common features of high-tech toilets found in renovated master bathrooms in the US in 2023. By far the most common feature was a seat with a bidet feature (27% of respondents updated their toilets with one).
Other popular high-tech features included self-cleaning capabilities (18%), heated seats (16%), built-in night-lights (14%), motion-activated seats (8%), and self-deodorizers and overflow protection (both 8%).
My Friend's Under-The-Stairs "Bathroom" Where The Toilet Is Diagonal And Partially Installed Into The Carpeted Wall
It's an ecologic soundproofing - with all the bacteria accumulating in the carpeting.
Load More Replies...Like the colour of the carpet. That could hide a multitude of.........
For A Quick On The Go
Sometimes I have dreams like this... I really need to go, and only find toilet set-ups like this one... if any.
All I can think of is this guy trudging down the stairs on his way to work on a gloomy, grey morning, there's Bob from #23 sitting on the lav reading the sports section when he glances up on my way passed..."Morning Jack. Have a good day" " Yeah, you too, Bob". Jack says. Then Bob looks back down and keeps reading as Jack carry on, both of them not even missing a beat.
You Guys Hate Carpet In The Bathroom? I Can One Up That. My Parents Have A Bathroom With Carpet That Goes Up The Bathtub Walls! Bonus Points For The Terrible Wallpaper
My in-laws still have a carpeted bathroom. My mum pulled hers out in the early 2000s.
We had friends whose whole bathroom was carpeted, shower door ,tub sides, walls! It stunk!
Not to mention the ultra-low toilet! What's up with that?! Am I meant to have my legs out straight when I take a poop there?!! I'm 6'5" ya know!
Meanwhile, according to Statista, a survey of 300 architecture firms showed the most popular bathroom features in Q4 of 2023 to be larger walk-in showers (50%), doorless showers (49%), and stall showers without tubs (also 49%).
Furthermore, adaptability and universal designs were noted as a very popular feature (40%), while spa-like designs were slightly lower in demand (31%). Natural lighting was also not a very popular feature (24%), alongside heated floors (27%), private toilet compartments (26%), and linen closets (17%).
These Bathroom Stalls
Not only is the door a worry but it looks like there's a lack of leg space too if you would even dare to sit on the toilet
There’s a bathroom like this on 90 outside of Buffalo. The bathroom stall being against your knees. I’m only 5’ 8” and can barely fit. And with only 2 handicap stalls there are way too many people embarrassed while helping someone in the bathroom. And that’s not the only place.
Load More Replies...It's crazy that it's still safer than any of the stalls around here. I mean the ones at the movie theater here begin so far off the ground, a toddler can walk right in, and the opening at the top is so low a tall dude could easily look right in. Plus the cracks between the door and the walls are so big you have to actively avoid seeing people when you walk in. What is the point? I mean, are they like WAY cheaper or are the designers just total creeps? I've never been able to figure it out. Whatever company made this nonsense so damn popular should be called "Futility inc." As a trans guy, I have to sit down to pee (unless I use a "pee-style", and I'm always so worried some dude is going to be suspicious because of it and come for me... again. Yeah, not cuz of doors but a drunk dude clocked me as trans and attacked me many years ago. I won. But still. It's gunna get a lot worse. Give us security and the transphobic urban legend of men wearing dresses to assault women loses its power.
Stayed in a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya like this except the glass was clear, not frosted. It was right next to the shower that was also surrounded by clear glass. All of this was open to the room, there was no hiding from anyone.
This Horrible Toilet-Seat
My Grandparent’s Carpeted Bathroom
So you feel like you're bathing in a meadow? (At least it's not red!)
Load More Replies...Carpeted bathrooms were all the rage up until the late 80's. The only rationale I can think of is avoiding the shock of cold tile when one gets up to wee in the middle of the night.
Contrasting experiences can teach you a lot about the world and what you value. You never really think about how great it is to have access to a proper bathroom until you come across a bad one.
If the restroom is dirty, uncomfortable, or lacks the necessary hygiene supplies, you’re going to have an awful time. On the flip side, clean, cozy, well-stocked bathrooms are a godsend. And we say this without any irony—it’s important to be able to relax when nature calls.
I Mean, Of All The Design Choices, You Chose This
Not really, it just looks stained when it's clean. Gross!!
Load More Replies...Why the heck is the water coming from the toilet fill valve brown? EW EW EEWWWW!!!
