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Good design is all about putting the user first. If the customer can’t make sense of the design and if their every single move is impeded by the bad decisions that the designers and builders made—we’ve got a serious problem. Sometimes these problems all come down to bad craftsmanship, shoddy design, and unaesthetic, hurried, and impractical shortcuts that builders take without a care in the world.

The ‘Typical Rykozhop’ Instagram page documents how some homeowners have to live with utterly ugly, just plain bad, and downright dangerous interior design decisions. Scroll down to see the best of the worst, upvote the pics you wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, and let us know in the comments if there’s anything similar in your own homes, dear Pandas.

Bored Panda reached out to Tim Antoniuk, an Associate Professor of Design Studies at the University of Alberta, to hear his take about where most of the responsibility falls, whether on the designer in charge of the vision or the builders who turn it into reality. Antoniuk explained that it's up to the designer to ensure that their project (which means their client's project) turns out well. The focus should be on the clarity of the designs so that the intent is communicated without any 'fuzziness.' "Certainly, this is frustrating and it puts extra pressure on the designer, but everything, in my view, rests in the designer's hand. This is why some of the most outstanding designers in the world have such a deep knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, of the problems that can happen during installation."

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Antoniuk said that it's the designer who has to provide clarity and foresee at least some of the possible issues when it comes to the actual building and the interior design: "It's hard, but that's why the best designers get paid so well for their outstanding work. They do great design/aesthetic work, but they also create efficiencies and they foresee and spot (some) problems from happening." 

The Associate Professor highlighted that some things will go wrong, no matter how much we plan for them. What's more, the builders have to be on the designer's side, too, but the latter still shoulders most of the burden. "Many jobs can not just stop because a designer is not onsite or is not able to be reached. That said, builders need to honor the designer's vision, but again, if there is 'fuzziness' in the drawings or plans, decisions will be made by people that we may not want to make them."

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On a very practical level, ensuring that builders follow through with the designer's vision comes down to communication, doing "great drawings and visuals," and becoming "exceptionally well educated" in the field of construction. "We exist in a field that is ever-changing with the introduction of new materials, new construction requirements, and restrictions," Antoniuk said.

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nanashi
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm deeply sorry for the person who had to live in a house like this. it must have not been their choice but desperation is painful.

Larai
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Saw the picture and felt sad, no one would want to live like this

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well that’s a danger waiting to happen. I can see myself stepping in that toilet whilst trying to cook dinner and not to mention the hygiene issue.

c Fuller
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

hon, hon, hon!!! Leave now, I have to use the toilet and it's an emergency!! Do not forget to turn off the stove Hon!!!

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Raine Soo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is nothing like the aroma of crap seeping into your cooking.

Adam C
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Chef - " I want the shortest way from kitchen to toilet". Constructor -"Say no more"

Tugg Ster
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is very depressing. And disgusting. Deplorable really

Sum Guy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really should try one of those squatting toilets one of these days...

Kainaath Khan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh you will love it, it will empty your entire bowel system in one go, making you feel easy and relax.

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Lisa Tetlow
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In case you can't make it to that toilet at the end of the long hall.

PauPain
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me imagining that I would have to teach my dog not to use that as a water bowl....

Aaleyah _ aesthetic
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s a normality in many middle easter countries, I mean its not that hard to use.

Naomi Cline
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A kitchen designed for multitasking. I’d be concerned about the lack of a lid on that toilet. Floating Poop particles and food preparation shouldn’t be in the same room

Steve Cruz
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Squatties" are not uncommon around the world -- they're actually a better position for bowel elmination. But in the kitchen is multitasking at its worst.

Papa Bonez
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Finally, my obsessive need to urinate on the floor can be fulfilled.

Mary Peace
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You want take-away meals or sandwiches? That's for the next few years, until we can move.

Moezzzz
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If I step in someone's toilet while I'm trying to cook, I'm stabbing someone

Dorothy Cloud
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is that just supposed to be a urinal? Cook & pee at the same time?

