Bathrooms & Bathtubs. Sarah Ho

Bathrooms & Bathtubs THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF THE BATHTUB

1 STRASSER woodenworks,. (2018). Retrieved from http://strasserwood.com/inspiration/ways-to-warm-up-your-bathroom-in-the-winter

Cleary Bathroom Design,. (2018). Retrieved from https://clearybathroomdesign.ie/cleary-bathroom-design-dublin-and-kildare-specialising-in-wetroombathroom/minosa-designs-clovelly-bathroom-photographer-not-listed-1170x751 2

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ISSUE

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Contents 6 Introducing: THE PROBLEM WITH BATHTUBS 8 The PAST and the PRESENT 20 TENSION in the BATHTUB 28 Resolving the Tension 32 In RETROSPECT

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Vibrant 80s bathroom vanity. (1980, May). Australian House & Garden, 26

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Introducing: THE PROBLEM WITH BATHTUBS HOW THE BATHTUB AFFECTS THE BATHROOM

Although the traditional bathroom was focused on purely hygiene and cleanliness, in recent years, a new bathroom regime with a stronger emphasis on relaxation and self care has emerged. Due to growing popularity of the pampering aspect of the bathroom, there has been a rise in bathroom practices and appliances related to relaxation and self care, especially bathtubs. Despite this, bathtubs and spa baths seem to not be used frequently, and tend to become wasted space if it is not used on a regular basis. This usually leads to bathtubs becoming unsightly storage areas for miscellaneous items, and further discouraging users from using the bathtub once it has become a storage space.

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Common bathroom layout of the 1970s bathroom boom. (1978, May).

Belle, Home Living Today, 26

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THE

PA

A

PRES 8

AST

AND THE

SENT 9

Common bathroom layout prior to the 1970s bathroom boom. (1978, May). Belle, Home Living Today, 26

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OLD REGIME: The Hygiene Bathroom The traditional bathroom was primarily focused on hygiene, so people did not spend much time in the bathroom, resulting in only the bare neccessities and appliances being included in the bathroom. Such appliances include the basin, toilet and shower.

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People kept time spent in the bathroom to a minimum, therefore, space was very limited in traditional bathrooms.

Bathrooms often had all-white tiling for practical cleaning and so that the space had a generally clean appearance (Quitzau & Røpke, 2009).

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Granite 80s bathroom vanity. (1980, May). Australian House & Garden, 59

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THE TRANSITION

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Only in the late 1970s and 1980s did self care and relaxation begin to be introduced, after the Vietnam War and civil rights movements ended in the 1960s (Quitzau & Røpke, 2008). Bathtubs and more spacious and naturally lit bathrooms emerged with a focus on women first as shown below, before later on in the 1980s when men were also encouraged to participate in self care as seen in the image to the right.

Dorf Industries Advertisement of a pampered lady in a spa bath.

(1978, May). Belle, Home Living Today, 26

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Advertisement for Bathtubs marketing toward men and women, as the man is depicted in the tub. (1984, March). Belle, Home Living Today, 62

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New Regime: The Relaxation Bathroom The new bathroom regime no longer has a primary focus on hygiene, but relaxation, self care, and pampering. Bathrooms continue to become more inviting to encourage people to spend more time inside, and in turn include amenities on top of the necessities.

Modern twist on a traditional bathroom. McDonald, J. (2019, April). All The Right MOVES. Australian House & Garden, 79

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Modern Industrial style bathroom. Santilli, D. (2019, April). Bathrooms.

Australian House & Garden, 155

To make the bathroom a more pleasant environment to spend time in, more colour has been introduced to the room to make it feel more welcoming and less clinical. Bathtubs and spa-baths are more commonplace now that there is an emphasis on pampering, and people expanded or built larger bathrooms to make room for larger showers and bathtubs (Morales, 2007). Other appliances such as television monitors are also being introduced into the bathroom to promote further relaxation. Large mirrors and windows also help further the illusion of a larger bathroom and also help to illuminate actual large bathrooms. Toilets are now either out of sight from the entrance or in a separate half-bathroom to focus on self care.

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Contemporary Modern Bathroom, Choices Flooring (2019, April). Choices Flooring. Australian House & Gard

In the 2016 Census findings for apartment living from the Australian Bureau of Statistics state that “Over the past 25 years, the number of occupied apartments (including flats and units, excluding townhouses) in Australia has increased by 78% to 1,214,372 dwellings at the 2016 Census� (ABS, 2016). The increasing number of people in apartment or small space living has increased in recent years due to economic growth and a change in who lives in a typical household: no longer just a heterosexual couple with a few kids, but singles, sharehouses, LGBTQ+, and other unconventional household situations. This means more households have limited space, so many bathrooms are designed to at least feel more spacious by using high ceilings and combining shower and bath tub areas.

