Toilet Story By The Owners of Modern Toilet Restaurant

We are a group of “muckrakers” following our dreams. It all started when one of us was reading the manga, Dr. Slump on the toilet – and the rest is history. In the beginning, we mainly sold ice cream – a big pile of chocolate ice cream sold in containers shaped like a squat toilet. This humorous spin became a great success.After much planning from all of our partners, we finally took the first step towards realizing our dreams in May 2004 with the launch of the “Marton Restaurant”. The restaurant immediately caused a stir in Taiwan with its humorous “out-there” design. At the start, many people peered in at the restaurant trying to figure out what we were selling – then had a big smile on their face when they finally worked it out. By continuing to come up with great ideas and making improvements on old ones, we have expanded over the past few years from just ice cream into a fully-fledged theme restaurant with stores all over Taiwan. Our stores have also won the support of devoted fans as well.

See pictures after this cut:

Front view of the restaurant.

If you love Ice-cream pretty much, would you prefer to have it served in this way? LOL

Ice cream.

This is what a cup of tea looks like in that restaurant (modern toilet restaurant)

Yummy, don't you think?

This is toilet inspired.

Tea or coffee in a URINAL.

Top 9 Mistakes in Bathroom Design

If you don't know that "walking the privies" means visiting the old outhouse, don't feel too badly. For most of us, the days when nature's call meant getting up close and personal with the out of doors are a few decades in the past -- at least. When the facilities moved indoors, some conscientious housewives were less than enthusiastic. They were sure that bodily waste belonged out back behind the well, or adjacent to the chicken coop. That mindset didn't last long, though. Since the 1970s, the number of homes with not only one bathroom, but two, three or more, has increased more than 30 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Building a better bathroom might look easy, but there are definitely elements of bathroom designs where you can step in it -- well, not literally, but in your planning strategy. Let's look at 9 bathroom unfriendly design considerations that will dethrone your plans for a successful upgrade.

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9. Small Budget for a Big Project

When you plan your bathroom project, expect to be over budget. Some people feed in a fudge factor of 15 to 20 percent for unseen circumstances, while others cross their fingers and hope for the best. The second approach has some serious potential consequences, including having to use the bathroom down the road at the gas station until you resolve billing disputes with your contractor.

Unforeseen issues with mold, dry rot, electrical service, antiquated plumbing and insufficient water pressure can blast a hole in your budget and leave you with a gaping void where your new shower was supposed to be. If you're scraping pennies together to afford that imported tile you want, you might consider waiting until you have a few more coins in your piggy bank.

8. Improper Installation

Without putting too fine a point on it, even without installation screw ups, the bathroom can be a dangerous place to hang out. When you put electricity, water, slippery surfaces, breakables and hurried people together in a small room, it's no wonder that 70 percent of home accidents happen in the bathroom.

An improperly installed electrical outlet, poorly mounted shower door or mirror, or about a thousand other things can pose risks to your safety and possibly even your life. From structurally weakening your home to making your family vulnerable to electrical shocks and toxic mold, improperly installed bathroom upgrades can cost you. If you aren't an accomplished DIYer, get professional assistance from an experienced contractor who can help you build your dream bathroom safely.

7. Uncomfortable Spacing

If you've ever tried to fit into a pair of jeans that are a size too small, you can appreciate the discomfort and inconvenience of using a tiny bathroom day after day. Yes, building codes do mandate some minimal spacing guidelines, but the minimum legal requirements don't take into account your love affair with cheesecake or the fact that your favorite chenille bathrobe takes up as much room as a bedspread. When it comes to the bathroom, more is definitely more -- spacewise, anyway. If you're converting a closet into a bathroom, you'll have to make some compromises, but if you're starting from scratch, consider space a luxury item and indulge yourself.

 6. Lack of Storage

Remember back when the airlines served petite and adorable little meals that were still, somehow, really dissatisfying? Living with a bathroom that has limited storage can be like that. It may look good and appear charming to visitors, but having to schlep your hairdryer back and forth from the bedroom every day gets annoying.

If you're opting for a delightful pedestal sink at the expense of a built-in cabinet with extra storage potential, don't say we didn't warn you. For a guest bath, fine, let your relatives balance their toiletries on the sink rim. If this is your everyday bath -- the one that sees all the real action -- add cabinets, put in shelves, make good use of the walls (for towel racks) and don’t forget to add solid doors complete with sturdy hanging hooks. You can never have too much storage.

5. Thinking Short Term

Anticipating your future needs and keeping your bathroom's appeal universal can save you money in the long run and pay dividends when you go to sell your home. Not everyone will appreciate that antique claw-footed tub or imported marble vessel sink, but a double vanity could go a long way toward making your bathroom more functional and family friendly.

