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50 Times People Spotted Stupid Design Decisions In Public Places And Just Had To Share
We often form our opinion of a city by judging the quality of its public spaces. If they give us a hard time, most likely we won't be too psyched about returning to it.
And unfortunately, there are plenty of ways urban planners and interior designers ruin our everyday life and force us into dreadful anxiety-inducing situations.
They make us sit on uncomfortable benches, walk around trippy floors, and go number two in bathroom stalls so revealing, others are able to see our facial expressions.
To show how ridiculous it can get, Bored Panda has put together some of the worst public space "solutions" ever created—we deserve better!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
The Chairs Waiting For You In The Laser Eye Clinic's Reception
#2
"I'm Sure You're All Wondering Why I've Gathered You Here Today"
Repel 2 years ago (edited)
"You there in the front row. Please pass me the toilet paper. "
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Katchen 2 years ago
The chairs are too close together for anyone to sit on them. This looks like the building is undergoing remodeling and the chairs have been stashed here as a temporary measure.
Simone Saur 2 years ago (edited)
Guys somebody figured it out! And they have only two up votes; it's a crime, fix it.
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Melissa Harris 2 years ago
I have questions. I'm not sure I want answers, but I have questions
Vorknkx 2 years ago
The only logical explanation I can think of is that the boss gets lightning-fast diarrhea and this is a necessary precuation :D
troufaki13 2 years ago
It's a class called "How to properly defecate 101" ( I can't believe this is the second time today I use the word "defecate"!!)
Ethan Lang 2 years ago
“Dang girl, you defecate in that toilet?” I’ll see myself out now.
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Laura J. Davis 2 years ago
You can tell they stored a bunch of chairs in the bathroom and tried to make something about it.
Lindsey Leigh Phillips 2 years ago
And here i thought i was the only one who had this recurring dream... Add in rod stewart ordering a plate of medium rare chicken and it's the very same.
Tori Waldman 2 years ago
I'd jump to storage, but the bathroom door has a window in it...soooooo...ya, nope...I got nothing.
Martha Howley 2 years ago
Let’s add in the graph on the wall. Who among them is doing the charting, and WHAT is being measured?
Allison Staley 2 years ago (edited)
It's not so much the chairs (obviously not normally there) but the window in the door! That toilet isn't being stored there. So that means this is a normally functioning bathroom that's a very large room, with a toilet out in the open, and a window in the door!! Actually, the more I look at it, why is there a table with paperwork on it and a graph hanging from the wall? Maybe it really is a meeting room! Oh man, now I really need some answers!!
Sarah Berkner 2 years ago
The toilet is very clean and I wonder if it's part of a set, though it's not a theater and idk what set would need to include a realistic bathroom.
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Marco Conti 2 years ago
WTF? Is this some sort of research center for toilet paper manufacturers? Or maybe a coprology convention? (look it up. It's the study of feces. AKA Scatology)
Warped Katana 2 years ago
are we going to talk about the spinning arm chairs that are sitting so closely together
Nadine Bamberger 2 years ago
I mean it is where a lot of people have their best thoughts, they could be telling it straight from the guts.
Ryan Deschanel 2 years ago
When going to the toilet is no longer an excuse to miss class... For the teacher.
Peter Deveau 1 year ago
"Today, I'm going to teach all of you how to take a s**t in a toilet."
Mike Morales 1 year ago
This is stupid. No one wants to see someone use the toilet. What kinda audience wants to see someone use the toilet.
Sarah Berkner 2 years ago
Maybe it's a set and the toilet is a prop, or it's a showroom of some kind? The toilet does look very clean. I'm guessing it's part of a set.
Sarah Berkner 2 years ago
The women's restroom at a local aldi doesn't have a stall door in front of one of the toilets, I don't think the restroom locks and I seriously hope no one is ever using that toilet when I go in there.
hello there 2 years ago
am i the only one that’s going to mention that every single chair is an office chair with wheels…
Therese Pammit 2 years ago
But... but... Who in their right MINDS, would even consider using that... Oh, nevermind.