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g. Lovestock, E. den, 132

Modern Industrial style bathroom. Bernstone, R. (2019, April). Lofty Ambitions. Australian House & Garden, 98

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TENSION

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IN TH

HE

BATHTUB

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The Bathtub: A Luxurious Problem Bathrooms

continue

to

evolve

to

further

emphasise the crossover between leisure and hygiene, with the integration of the bathtub in the space being perhaps one of the most significant steps in the direction of the relaxation and selfcare bathroom. However, because of this new appliance being introduced into the bathroom, new issues have arose in terms of usage and storage.

Modern Bathroom Vanities. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.modernbathroomvanities.com/pd-ethos-luxury-modern-bathtub-67.cfm

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Wickes,. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.wickes.co.uk/Products/Bathrooms/Baths-and-Accessories/c/1000993

Due to the fact that bathtubs’ primary purpose is for leisure, they are used far less frequently than other appliances in the bathroom. This means that the bathtub often becomes wasted space or a quick storage solution that is often unappealing, taking away from the otherwise relaxing atmosphere that the rest of the bathroom is intended to create.

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In the cultural probe that I participated and conducted, the bathtub in the bathroom that my sister and I share is only ocasionally used. When it is not being used, it collects dust and consumes space that could otherwise be utilised.

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The bathroom of Betina and her husband, with the bathtub on legs she wished for. Photograph by the authors. (Quitzau & Røpke, 2009)

Similarly, there is an example of a bathtub being neglected for its intended use, and is instead used as storage in an article published in the journal Home Cultures (Quitzau & Røpke, 2009).

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Both case studies’ bathtubs are included in the bathroom design to promote relaxation, however, because of infrequent use, it becomes misused. Taking inspiration from the image from Quitzau and Røpke’s publication, a storage system could be designed for the bathtub so that the space can be better utilised even when the tub is not being used for its primary function.

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Resolvoing the Tension

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The bathtub storage solution would be for households who highly value self care and pampering in the bathroom, and should continue with the theme of relaxation as the rest of the bathroom and be visually pleasing. The shelf is secured to the side of the bathtub if it is a standalone tub, or built into the tub, with hinges for movability. It will serve as storage for products and consumables related to relaxation and self care in the bathtub, such as bathwash, candles, bath bombs, and bath oils. When the tub is in use, the shelf can be moved up to hover above the bath as to not get in the way of the person in the tub. When not in use, the shelf can be lowered into the tub and out of sight to maintain a neat look in the bathroom.

Group LEGO workshop: representation of a future home.

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The LEGO representation of the bathroom solution to the bathtub tension: Bathtub storage.

Left, the LEGO visual representation of the proposed storage solution. Right, the same model with products stored on it.

The idea of using underused or neglected spaces in the home will be useful in upcoming years when the rise in apartment and small living continues into the future. Limited space will become the norm with increasing urbanisation, and will begin a new design movement and typology of negltected space utilisation.

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In

RETRO 32

n

SPECT 33

This course has taught me the importance of understanding the past in order to design for the future. Past events and causes for changes in design help predict how future events and trends may influence design, so that appropriate and practical products can be conceptualised.

By observing home and garden magazines in the RMIT Design Archives, it allowed students to see what the ‘ideal home’ was in the past at different points in time. With further research, through critical analysies of academic articles and other online sources, conclusions could be drawn as to what events and causes attributed to the idea of the ‘ideal home’. For instance, the transition of the bathroom from the hygiene regime to the pampering and self care regime occurred roughly around the end of the Vietnam War and civil rights movements, and the beginning of the economic boom (Quitzau & Røpke, 2008).

Group activities allowed insights to other students areas of study and allowed to see crossovers in trends around the home during similar time periods such as the economic boom. The LEGO workshop helped to visually conceptualise the solution to domestic tensions found in the home and is a great way to demonstrate how the design concept would work.

Overall, the things learnt this course will be applicable to future studies and practices to better understand the cause and effect of social, economic, and political factors on design.

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REFERENCE LIST (1978, May). Belle, Home Living Today, 26.

BATHROOMS: A fresh approach. (1984, March). Belle, Home Living Today, 62.

Bernstone, R. (2019, April). Lofty Ambitions. Australian House & Garden, 98 Maj-Britt Quitzau & Inge Røpke (2009) Bathroom Transformation: FromHygiene to Well-Being?, Home Cultures, 6:3, 219-242, DOI: 10.2752/174063109X124627453213 45 Morales, E. (2007). The meaning of the contemporary bathroom.

Quitzau, M. B., & Røpke, I. (2008). The construction of normal expectations: Consumption Quitzau, M. B. (2005). Bathroom practices today.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2016. Apartment Living. Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016. (2019). ABS: Australia Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/ by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Apartment%20Living~20

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Cleary Bathroom Design,. (2018). Retrieved from https://clearybathroomdesign.ie/cleary-bathroom-design-dublin-and-kildare-specialising-in-wetroombathroom/minosa-designs-clovelly-bathroom-photographer-not-listed-1170x751 38

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