An Important Room in the House
Hen people think about home, their thoughts tend to mainly revolve around the time they spend with the family, the meals they share, or the time they have to go to bed and momentarily leave all their day’s worries behind. But such times and activities sha
WAlso, when visiting a friend’s residence for the first time and ask for a tour, the living room sparks a conversation about the exposed brick or any photos, instruments, or unique items on display, the stove and dishwasher are the talked-about amenities in the kitchen, the bed is the centerpiece of the bedroom, and the bathroom simply gets an “It’s over there” finger pointing in that direction. The only way a bathroom is getting shown off is if it was just remodeled. Otherwise, a bathroom is just a place to go to, but not to be talked about.
The bathroom is often an ignored, unimportant place in the house. But when looking for a new apartment, one is not likely to fall in love with a unit where one can’t sit down on the toilet without his knees hitting the wall. The bathroom, after all, is very important.
Justin DeMarco, in an article at https://thoughtcatalog.com, gives reasons why the bathroom may even be the most important room in the house:
1. It’s where one starts and finishes each day. He wakes up, use the toilet, wash his hands, takes a shower, brushes his teeth, styles his hair, and then is out the door. Before going to bed, she relieves herself, washes her hands, brushes her teeth, removes her makeup or washes her face, applies any creams or moisturizers, and is then ready for bed. The average person will spend about one and a half years of his or her lifetime in the bathroom.
2. It’s the ultimate judgment zone. Anyone entering one’s home is probably going to use the bathroom at some point. If there are ugly stains on the toilet seat, random stray hairs everywhere, toothpaste in the sink, brown marks surrounding the bowl, and no soap in the dispenser, friends, family, and any guests visiting one’s home will think he’s gross. And they’ll be right.
3. It’s also a judgment free zone. One doesn’t have to worry about what she’s wearing, how she looks, and can take as much time reading the paper or doing anything else that she wants in the bathroom as long as there’s no one else waiting to use it after her.
4. It sets the tone for the rest of the home. Does she have candles, artwork, and matching towels on display or only old newspapers out and a few rolls of toilet paper sitting on the counter? This isn’t the place to take any décor shortcuts.
5. It’s where inspiration often strikes. One usually
gets his best ideas in the shower. Exactly.
6. It offers solitude and serves as a great hiding spot. If one wants to take a break from anyone or anything, the bathroom is the place to go. Most people won’t bother someone using the bathroom. One is safe inside as long as the door is locked.
7. It’s a good place to decompress. If one has had a bad day or just wants to disconnect from the world for a little while, there may be no better way than taking a long
bath or hot shower.
8. One may try not being able to use
it… One may not fully realize the importance of the bathroom until he really needs to use it and someone else is already in there or there’s a temporary plumbing issue.
Those reasons DeMarco gives make sense. The bathroom is the one room in the house where the house residents and their guests are able to finally switch off from all that is going on around and simply be alone with their thoughts, and reflect on the day – one person at a time, of course. Time in the bathroom is quite an experience indeed… it allows one to be oneself. Therefore, the bathroom is one place in the house that deserves some thought in designing and maintaining.