Lazarus Long 2 years ago
LBJ used to have meetings where he would have people stand next to the open door of the bathroom whilst he took a s**t. He also called his penis "Jumbo"
Tonia Sizemore 2 years ago
SERIOUSLY?!?! I MEAN, COME ON!! WTF MAN!! WHO DESIGNS THIS?!?! & JUST WHY
Amanda Hunter 2 years ago
Thanks for the laugh, it looks like the audience is there to critique the performance!
Subhra Bikash Behera 2 years ago
The most amazing thing is that the person who's taking picture is standing at the entrance/exit. 😂🤣
Summer Woodsong 2 years ago
I have decided these open room toilet setups are for sick rooms so that the staff can assist the patient.
Joan S R Kutschmarski 2 years ago
Must be a Dept of Immigrations office. The one I saw was almost as bad.
Catherine Brady 2 years ago
I am thinking the designer was making an editorial statement about the amount of time patients are kept waiting to see the doctor.
Marybeth Martens 2 years ago
who ever does not answer the question right will hand me some toliet paper
Sheera Gandolfo 2 years ago
"And this is the proper way to take a bm, can somebody hand me a potty stool and some toilet paper" says the colonoscopy doctor to his students. "Who's next? Remember it's 20% of your final grade"
Brian Bennett 2 years ago
Observational poop chair? Do some people need to be cured of a toilet fetish - face things head on?
Betsy Novack 2 years ago
Not for the giant ego of whoever is writing his speech in the employee bathroom where he can hear himself think & deliver it the those too busy holding our breath to interrupt him when he puts his crown on and deliver like he's Moses or something. Should put a good dose of laxatives in his morning coffee. I say we all show up late. Take the rest of the day off. We can blame in his nor seeing the memo he signed when I hid it as page four.
Joyce Chambers 2 years ago
You think the toilet paper placement is the "weirdest" thing? Omg! Lol
Thomas Sweda 2 years ago
Second weirdest thing. About a third of the people can’t see the toilet.
To learn more about the topic, I got in touch with interior architect and lecturer of interior design at Vilnius College of Design, Judita Striukienė.
When we hear the term public space, we usually think of the outdoors. "Places like parks, gardens, and squares are often popular city attractions," Striukienė told Bored Panda. "They not only provide environmental and recreational benefits but also form a city's identity."
#3
No Words Needed Here
#4
As If Public Toilets Didn’t Give Me Enough Anxiety
However, public spaces can also be indoors. "These interiors can be both functional and aesthetic," Striukienė said.
"Think of health service establishments, for example. A well-executed professional interior design can even have a positive effect on the patients. It can relieve their stress and put them in a calmer state of mind."
In fact, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, the co-founder of the architecture firm Snøhetta, argues that architects must begin considering indoor space just as public as outdoor space.
"Maybe with the sole exception of railway stations, public space is generally understood as outdoor space," Thorsen wrote. "Whether in the United States or in Europe, especially now with heightened concerns around security, there seems to be this determined way of privatizing everything that is indoors, even as we are increasingly aiming to improve access to public space outdoors. But in the layered systems of our cities of the future, we will need to focus on the public spaces that are found inside buildings—and make them accessible."
#5
At First Glance, I Didn’t Recognize This Restaurant Mural As The Sun
To get his point across, Thorsen highlighted a map of Rome made in 1748 by Giambattista Nolli. It only had two distinctions—what was private and what was public. "Whether it was indoor or outdoor, whether there was a church space or a plaza, it didn't really matter. [The map] told a different story of the city."
"There are some examples from today—the roof of our Oslo Opera House is outdoors, for instance, but it's on the building and publicly accessible. Opening up the Louvre and trying to let people walk through it 24 hours a day—as with the museum's recent takeover by the artist JR—is another way of not making a distinction between indoor and outdoor public space."
#6
This Fountain That Looks Like A Perfect Place To Sit Down
Panna Amelia Niezależna 2 years ago
I wonder how many people realised that when it was to late...
#7
Gas Station In Nebraska. The Station's Color Scheme Was Red. They Tried To Get Artsy
#8
No Broken Legs I Know Of
Thorsen thinks such decisions are essential to the way new architecture typologies develop, and architects should definitely have an influence on them.
