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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!
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The Chairs Waiting For You In The Laser Eye Clinic's Reception
"I'm Sure You're All Wondering Why I've Gathered You Here Today"
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."
No Words Needed Here
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."
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."
This Fountain That Looks Like A Perfect Place To Sit Down
I wonder how many people realised that when it was to late...
Gas Station In Nebraska. The Station's Color Scheme Was Red. They Tried To Get Artsy
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."
Flat Carpet In A Hotel In Cologne, Germany Imitating A Curvy Surface
Fake Hope Escalator
The Design Of My School - This Is The Place Where Every Hallway Intersects
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.
The Single Worst Clock I Have Ever Seen. I Actually Said Aloud "Whyyy"
They Built This School Like One Month Ago
Ballroom Where Everyone Downstairs Can See Up Your Skirt
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."
I Love Eating At Restaurant Logo Here
This Fancy Staircase Leads Directly Into A Wall
This Chandelier At A Restaurant I Ate At Bothers Me So Much
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.
Designed For Dissuading The Homeless. Literally Just Uncomfortable For Everyone Else
This Painting Inside A Local “Fancy” Restaurant
$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
That's really odd. I've never seen regular toothbrushes locked up behind glass. Maybe there are some town hooligans going around stealing toothbrushes...
Some People Just Want To Watch The World Burn
This Restaurant In London (Waiters Love It)
Toilet Door With Another Door In It That Won't Stay Closed
You Gotta Pay Attention On These Stairs In A Cinema
My Bed At A Hotel I'm Staying In
So, you wake up, bonk your head at this, and then the flower pot falls on you
Public Restrooms With Reflective Surfaces
This Is Russia
This Is The Logo For A "New York Style" Pizza Place In Ponce, Puerto Rico
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
These Restroom Stalls Have Translucent Doors
This New Wall Art In My Office
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
And it is designed that way so you don't see the filth that is definitely still there.
The Lobby Of This Medical Office Has An Alligator In The Floor
Not Exactly The Color Pattern You Like To See In A Bathroom
"Not the pattern you want to see in the bathroom"? OK, I'll bite: Where on earth would you want to see this pattern?
Love To Shutterstock See This Kind Of Stuff
They didn't just print the stock photo without noticing, someone hand painted this with the stock photo as reference 💀💀💀
The Paint In This Public Restroom
Sometimes People Use The Left Part
The Decorations On This Hotel Restaurant
This Poster In My School Cafeteria Is So Badly Designed They Put Arrows So You Can Read It Correctly
I'm Sure This Mirror Sounded Cool In Theory
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
So you can stare into the soul of strangers mid wipe
Load More Replies...Ugh. That moment when you are walking by and you accidentally make eyecontact 😳
Why are you not just looking straight ahead until you get to your stall?
Load More Replies...Thats how all public restrooms are here in America. Its dumb...might as well just have the frosted panel or the partial door/mirror like in the other post
It's not just the US. I'm in Canada and it's here, too.
Load More Replies...I imagine a sign on the outside of the door that reads: "Please do not stick your fingers or look into the crack or hole." In marker under sign: "of another person."
It is an American problem... not the gap, but the fear of it. For centuries, public restrooms have been open spaces, some with no doors at all, some with no dividers at all. There were gang showers, pissoirs, and public baths. No one ever worried about it. Now the entire world is having to retrofit public spaces for Americans, because they are so worried someone might see a body part. It is the same with a mother trying to nurse her baby. She gets ridiculed in public. These are natural processes. As a naturist, I have never understood this fear of being seen. Just live and let live!
Yeah I don't think it's just Americans who dislike the idea of being watched or seeing some else take a dump. Ya ever had a small child crawl under the stall door while you're mid pee? It's quite awkward. And while women want the ability to breast feed in public without being ridiculed, we don't want people intentionally watching us.
Load More Replies...I have, more than once, had somebody look through those gaps. Thats gross Deborah, we aren't playing peek-a-boo. Just let me use the loo in peace. (Look how it rhymes!!) :o
Hey. Epiphany!! Is it possible it is so the multiple smells made in said rooms can disperse faster and not be locked in the stall?
Be happy, at least you found one that locks. Nine out of ten would not.
In some countries they don't even have dividers. Just two or three toilets right next to each other out in the open.
The Romans had communal latrines with no separations or dividers, just 2 long benches with holes facing each other. So you could have nice conversations while pooping. Then wipe yourself with a sponge on a stick.
Load More Replies...I went on holiday to New York and every toilet cubicle was like this. I would take my coat off to shield myself as people were literally making eye contact with me as I was on the toilet! No point even bothering with doors, with gaps so huge!
What I've always found curious about them is the use of anti-theft screws and bolts to secure them to the walls. Is this really a problem in public restrooms?
I asked once.. couple different answers... to make the walls and door go to the floor or even past a certain measurement the place would have to pay extra in insurance and lable each stall as a separate room ... costs more ... also because people were committing suicide and murder In bathroom stalls and kids were getting locked in as well as people simply having medical issues and nobody being abl5 to reach them so they leave a certain space under the door so people can slip out if trapped and medical can get to them without having to break the door down... I appreciate the places that eat the cost of creating stalls with full length walls and only half a foot of space under the doors or even better the unicorns that have full closed stalls with your own sink lol
I don't understand why people have such a problem with this. A tight fitting door doesn't give you privacy, it gives you a perception of privacy. A public restroom is not a private place. Are you seriously that worried about someone peeking through the door while you are sitting on the throne ?. . . I can't imagine caring in the slightest about that. if it prevents people from having sex or doing drugs I think it's a win for society and really no inconvenience to an individual. Be happy you live in a place that has the resources to provide, and cares enough to provide, for basic sanitation. Get over your weird sense of perception of privacy while you're in public and get on with your day for goodness sake!