When you traded in your sporty two-door for the family van or crossover vehicle, you adapted your driving habits to suit your changing lifestyle. (We can stop here to mourn with you for a moment or two). Trading in a vehicle is a lot easier than overhauling your bathroom every few years. Do yourself a favor and incorporate quality workmanship and classic styling into your bathroom design.

 4. Going Too Trendy

An illuminated faucet and waterfall showerhead may seem like the latest thing in personal indulgence, but what's very in today will probably be very out within five years, maybe less. This goes for fixtures, materials and especially for your design palette (the color scheme you use). Embrace this expert advice: Stick with neutral colors, classic styles and quality, natural materials. If you want to go a little wild, do it with accessory items -- anything you can remove without a wrench, screwdriver or sledgehammer.

3. Choosing the Wrong Materials

Your average bathroom is an environmental nightmare. It can get hot, steamy and cold, all in the course of a few hours. That's hard on materials like wood, textiles, paper and even porous stone. Choose products that are designed specifically for the bath. It's the safest way to ensure that your wallpaper can take the humidity and your hardwood cabinets will retain their smooth gleam until after you've paid off the remodeling loan.

2. Inadequate Lighting

That blemish on your face is actually a toast crumb. The reason you're confused is that the lighting in your bathroom is so terrible you can't tell the difference between a chocolate dribble and a freckle. If you think muted lighting will make your yellowing teeth or receding hairline less noticeable (to you anyway), get a grip on yourself.

Poor lighting conditions in a bathroom can be dangerous. Don't take an unexpected tumble because you prefer candlelight to the harsh light of a fluorescent fixture. Install bathroom-rated lights over your sink and near your tub or shower. It will save your guests the inconvenience of having to carry a flashlight around with them.

1. Improper Ventilation

The ceiling fan you usually forget to turn on is an important piece of bathroom equipment. Good air flow has a number of advantages -- one of which could save you from relying on a stash of air freshening matches. The air in your bathroom doesn't only get stinky; it gets very humid, too. Humidity trapped in a small space like a bathroom will eventually begin to rust metal, like the hinges on your doors and cabinets, unless you have a consistent method for venting excess moisture. It can also cause mold and mildew problems.

There are lots of ventilation options available, from multiple units at stations around the room to the central overhead fixture arrangement you're probably familiar with. Provide your retailer, contractor or building inspector with the dimensions of your bathroom for guidance on sizing. If the location allows, you should also consider adding a window. Windows offer good ventilation as well natural light. They can make a small bathroom look larger, too.

DID YOU KNOW?

Building codes are designed to keep you safe. Before you embark on a bathroom upgrade, familiarize yourself with the codes for your area. They'll help you plan a safe installation and one that won't send up any red flags when you sell your home.

For a faucet fixture that will stand the test of time, look for models with a PVD finish (physical vapor deposition). According to a study conducted by Consumer Reports, most finishes applied using this chemical bonding method have increased resistance to wear and scratches.

When you're evaluating the storage potential of your bathroom, don't forget about the corners. Corner shelves can be the perfect spot for small items you use often, and they won't take up a lot of space.

THE HISTORY OF THE TOILET: SANITATION'S UPS AND DOWNS

Would you have guessed that the flushing water-closet is already several thousand years old? Even though it may not yet have been conclusively established whether it was 4,000 or 5,000 years ago that the Indians, the Chinese or the Sumerians used the first flush toilet, one thing is completely certain, and that is that the Greeks possessed toilets and sewage systems as early as 2500 B.C. Around a thousand years later, the Romans built the Cloaca Maxima, Ancient Rome's huge drainage system. In addition, the Romans had latrines, the use of which was reserved solely for the rich, who met in these informal setting to discuss and do both their big and small business.

The fall of the Roman Empire also marked the end of this early sanitation culture. As flush toilets and sewage systems didn't exist in medieval Central Europe, it stank to high heaven. Calls of nature were answered al fresco, or the faeces were simply poured into the gutters.

This situation didn't change until the end of the 16th century, when the English poet Sir John Harington invented the first "modern" water closet – an undertaking assigned to him by his famous aunt, Queen Elizabeth I. Harington's fellow countrymen ridiculed the invention as a sick joke, and although Harington drew up a precise construction manual, the first water closet of our modern age fell into oblivion.

S-trap.

Then, around 200 years later in 1775, the Scottish inventor Alexander Cummings invented a water closet which presented the S-shaped trap still used to this day, and was awarded the patent for it.

From then on, there was no stopping the triumphant advance of the "Water Closet".