Why is the water coming out of the valve of the toilet brown!? EWWWWWW EWWW
My Uncle's House Got A Bathroom Without A Door, Literally The First Thing You See When You Enter The House
"Hey, come in! Yeah, just taking a dump. Leave the pizza on the table. Money's in my jacket, help yourself."
House Sitting For Uncle. Reached The Final Boss Of The Game "Unfamiliar Shower Controls"
One to divert the water from the tub, one for temperature control & on/off, one diverting water for the handheld, and one for each of the nozzles on the left.
Another major concern is privacy, or rather, the lack of it. Views on this can vary historically and culturally (public toilets with communal sponges-on-sticks in history/how-the-ancient-romans-went-to-the-bathroom-180979056/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ancient Rome, anyone?), of course. But in this day and age, most people are used to doing their business in restrooms in complete isolation.
To put it bluntly, although there’s nothing ‘shameful’ about what you’re doing, you still don’t want anyone (accidentally) seeing or hearing you. Rather, it’s the opposite: you probably want to be alone with your thoughts.
The 'Bathroom' In My Airbnb Will 100% Result In The Worst Encounters With The Host
Just Watched A Guy Go Into The Wrong Bathroom At Toronto Pearson Airport. He Was Looking At The Top Sign
This Bathroom In My Dads New House. I’m 6’1”. The Room Is So Short They Had To Cut Holes In The Ceiling Over The Toilet And Sink So You Can Stand Up
Nice toe stubber with the raised commode!! Who lived there before? The Munchkins??!!
I just cannot imagine why anyone would buy a house with such a ridiculous, bad design. Unless the rest of the house is spectacular, or the offered a reduced price, for the cost of renovating this bathroom.
With all of that in mind, it makes sense to design bathrooms and public restrooms with privacy in mind. It might sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how uncommon it is.
Designers, architects, and engineers should consider which materials they use and how to incorporate them into the entire space.
This Public Restroom Has Facing Toilets
High five and a handshake if you both get Poseidon's kiss simultaneously.
Impossible To Clean
Practical Bathroom
Looks like a door/curtain on the right side, but still.....
Load More Replies...When the brochure stated "Great view from the bathroom" Jill didn't expect it to be from the OUTSIDE of it!
For example, you wouldn’t want your public toilets to have massive gaps beneath the door. Nor should you use transparent materials for the stall doors or walls. And you wouldn’t add curtainless windows in bathrooms without making sure that nobody can look through them from the outside. Again, these are basic considerations.
This Is The Inside Of The Bathroom Door At A Bar In NYC. After Some Cocktails, It Is Impossible To Pick The Right One On The First Try
based on the placard, looks like it is an art installation...or in-stall-ation...i'll see myself out
A Bad Place For A Restaurant To Store The Dishes
That has to be illegal. The law here in eu is a least one closed door between a toilet & a kitchen.
Restaurant Bathroom Sink, Made From...wood
When designers, architects, and engineers are focused solely on their work, they can miss details and mistakes that may seem obvious to bystanders. That’s why it’s so important to run your ideas and blueprints by other folks, whether they're coworkers, focus groups, friends, or strangers on the street.
You can avoid a lot of headaches by setting your ego aside for a moment and asking for some honest feedback.
Just Moved & My New Bathroom Tiles Are Designed To Always Look Dirty
I can't tell from the picture but is the tile also textured and not flat? I hate when TV shows put that in kitchens, must be awful to clean
Load More Replies...This Hotel Bathroom
Hotel bathrooms are getting ridiculous lately. Even Sheraton and Hilton affiliates are really cheaping out.The shower heads suck, the towels are small. I take my own toilet paper with me and hide it when we leave for the day because the one time housekeeping replaced it🤦🏻♀️
My Parents Bathroom Is On A Platform Next To An Angled Ceiling So You Hit Your Head Every Time... And It Has A Telephone
"Hello, 911? I just wanted to tell you that my mother never loved me."
Must be in a basement because of the plumbing for it to flush properly.
Or they would have had to cut structural beams so raised it instead.
Load More Replies...However, in some cases, it’s not due to a lack of foresight that bad designs pop up. Sometimes, it all comes down to finances. No matter what you’re designing, you’re probably going to have a limited budget. You need to work with the resources available to you.
Unfortunately, in some cases that means cutting corners. The result? A suboptimal restroom that might partly serve its main purpose, but leaves people yearning for something better.