"In certain situations, accessibility to indoor public space is enough," he said. "In other situations, you have to define the program for the particular indoor or outdoor spaces to be adequate. To use the example of the roof of the Opera House in Oslo again, it was basically programmed only for one thing, and that's to be walked on, for a promenade. But on occasion, it could be reprogrammed to hold an outdoor concert. Or it could be reprogrammed against the original intention by skaters or by a biker who actually drives his motorbike up and down the roof."
#9
Flat Carpet In A Hotel In Cologne, Germany Imitating A Curvy Surface
#10
Fake Hope Escalator
#11
The Design Of My School - This Is The Place Where Every Hallway Intersects
#12
Two Windows Of My Workplace Are Constantly Fighting For The Honor Of Being The One Who Is Going To Be Opened
The city belongs to its citizens. No matter if we're talking about what's inside or outside. And, according to Thorsen, these two dimensions can even intertwine.
"Maybe the outdoor can be programmed in such a way that it unlocks the possibility of the public spaces indoors. There's always a bit of urban planning in designing interiors. There's always a bit of interior design in an urban space. There's no question that interior architecture is professionalizing itself as well—interior architects are not seen as decorators of interior space anymore. The same is true of landscape architects. And those are only the traditional design professions," the architect said.
#13
The Single Worst Clock I Have Ever Seen. I Actually Said Aloud "Whyyy"
#14
They Built This School Like One Month Ago
#15
Ballroom Where Everyone Downstairs Can See Up Your Skirt
#16
This Is Not Rust. “It’s The Design”
Of course, that doesn't mean that every architect needs to be trained in every specialized profession. What Thorsen meant was that the industry is lacking an overall understanding of how people should collaborate.
"That's why we've introduced transposition as a working method in our office, where you not only sit around tables with a lot of specialists, but you actually swap professions during creative workshops," he said. "The only thing that can save the essence of architecture is some kind of collaborative model like this."
#17
I Love Eating At Restaurant Logo Here
#18
This Fancy Staircase Leads Directly Into A Wall
#19
This Chandelier At A Restaurant I Ate At Bothers Me So Much
#20
This Picture In McDonald's Was Hung Sideways
By adopting this model both in education and practice, Thorsen believes we would be better equipped to fully understand the effects of programming.
"We are usually generalists enough to understand that a change of use is sometimes demanded and that we shouldn't try to desperately hold on to certain kinds of programming. But the profession itself should, in my opinion, really contain that kind of knowledge, simply because it’s so tightly connected to the actual design task."
As these pictures show, we need to improve the relationship between buildings and the public. And Thorsen thinks there's no way we can do that without getting directly involved in programming ourselves.
#21
Designed For Dissuading The Homeless. Literally Just Uncomfortable For Everyone Else
#22
This Painting Inside A Local “Fancy” Restaurant
#23
$1 Toothbrushes Locked Behind Glass At Walmart. Walked Around The Store For 15 Minutes Looking For Someone “Qualified” To Unlock The Glass Case
Then had to be escorted to the register with said $1 toothbrush. I could walk out of here with an air fryer easier than a toothbrush
Wang Zhuang 2 years ago
That's really odd. I've never seen regular toothbrushes locked up behind glass. Maybe there are some town hooligans going around stealing toothbrushes...
#24
Some People Just Want To Watch The World Burn
#25
This Restaurant In London (Waiters Love It)
#26
Toilet Door With Another Door In It That Won't Stay Closed
#27
You Gotta Pay Attention On These Stairs In A Cinema
#28
My Bed At A Hotel I'm Staying In
Kassiopeia 2 years ago
So, you wake up, bonk your head at this, and then the flower pot falls on you
#29
Public Restrooms With Reflective Surfaces
#30
This Is Russia
#31
This Is The Logo For A "New York Style" Pizza Place In Ponce, Puerto Rico
#32
I Don't Know Why Brown Strings Is A Welcoming Wallpaper To This Toilet Entrance. It Just Feels Gross And Unwelcoming. I Mean, This Is A Public Place
#33
These Restroom Stalls Have Translucent Doors
#34
This New Wall Art In My Office
#35
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
Demi Zwaan 2 years ago
And it is designed that way so you don't see the filth that is definitely still there.