In the second half of the 19th century scientists, such as Louis Pasteur, began to recognise the relationship between disease and hygiene – as a result, the demands for more hygiene became increasingly louder. At a very early stage, ceramics specialist Villeroy & Boch saw the market potential of the sanitary-ware sector with its bathtubs, sinks, toilets and tiles. By 1870 Villeroy & Boch was already equipping public swimming baths, private bathrooms and hospitals with easy-care tiles. As early as the mid 1870s, the company was offering a small range of urinals and toilets. Developments made in the area of production methods and materials soon facilitated industrial production. Thanks to fireclay, Villeroy & Boch was able to produce sanitary ware and so-called "washing ware" in such large quantities, that these items became affordable for broad strata of society by 1899. Bathing culture and hygiene were thus democratised.

Despite this fact, however, around 1950, the majority of homes in Germany didn't have an own toilet, at best a washing room.

This situation remained unchanged until the 1960s, when bathrooms were equipped as functional wet cells for personal hygiene and concentrated primarily on practicality and space-saving measures.

In the 1970s people began discovering the bathroom as a place to regenerate. In 1975 Luigi Colani created an absolutely revolutionary bathroom concept for Villeroy & Boch. This was the first time a designer had actually focused on bathroom products and the toilet. Taking into account ergonomic standards, Colani's designs displayed soft shapes that were created to accommodate the body perfectly.

Today, a wide selection of toilets can be found in a great variety of shapes and colours and offering additional comfort. They can be floor-standing or wall-mounted; a combination of toilet and cistern, or with pre-wall installation systems; washout toilets with ceramic ledges, or washdown toilets with direct access into the trap water. And there's even more: in recent years a whole series of innovations have been developed particularly in the area of WC comfort. In view of the increasing scarcity of water resources, Villeroy & Boch now offers modern, environment-friendly flushing systems, such as Omnia GreenGain or AQUAREDUCT, which function with as little as 3.5 litres to 4.5 litres of water per flush. Extremely convincing qualities are also displayed by the ceramic surface finish, CeramicPlus. Its easy-care properties help reduce the amount of water and cleaning agents needed. ThePurAir WC opens up a totally new dimension in WC comfort. Thanks to its integrated technology, it is able to actively combat and banish bothersome odours.

Adapting Your Bathroom for an Elderly Relative

When doing up the house with an elderly relative in mind there are several issues to consider, especially in the bathroom.

Planning Ahead

Whenever you are thinking of renovating a house, or building an extension, the golden rule is always to plan ahead. A parent in their 60s or 70s might still be fit and healthy, and have no problems getting in and out of the bath. But if that parent lives another 20 years, their mobility might not be as good as it once was. Retrofitting some bathroom fixtures might be a simple job, but ripping out a bath and installing a wetroom/walk-in shower with a level floor throughout is much more disruptive and expensive.

Think to the future, look around to see what sorts of bathrooms are recommended for the elderly or those with mobility problems and plan accordingly. Think also about wheelchair access; even if there is nobody using a wheelchair in the house at present, there is no guarantee it will always remain that way.

Shower or Bath?

Many elderly people who have grown up in a world without showers have a strong preference for having a bath. The main issue with baths as people get older is getting in and out of the bath safely without falling. There are special “walk-in” baths on the market which do not require any climbing in and out of the tub, or you can get swivel seats to safely lower someone into the bath and out again. Some of these modifications can be expensive though, so always shop around to see what is available.

Showers are often more practical than a bath and you can also think about building in a seat for people who struggle to stay on their feet for long periods of time. The other main thing to consider is the door entrance into the shower cubicle as there is often a rail along the floor which can be a trip hazard.

Wetrooms/Walk-in Shower

Wetrooms/Walk-in shower are often the ideal solution for creating a room which will be suitable for not only the elderly member of the family, but for everyone else as well. A wetroom/walk-in shower differs from a normal bathroom in that it is waterproofed throughout, meaning there is no shower tray raised up from the floor. Having a room designed in this way can make a smaller room feel bigger, and can provide more space for the elderly person to get a wheelchair in, or for a carer to help with personal care and bathing.

Wetrooms/Walk-in shower are modern and sleek, and for the elderly who objects to special adaptations having to be made for them, they can be the perfect compromise.

Rails and Bars

 

Trips and slips are the main cause of injury in the bathroom for all members of the family, not just the elderly and those living with a disability. Some strategically placed grab rails and support bars can help minimise the probability of slipping, and these bars are cheap to buy and simple to install. C

Flooring and Tiles

The choice of flooring is largely a matter of personal preference, but again non-slip or textured flooring is always better than shiny or glossy tiles. Think about rubber flooring or textured vinyl rather than tiles, and avoid the use of mats or rugs on the bathroom floor completely.

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How is Condensation Formed?

Condensation is the bane of every bathroom from here to Planet Flob-A-Dob (although the residents of that particular planet like to eat condensation as a light snack). Unfortunately, Earth doesn't come with its own quartet of Flob-A-Dobians so we have to make do with handling condensation on our own.