Faith Nicole
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't understand this toilet 😆 so you gotta sit on the floor to use it then stand up. also being in a kitchen is BEYOND disgusting, & being out in the open like that!! What the f**k designer of this place,, you smoking crack!? At my grams house the bathroom downstairs is off of the kitchen, my whole life I've had to use it multiple times while visiting and I never did more than pee in there, just because someone was always in the kitchen and they can hear you. Granted your behind a closed door but still. Family gatherings and holiday dinners, 30+ people in the kitchen & living room, using that bathroom while my gram is cooking... wasn't always the smell of food that would hit you while waiting for dinner

LAM
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Consider yourselves lucky to live in a country with flush toilets. Many poorer countries have this or they go in the street.

dlee t
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is a fridge in the same room? Giving food it's shortest distance for a full life cycle is being considerate... to the food.

c Fuller
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I see many a twisted ankle in this kitchen. Why not put a board over it to prevent that? Then when it's needed a fingerhole to lift it up

Marcia Herriott
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son once lived in a basement of a busisness with no bathroom facilities and had to go to a separate building to take care of "business". I am sure he would have preferred this.

Mike Weber
Community Member
3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

serge
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So let me get this straight, you are cooking and your husband comes in with the shitters,,,,

Brian Knight
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s good you can have a pony while cooking a bacon sandwich

Christina McCausland
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

TISH At least put a hinged lid on it... that'll help stop the smell... and stop you falling into it when you're cooking !

Heather Atwood
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Putting your foot in your mouth is the least of this person's concerns...

CV
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who could have thought that- 'Ohhh, toilet in kitchen floor, great idea'

Paloma Vita
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have never seen anything like that but most toilets in Morocco are like this and I have to say that I have never seen cleaner houses than on that trip. I was visiting a family and the woman who lived there and her sister spent half their time washing the toilet and the floors... with a huge amount of water... they would scoop the water up with a hard-edged mop and dustbin and send it flowing down the stairs!

Cindy Jarrett
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whoaaaaaaaa! Coking where you pee, what Brian thought this be a good idea?

Karen Crosby
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now that's tiny house living for you. I would have to invent a cover for that before I broke my ankle.

Steven Meyer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very convenient, you could take a s**t and stir the stew at the same time!(hope they didn’t get those two confused)

twystynoodle55
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMFGG 😱😱😱😱😱 SURELY THIS ISN'T REAL IF THIS WAS IN THE 🇬🇧 THIS 🏚 WOULD BE CONDEMNED

Wannabe Wakandan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had to go in a toilet like this in Paris but it was just a very small hole let's just say going was like doing a wall sit

BluEyedSeoulite
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This looks like Korea. Not normal. It would have to be a really old apartment and that stove top would be in addition to a regular stove in the main kitchen. It looks like an old building and the tenant or owner decided to "modernize" it the cheapest way possible

pebs
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In which country is this allowed? I ask because in my city people are even forced to build toilets no less than an inch below the rules, then I see this stuff and I think it would take somewhere in between.

Xenon
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing like falling into a urinal while cooking a snack...

Ian Bartels
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Think of it, you can pee while still making sure you don't burn the chicken. lol

Livvy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're not looking where you're walking and someone forgot to flush

white_shadow
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For anyone wodnering these bathrooms are common, not in the kitchen, but the type. it's a squat toilet

Ali H M Salehuddin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think this is real. This is a normal bathroom. The stove top and cooking utensils were placed in there specifically for this photoshoot.

Pascale Pierloot
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can lie down and have a little poop while dinner is on...Beats just sitting around doing nothing. I'm left with one question...why???

mynoseisaherring
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

you squat over it and dispose waste. (not that I think this is a good idea)

kjorn
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

imagine frying something and then your foot slip in the toilet... "recipe" for disaster

EA
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

THERE IS NO LID ON THE SEAT. It’s bad enough having your loo in the kitchen but really? You might as well just use the sink if you’re going to flush with no lid 🤢🤢🤢

jk nbt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

when you grew up living in a tent in the desert, the way to poop was to dump into a hole in the sand outside. this is a common bathroom device in desert countries in the middle east... too much of a cultural shock to sit on a commode... what bothers me is that there is not a little sprayer hose with a nozzle to act act a bidet...