#36
The Lobby Of This Medical Office Has An Alligator In The Floor
#37
Not Exactly The Color Pattern You Like To See In A Bathroom
Marcellus II 2 years ago
"Not the pattern you want to see in the bathroom"? OK, I'll bite: Where on earth would you want to see this pattern?
#38
Love To Shutterstock See This Kind Of Stuff
Gandalf the Pink 2 years ago (edited)
They didn't just print the stock photo without noticing, someone hand painted this with the stock photo as reference 💀💀💀
#39
The Paint In This Public Restroom
#40
Sometimes People Use The Left Part
#41
The Decorations On This Hotel Restaurant
#42
This Poster In My School Cafeteria Is So Badly Designed They Put Arrows So You Can Read It Correctly
#43
I'm Sure This Mirror Sounded Cool In Theory
#44
Not Sure If This Belongs Here But In My Opinion This Is The Real Problem With America. It's A Toilet Stall If You Were Wondering
#45
New Toilets At Work, Wonderful View On Our Interior Courtyard
#46
These Trash Cans At My School
Jonathan Douglas 2 years ago
Given their outdated school logo, I would say awareness of racism isn't their forté.
#47
A Poster At My Mom's Audiology Office
#48
I Had To Stop While Ordering Food At A Local Restaurant Because I Saw This Poster
Hot-chocolate-under-a-Sequoia. 2 years ago
50me mials lldo ionat ned. Ah yes. Just summoning a demon. Don't mind me.
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Duncan 2 years ago
How do some things even get finished without someone somewhere saying that it is a bad idea. To all to all those companies with tiles that look like that have poo on them, were you drunk when you designed it and all the way through to conception?
Zanshin 2 years ago
Because someone is getting paid. They don't care that it is screwed up. They just finish the job so they can collect their pay check. They are not going to wait for some on to correct the problem, which could take weeks, months or longer.
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Daraqshan Urooj Naeem 2 years ago
This was so funny 😂😂😂😂I couldn't hold my laugh at all. I just keep questioning WHY?! JUST WHY?!
Bryan With A Why 2 years ago
None of these people went to design school, they're just horrible people.
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Denise LeBloch 2 years ago
So can you do one on excellent and functional design in the public space. For example, In Switzerland the airports have free luggage carts that are equipped to go up and down the escalators. Brilliant! We need more smart design and less "just gettin' by."
PiscesInTheWild 1 year ago (edited)
For those Brits (or just people in general who don't like the space between bathroom stall doors... such as myself), there was a stall like that at my school when I was a kid that had a crack directly aligned with the mirror. Anyone could look in the mirror at the right angle and see right where the toilet sat. Needless to say, barely anyone used this particular stall :)
Deborah Christie 2 years ago
I found the one with the hearing aid batteries hilarious. I love you can supposedly "hear" the Grand Canyon, Italy and Prague! Lmao?
Sebastian Melmoth 2 years ago
I will never understand the “fashion, never function” aesthetic.
zoolfa hussain 2 years ago
Yoh I looked at all these pictures n am shocked.peoples or designers have a s**t sense of humour .you really get some whacked stuff out there.thanks to the photographer for showing us these n making me laugh
fandomprincess (any pronouns) 2 years ago
Both my parents are engineers... Should I show them this or not?
Liesl English 2 years ago
I worked at a school where the teachers bathroom was also the supply closet. There were shelves and boxes of documents. And then they just put a toilet and a sink in there. Didn't seem sanitary *at all*
Lorrie Finley 2 years ago
Or the other way around most likely. And no it's very unsanitary especially with COVID 19. The virus (found in fecal material) that people cough in that room lives on inanimate objects for 48 hours so could easily be spread to the entire school population within hours.
Load More Replies...
Lorrie Finley 2 years ago
It's entirely possible considering the enormous size of the internet, it's continual growth and the length of time in existence. You may have seen some but it doesn't mean others have.