Bathrooms are often humid places and the moisture caused by something simple as taking a shower is released into the air. As the moisture mixes with the air - as water vapour - it will eventually make contact with a cold surface, forming as droplets on things like mirrors or windows. Thich is unsurprisingly known as condensation, or food to Flob-A-Dobians. The hotter the water vapour is the more the air can hold and the more that can be deposited on cold surfaces. That's why condensation becomes a bigger problem whenever you take a hot shower and there's lots of steam rising from the water.

Apart from it annoyingly misting up mirrors and windows, it can also cause problems with mould in your bathroom by quickly ruining wallpaper and other surfaces. The last thing you want to do is redecorate your bathroom only a few months after initially doing it.

Thankfully there are a few simple steps you can take to dramatically reduce the levels of condensation in your bathroom. Sadly you’ll never be able to completely eliminate your condensation (unless you never use your bathroom!), but at least your bathroom will be less likely to develop problems resulting from too much condensation if you follow these steps.

Ventilation is Key

BLACK AND WHITE 2015 BATHROOM DESIGN 

Obviously the first thing you should do is open a window, especially when you're running a bath or having a shower. One thing I immediately notice whenever I forget to open the window whilst taking a shower is a large amount of condensation on everything. It’s simply not worth the hassle of getting condensation when all you have to do is simply open the window, even if it might feel cold for a short while (the hot water and steam from the shower will warm the room up anyway, but at least the condensation will have somewhere to escape to).

You should also consider getting double glazed windows if you only have single glazed, as single glazed windows tend to be colder and are therefore more likely to attract condensation.

While you might think that opening the bathroom door might help, don't. This will only spread the water vapour to other rooms in your home and cause a problem with condensation in those places.

Ensure You Wipe Surfaces Dry

You should take some time to wipe surfaces dry with a towel after using the bathroom, particularly glass such as the windows. While it might seem like a pain to have to do this every time, it doesn't take long and will save you a lot of grief in the long run. You don't have to get obsessive and make sure your bathroom is completely bone dry, just do enough that it doesn't look absolutely soaked every time you use the shower or bath.

If any black spots appear around your bathroom from too much condensation then you can get rid of them through a combination of bleach and water, otherwise your bathroom will become a breeding ground for mould.

If mould is becoming a problem then take a look at this guide for getting rid of bathroom mould to help tackle it.

Extractor Fans are Extremely Important

It is absolutely essential that bathrooms without windows have an extractor fan, this cannot be stressed enough. Without an extractor fan, the condensation will never have anywhere to escape and you'd soon have a serious problem on your hands. An extractor fan will transport the moist air into your bathroom elsewhere, either outside or to a loft area.

Make sure you clean your extractor fan periodically or dust and dirt will build up and make the fan far less efficient. Also make sure the fan comes on with the bathroom light, that way you can’t forget to turn it on. If that isn't possible then at least keep the on button attached to a long string so it's hard to miss, especially if it's right next to the shower.

Take a Look at Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers take moisture from the air and collect it as water, so if you have one of these running whilst you use the bathroom you'll get a big drop in condensation. Unfortunately, dehumidifiers tend to be on the pricey side so only use them as a last resort.

Renting one for a few days would be your best option, and it will allow you to work out what's really causing the problem.

For some tips on how to choose a dehumidifier to tackle damp, take a look at this info-packed article.

Examine the House Structure

Check to see if there is a damp proof course in your home. This is a horizontal barrier placed in the wall that has the job of resisting moisture that can be rising from below. You should also check that any air bricks aren't covered or filled with miscellaneous rubble, the same goes for internal cavities.

PLUMBER AND TILER AT WORK

Warm Up the Walls

Cold wall surfaces are more likely to attract condensation, such as ceramic tiles and various painted surfaces. Unfortunately there’s not much you can do about cold walls if this is these are the materials you have chosen for your bathroom, although there are special paints available that slow the growth of mould. Keeping the bathroom warm is about the only thing you can do to warm the surfaces up, so something like underfloor heating will help in this area.

Demistable Mirrors are Worth Considering

Mirrors can quickly steam up and become covered with condensation when you use a hot shower or run a hot bath. It's important to wipe these surfaces dry whenever you see this happen, much like wiping your windows, but there are mirrors that do this job for you.

Demistable mirrors are fitted with heating pads that keep the surface of the mirror warm, therefore giving no chance for condensation to form as it requires a cold surface. They obviously cost more than your average mirror but if you're serious about getting rid of condensation then this is another great way to help combat it.

You don't have to buy special demistable mirrors though, as you can buy heating pads separately to upgrade existing bathroom mirrors.

You should never have to wipe that mirror clear with your towel ever again!