The Placement Of This Toilet In My Hotel Is Just Stupid
"...and this is the poop timeout corner, where we go to think about what we did wrong and poop"
“You have been a bad little kid. Go $hit in the corner!”
Load More Replies...Must be a concrete floor. Very hard to move plumbing set in concrete.
This Brass Instrument Sink In My Step-Uncle's Bathroom
Ugliest Bathroom Ever
"Harvest Gold" EVERYTHING (INCLUDING A BIDET)!! AWESOME, YES. Carpet, No. At least the carpet is the "correct" color.
Ugly that’s all that describes it. (Including gross, disgusting and VERY UGLY!!)
Which of the photos featured in this list made you cringe the most, dear readers? Which of these toilets would you hate to use more, even if you really had to go? What is the very worst bathroom you’ve ever used?
On the other hand, what’s the very best restroom experience you’ve had, whether in public spaces or in private homes? Drop a comment below. And remember—good design is about more than just aesthetics.
The Shower In My Grandparents New Bathroom Is Very Nice, Except For One Small Problem
Upon Walking In This Bathroom At The Supermarket I Was Initially Disgusted At Filth And Lack Of Cleanliness Until A Closer Look Revealed It Was Designed This Way
Bathroom With Glass Walls
It's normal in europe to have locks on both sides of the door, the question is why is the key outside?
Load More Replies...Installed New Shower Curtains Boss
This Was The “Sink” In A Restaurant
What sink, I only see the counter top and then the floor and a mop bucket.
Bathroom Stall Doors Made Of Glass
The Dividers In This Stall Are Way Too High Up. They Could See My Thighs
Looks like one of the measures the Scottish Government wished to introduce during the Covid blip.
I’m About To Explode! Where's The Men's Restroom? Hurry
I think to the right would be the men's room.
Load More Replies...Wider upper back for men and wider hips for women? Or maybe trying to made the reproductive organs with squares and lines? Help me out...
The Ridiculously Tiny Bathroom With Everything You Need (Or Don't)
I think I will just go outside to relieve my bladder thank you very much.
This Bathroom Mirror In My Hotel Room
The Worst Bathroom I Have Ever Seen (In A Hotel)
They Replaced Half The Mirrors In My Local Shopping Mall's Bathroom With Advertising Boards
Touch it... It goes back to a mirror. A mirror that is likely recording your every move with the built-in video camera hiding inside.
My Hotel Made The Walls Of The Bathroom Fully Transparent
Disco Toilet In An Airbnb
Be very afraid. This just hides the unsightly stains they couldn't, or wouldn't. remove.
This Toiletry Trash Can That Opens Into The Other Stall
I have this at my job, and its a public building. I see too much of my tax payers lol.
This Title In The Bathroom At A Restaurant
"No one was hurt in the making of this" is clearly not the case here.
The first thing that came to my mind too. I expect people won't understand otherwise - it's a Tumblr meme, based on a photo of a children's hospital where someone literally painted a red trail along the floor, that people tried to write off as colour theory, so "red floor trails done for the pattern/colour theory" get the meme.
Load More Replies...How disturbing this is depends heavily on whether this is a men’s or a woman’s restroom
is it weird that I would like this as an abstract wall painting?
This Stall Door In A Gas Station Bathroom
If one has no issue using this as intended, I don’t think sex would be off the table.
Load More Replies...If someone will have sex in a bathroom stall chances are they don’t care
This Restaurant’s Bathroom Had A Piano In It
Horrible idea, just think of all the people that don't wash their hands after using the bathroom.
Shower Room Has Window To The Kitchen
My Brother And Sister In-Law Came Across This Gem While House Hunting
Angles I Never Knew I Didn’t Want To See
My Friend Went To Look At An Apartment Today And This Was The "Shower"
Blursed Toilet
I don't think I've ever actually seen the cord and plug for a hand dryer in a public restroom?
Gives The Term On The Throne A Whole New Meaning
Seen On Facebook Marketplace. The Sewing Of These Took Some Real Talent
There Are No Words
Better Hope You Don’t Stab Yourself In The Shower Of This Airbnb Rental
I wonder about the thought process behind this. Copious amounts of mind alterers?
I hope so. It scares me to think that that may not be the reason.
Load More Replies...This Sink In Our Airbnb
The worst thing the realization that her knickers/stockings are pulled down to her knees.
This Bathroom Sink At A Pub In Bruges
Why? The sink doesn't drain into their water, their water looks cleaner than at a lot of pet shops, and they have quite a bit of space. I don't think this is bad at all.