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Logan Chipman 1 year ago
Sirs I am only saying that because I genuinely want to teach them the difference. I mean I'm 20 and I can read and write better than 25-30 year Olds and up, when I correct someone I'm not trying to be a grammar nazi I'm trying to teach them the proper way to spell and pronounce something. And yes I do believe teenage slang has a part to play because people will sit there and say u, ur, etc. I am only saying it could influence them not knowing the difference between your, you're, you've. And even words like they're, their, they've, I have seen those used wrong so many times and by people alot older than me. Not trying to be rude or mean towards anybody her I am just genuinely wanting to teach some of them. P.S. not talking about people who currently have A's in english, I'm talking about the ones who are failing. (and I'm also not talking about the ones who have reading/writing disabilities they get free passes)and sure I may not be a dictionary but when I read outloud and wrote back in middle school my teacher set me as a prime example for people in 8th grade.
Logan Chipman 1 year ago
P.s.s, just trying to teach older generations proper etiquette.
Load More Replies...
Duncan 2 years ago
How do some things even get finished without someone somewhere saying that it is a bad idea. To all to all those companies with tiles that look like that have poo on them, were you drunk when you designed it and all the way through to conception?
Zanshin 2 years ago
Because someone is getting paid. They don't care that it is screwed up. They just finish the job so they can collect their pay check. They are not going to wait for some on to correct the problem, which could take weeks, months or longer.
Load More Replies... Daraqshan Urooj Naeem 2 years ago
This was so funny 😂😂😂😂I couldn't hold my laugh at all. I just keep questioning WHY?! JUST WHY?!
Bryan With A Why 2 years ago
None of these people went to design school, they're just horrible people.
Load More Replies... Denise LeBloch 2 years ago
So can you do one on excellent and functional design in the public space. For example, In Switzerland the airports have free luggage carts that are equipped to go up and down the escalators. Brilliant! We need more smart design and less "just gettin' by."
PiscesInTheWild 1 year ago (edited)
For those Brits (or just people in general who don't like the space between bathroom stall doors... such as myself), there was a stall like that at my school when I was a kid that had a crack directly aligned with the mirror. Anyone could look in the mirror at the right angle and see right where the toilet sat. Needless to say, barely anyone used this particular stall :)
Deborah Christie 2 years ago
I found the one with the hearing aid batteries hilarious. I love you can supposedly "hear" the Grand Canyon, Italy and Prague! Lmao?
Sebastian Melmoth 2 years ago
I will never understand the “fashion, never function” aesthetic.
zoolfa hussain 2 years ago
Yoh I looked at all these pictures n am shocked.peoples or designers have a s**t sense of humour .you really get some whacked stuff out there.thanks to the photographer for showing us these n making me laugh
fandomprincess (any pronouns) 2 years ago
Both my parents are engineers... Should I show them this or not?
Liesl English 2 years ago
I worked at a school where the teachers bathroom was also the supply closet. There were shelves and boxes of documents. And then they just put a toilet and a sink in there. Didn't seem sanitary *at all*
Lorrie Finley 2 years ago
Or the other way around most likely. And no it's very unsanitary especially with COVID 19. The virus (found in fecal material) that people cough in that room lives on inanimate objects for 48 hours so could easily be spread to the entire school population within hours.
Load More Replies... Lorrie Finley 2 years ago
It's entirely possible considering the enormous size of the internet, it's continual growth and the length of time in existence. You may have seen some but it doesn't mean others have.
Load More Replies... Logan Chipman 1 year ago
Sirs I am only saying that because I genuinely want to teach them the difference. I mean I'm 20 and I can read and write better than 25-30 year Olds and up, when I correct someone I'm not trying to be a grammar nazi I'm trying to teach them the proper way to spell and pronounce something. And yes I do believe teenage slang has a part to play because people will sit there and say u, ur, etc. I am only saying it could influence them not knowing the difference between your, you're, you've. And even words like they're, their, they've, I have seen those used wrong so many times and by people alot older than me. Not trying to be rude or mean towards anybody her I am just genuinely wanting to teach some of them. P.S. not talking about people who currently have A's in english, I'm talking about the ones who are failing. (and I'm also not talking about the ones who have reading/writing disabilities they get free passes)and sure I may not be a dictionary but when I read outloud and wrote back in middle school my teacher set me as a prime example for people in 8th grade.
Logan Chipman 1 year ago
P.s.s, just trying to teach older generations proper etiquette.
Load More Replies... 
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