There are manufacturers that got fed up with this and saw where they could make money. They created and now sell long metal strips that cover the space that idiots couldn't be made to cover in the first place.
I've heard the design is so people who overdose in stalls can be found more quickly to be saved. I always wondered what happens then, the EMTs crawl under to get them out? Then I went to a dive bar that had that issue solved, they just took the stall doors off and figured drunk chicks are friendly enough to be fine peeing in front of strangers. They were right about that, lol
At least it has a door. My highschool has no doors on any stall. I always tried to s**t in the middle of class at an out of the way toilet. Was mortified to think someone could walk in and casually watch me wipe my a*s. Freaked me out. Then I got a cat and now can't s**t unless I'm being watched.
I think it's supposed to be a safety thing but like, you still gotta look to see if someone is passed out in there lol
I worked for a company that sold/installed restroom partitions. When some manufacturers started offering "European" style stalls (gapless) we thought they were hysterical and we'd laugh about the paranoid/prudish Europeans scared a stranger might catch a glimpse of naked hip. We never sold all that many, they were expensive!
Maybe the makers of the door were bribed by voyeur video makers.
Actually it is for when kids lock them and crawl out from the bottom, maintenance can just reach in with a tool and unlock them
Poor job hanging the panels. They try to use wall anchors to hold it up but the panels are to heavy and pull out of the wall
I've pulled out a long sheet of toilet paper and draped it over the cracks. Yea it's kinda wasteful but oh well. Also I'd say 60% of the time the lock latch doesn't work and the door won't stay closed, so I've crumpled up a bunch of tp and wedged it between the door and "wall" to keep it wedged closed. I also never hang my purse or anything on the hook on the door because when I was a baby my mom was using a public restroom and someone reached their hand over the door and snatched her purse. By the time she pulled up her pants and came after them they were gone. Fun times
Hey boss,, if we space these out just a little more we won't have to install the 6th stall...
Reading this I see a lot of perverted building of bathrooms an building in general. A see thru floor??? Why do that ?? Weirdos
Cheap and cheap to install. They don't even make them to fit perfectly. But does it really matter?Everyone that's in there are doing the same S**T,, literally. They were like this since they were created, nothing to do with drugs or sex, just the cheapest toilet space to make other than a hole in the ground.
It's cheaper to order non-custom. Parts A and B fit a width x->y inches. Is your space y->z inches? Order parts A and C. ...It's not about drugs or sex. It's about cheap solves. Americans are just used to the gap. Uncomfortable, but accepted as normal. Therefore many business/public places can go cheap.
Plot twist: The real problem with America, are the one's that don't know.
Oh, that's the problem with America? Let me know when you come back from countries where you defecate into a floor hole with no privacy.
Yeah I'm American and I've never understood why they are like that honestly.
The real problem with America is people poking their fingers in the stall when you are trying to poop.
Looks like the fittings between doors and bodywork on an average American car :)
I'm American and I used the restroom at a Hyatt Hotel and each stall was fully enclosed with an actual wooden door and handle. I thought it was the weirdest thing. Seemed like overkill for a restroom.
Actually the whole design is if you're uncomfortable you will do your thing and get out.
How many stalls have long strips of toilet paper covering the gap? I know of at least 5 restrooms where patrons have had to engineer a toilet paper solution for this.
I don't know. It's probably because we don't use the metric system. 🤔😏
This is ridiculous, it should be a proper door, no gaps, time taken is excess or not.
guys by this i mean i’ve seen bigger cracks and they’re so annoying
Load More Replies...New Toilets At Work, Wonderful View On Our Interior Courtyard
These Trash Cans At My School
Given their outdated school logo, I would say awareness of racism isn't their forté.
A Poster At My Mom's Audiology Office
I Had To Stop While Ordering Food At A Local Restaurant Because I Saw This Poster
50me mials lldo ionat ned. Ah yes. Just summoning a demon. Don't mind me.
Went In To A Bathroom In Airport And Was Surprised With This. Almost Turned Towards Exit Before Realization
Note: this post originally had 129 images. It’s been shortened to the top 49 images based on user votes.
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?
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...This was so funny 😂😂😂😂I couldn't hold my laugh at all. I just keep questioning WHY?! JUST WHY?!
None of these people went to design school, they're just horrible people.
Load More Replies...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."
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 :)
I found the one with the hearing aid batteries hilarious. I love you can supposedly "hear" the Grand Canyon, Italy and Prague! Lmao?
I will never understand the “fashion, never function” aesthetic.
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
Both my parents are engineers... Should I show them this or not?
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*
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...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...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.
P.s.s, just trying to teach older generations proper etiquette.
Load More Replies...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?
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...This was so funny 😂😂😂😂I couldn't hold my laugh at all. I just keep questioning WHY?! JUST WHY?!
None of these people went to design school, they're just horrible people.
Load More Replies...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."
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 :)
I found the one with the hearing aid batteries hilarious. I love you can supposedly "hear" the Grand Canyon, Italy and Prague! Lmao?
I will never understand the “fashion, never function” aesthetic.
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
Both my parents are engineers... Should I show them this or not?
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*
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...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...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.
P.s.s, just trying to teach older generations proper etiquette.
Load More Replies...