Load More Replies...I Didn’t Notice This Toilet Window Until It Was Too Late
These Appeared In The Shared Toilets I Have To Use Every Day…
It looks as if you could lift up, whatever that decorative purple thing is and still be able to use the regular toilet seat.
High School Bathrooms Are Already Wild Enough
This design is usually for a preschool kid, to make sure that small kids can be properly supervised and assisted. Perhaps there is an attached nursery or primary/elementary school?
I still think it's weird. When I was at infant school (4 - 7) we still had normal stalls.
Load More Replies...My Boyfriend Wanted Me To Post This Here. No We Don’t Leave Our Toilet Paper There LOL
My School Doesn't Have Stall Doors
"I've Finished Installing That Sink Honey!"
When You Can't Afford A Solid Gold Toilet
Wayfair had some crazy toilet seats. I'd say check it out just for a laugh but then you'll get tons of spam offering toilet seats for months.
Girlfriends View From The Bed Of Our Hotel Room
My Schools Renovated Toilet
I Cringe Every Time I Step Foot In This Shower
From An Airbnb I Stayed At
There are companies that make hundreds of weird toilet seats just like this. And worse!
Load More Replies...Cute Yet Also So Wrong
Like Reading A Magic Eye Book
Basement Bathroom In The House I Bought
Stall Door With Knee Cutouts
These Bathroom Stalls Were Designed To Make You Feel Inadequate
Look What I Found In A Bathroom
My Client’s Toilet Art Piece
This Hotel Bathroom "Tile" Wall Is Actually Just Numerous Pictures Of Jeans
A Shower With A High Entrance, Sharp Edges, Garish Colors, And A Hole
I actually kinda like this one. It has built in shelving for all your hair and body products, as well as built in seating. Not a huge fan of the colors in the tiling but otherwise I like the layout.
Why Pay Money For A Toilet That Fits When You Can Just Mutilate The Door Instead?
The Stall Doors In This High School Bathroom
The Shower At My Gym
“Family” Bathroom
Possibly a urinal or a child sized toilet?
Load More Replies...I Was Drunk And Needed 5 Min To Get On It, It Was Like Playing Tetris Irl
The Toilet Was Normal, But Not The Sink
The Bathrooms At Magiano's In Denver
Honestly I Hate It
Soap, Water, Blow Dry. Let's Cut The Efficiency Of The Restroom In Half Because Aesthetics
Is this a Wegman's bathroom? They have these sinks with these dispensers!
This Bathroom With Too Many Stairs
Sometimes, a toilet has to be raised, like in a basement, for it to flush properly. Has to be higher than the septic, or something? A friend had steps leading up to the toilet in her house, and that was her explanation (years ago).
That is correct. The toilet has to be higher than the sewage pipe going out of your house. There are toilets designed to be "up flushed" but they're quite expensive. Sometimes easier to make a platform or a couple stairs to get that elevation.
Load More Replies...I Was Told I Should Post This Here
It looks like a national toilet. Similar to a national costume. But different.
My Parents: We Don't Need A Paint Roller
A Public Bathroom In Seattle
The Only Unlocked Bathroom At My School
I Came Back To My Apartment To Find That My Roommate 3D Printed A T-Rex Shower Head
To Be Non-Discriminatory
Maybe they think some women might feel unsafe in a unisex bathroom but others won't mind?
Hidden Toilet At The Doctor's Office
Easier than hauling a drip stand and whatever other tubes to the bathroom.
Makes sense. Looks like a complex plumbing setup, though.
Load More Replies...Just Reading The Paper
My boyfriend has this. There are reasons we don't live together...
Load More Replies...When Mother Nature Calls, You Dont Let It Go To Voicemail. Lumpy Ridge, Co. What A Place To Poo! Lumpy Ridge Trailhead … “Please Pack It Out!” The Sign Says
The Toilet In My Hotel
I Stumbled Upon This Beaut Out In The Wild
When You Need To Use The Bathroom, But You're In The Middle Of Cooking Dinner… No Problem
I Just Noticed Neither The Mirror, Nor The Lighting Fixture, Are Centered With The Sink Faucet In This Hotel Room
Who Doesn’t Love Having Soggy Loo Roll From People Washing Their Hands
The Tiles In My Hotel Bathroom
All I see are a couple crooked tiny square tiles? What's the big deal? Unless I'm missing something?