Molly Block
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is this the food disposal? Well it IS clean.... so there's that. And surely there is a tile that fits over it, a cover? Because who would want to accidentally step in that thing while frying up a pan of potatoes? Hmmmm.....Betty, what is that DELICIOUS aroma coming out of your kitchen? Oh, it's Johnny? Ahh, ok! I'll pass on dinner, thanks anyways. And no dessert for me too. I can't trust your chocolate frosting any more.

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He also stressed the importance of creating honest relationships based on mutual respect. "It is simple to say, but communication and having an outstanding relationship with the builder is critically important. At 'Architure,' we constantly visit and hang-out with the Trades. We like to talk with the people that have 'boots-on-the-ground.' These are the people that are literally building our products and spaces. If you piss these guys off, treat them poorly, or don't communicate well, they can ruin a project. It may sound flippant, but we see these people as our partners."

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In a previous interview with Bored Panda, Antoniuk also spoke about the differences between good and bad design. He said that there are, objectively, such things as good and bad interior and furniture design decisions—it’s not just about our subjective tastes.

However, our tastes are important, too, as they can create gray and blurry areas between what’s considered to be quality and, well, not. Though, I think, hardly anyone would mix up anything shown in this list with something that’s tasteful.

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Jumilicious
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't be fooled people! This is just one of those hyperrealistic cakes looking like a washing machine.

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Jumilicious
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After taking a relaxing dump you can dive head first into your bubble bath whilst simultaneously cooking dinner for your loved ones. I see no downsides here.

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In Antoniuk’s opinion, we can all intuitively sense what good design is and isn’t. "Quite often, this relates to ergonomics and the usability or functionality of the products and services and systems. Having said that, I think far too many people expect poor design that doesn’t really work well," he said.

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It’s not all just doom and gloom, however. Antoniuk highlighted that creating high-quality design that is objectively good is a skill that can be learned; just like people can learn the wrong skills and make bad design decisions. Naturally, this suggests that we have to unlearn bad skills before learning the right ones.

For Antoniuk, good design is “intuitive, [...] deeply sympathetic and empathetic to the user at all levels, and at some level, it is emotional,” just like Dieter Rams laid out in his principles of good design. “It is a catalyst for giving us feelings,” Antoniuk said about design.

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Raine Soo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, that defeats the purpose of a drain. Someone did the same thing to my neighbourhood supermarket parking lot. The water runs right by the drain and onto the sidewalk.

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Raven Sheridan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I keep having visions of a hand reaching out to grab me when I switch on the light. 😬

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M.A.D.
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember when Indiana Jones had to pick the Holy Grail among many fake ones?

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Toea Muresan Iulia
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't unsee this. love the combination between water and electricity

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Julia Atkinson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ivan: "Boris, clear a pathway to the steps. " *half a bottle of vodka later* Boris: "Finished!"

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Kathryn Baylis
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The second I looked at this, Randy Quaid in the “Shitter’s full!” scene from “Christmas Vacation” popped into my head.

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G.T. van Middendorp
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do people think this is disgusting? You wash you hands with clean water, it's not like the sink is under the urinal. It's a great way to recycle water. The fact we (/most countries) flush our toilets with sparkling clean drinking water is idiotic.

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Asep Sofian
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the trap door switch in case you don't want any telemarketers bothering you... or Trick or treaters... or carollers...

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Val Casandroiu
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, the corner piece is missing (it's supposed to go over that corner mount). I've seen this, but this concept sucks big time!

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Becca Gizmo the Squirrel
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought it was a mirror. Then I thought the photographer was a vampire. Then I realized it was a door. This has been a ride.

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Full of Giggles
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wouldn’t classify this as problematic. Many tiny homes and RV used this combination or something similar in the bathroom. Hell, some don’t even have a shower stall or tub. It’s just a room with a toilet, a shower head, and a drain in the floor.

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One pipe for hot and cold water which will miraculously separate near the tap....

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Son of Philosoraptor
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a four stage filtration system with the ability to lock out one of the filters of you want. If the water is that bad, I'm drinking Dasani before I turn into a reptile-man.

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Kay blue
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The owner of the cream building obviously refused to sell so the developer had to bud around it.

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