This Should Be Illegal. Work Bathroom
This Toilet At A Hotel
This website explains the difference between plastic and wood toilet seats. https://www.homestratosphere.com/plastic-vs-wood-toilet-seat/ Wood is heavier & can slam down, plastic is more durable, wood seats cannot be open in the front, etc.
Purple People Be Weird Some Times
I See Your Giant Toilet Seat With The Largest Toilet Tank I’ve Ever Seen
Men’s And Women’s Bathroom
Please Just Let The Toilet Be
This Tile In A Bathroom At My Work
You Have To Either Lean Over The Toilet Or Wedge Yourself In The Dirtiest Part Of The Bathroom
Also. It looks like the pan cover has contained some kind of major 'event'.
Load More Replies...There’s A Mirror Screwed Into The Ceiling Above The Toilet In My Airbnb (Oc)
Apartment Installed A New Toilet. Doesn’t Flush Correctly And I Can’t Take The Lid Off The Tank To Fix It
The Bathroom I'm Expected To Use Everyday
Umm what was point of leaving up the front partition, where at one time, the stall doors hung from and the stall dividers/walls were attached to if the doors and walls are no longer existing??
I Call Her The Louisiana Thrown
My Parents Toilet Is Litteraly A Throne
Please Take Two Friends And Enjoy Our Lovely Three Seater
Moved into a 200 year old house in a small village in rural New York State and there was a 2 seater next to the back door (no comments about back door, please). It did have a door enclosing it so anyone using the 'facilities' had privacy.
there are 8-seater privies at geo. washington's mt. vernon...arranged in an octagon, so you could have a real nice chat
Burgundy
Sooo, How's Your Night Going?
My Aunt's Toilet Seat
Spacious
Well, it's a wheelchair accessible stall, likely mandated by local laws.
This Bathroom's Mirrors Are Sunglasses
My House Has Many Of These Architect Flaws (I Live In Brazil), One Of Them Is The Flaw In The Ceiling Of The Living Room's Stairs That Makes My Mom's Bathroom Have Stairs
The Floor In The Bathroom Of My New Place Is Just Aluminium Tread Tiles
Someone thought they were being cool and quirky by designing this. Looks like it would be hard to get clean.
Sinks Like This Where You Can Barely Get Your Hands Under The Water
They Took Our School Bathroom Doors Away
Au Naturel
But this is ok for canping in the wild. Use a plastic bag to go in, and bin it later! No problem!
Found A Diwhy Toilette Seat Too! In A Nautical Themed Bathroom
The Toilet And The Paper Being On The Opposite Side Of The Room At A Hotel I’m Staying At
Crocheted Toilet Seat Cover
Plumber Submission, Two Bathrooms
This Leg Lamp In My Aunts Bathroom
This Clamshell Toilet
My Mom Is A Realtor, Today She Showed A House With A Live Betta Fish In A Toilet Tank. Apparently It Flushes From A Second Tank Hidden Behind It
Feeling Lucky
This Bathroom
I was thinking that it was done with free samples!
Load More Replies...Bathroom In Czech Train
Target Bathrooms
So, apparently someone responded to one of my comments, but I'm not allowed to see which one because it's not in the arbitrary number of posts they decided to show, & I don't have BP Premium. They're really trying to get rid of their user base, aren't they?
Went to a Gay bar in Brighton, England a few years ago. The so called friend I was with let me walk into this trap. When somebody new went in for a drink and then went to the bathroom, the staff would turn off the normal lights and light up strobe lights instead. Almost everybody (me included) came out covered in pee.
Stayed in a suite on a Carnival ship (never again!). The bathroom boasted a tub, but it must have been an add-in rather than a restoration. The edge of the toilet seat was right up against the side of the tub - I had to sit sideways.
So, apparently someone responded to one of my comments, but I'm not allowed to see which one because it's not in the arbitrary number of posts they decided to show, & I don't have BP Premium. They're really trying to get rid of their user base, aren't they?
Went to a Gay bar in Brighton, England a few years ago. The so called friend I was with let me walk into this trap. When somebody new went in for a drink and then went to the bathroom, the staff would turn off the normal lights and light up strobe lights instead. Almost everybody (me included) came out covered in pee.
Stayed in a suite on a Carnival ship (never again!). The bathroom boasted a tub, but it must have been an add-in rather than a restoration. The edge of the toilet seat was right up against the side of the tub - I had to sit sideways.
