Derby Arms, Yorkshire - most excellent loos

This rather fine bathroom was waiting for me at a recent trip to a good countryside pub - the Derby Arms in Yorkshire, UK. Now I'm not usually one for the fancy above-board sink bowls, thinking of it as something of a fashion fad, but here they worked really well. The round shape was lovely - like an eyeball, revealing the warm wood below with taps which extended beautifully into the very centre of the bowl with an elegant tactile leaver. A win all round.

Even the urinals were elegant and properly laid out, just enough space (nobody likes an overcrowded urinal block) and a proper separator / privacy screen. The floor, in rough poured concrete, countered the elegant curves very well.

An elegant sink - ceramic in marble cutout

I liked this sink, it had a very nice feel with the ceramic bowl apparently exposed by the cavity within the sheet black marble surface. There is a bit of theatre about it, but it works. The tap extended far enough into the bowl to be useful for washing your hands although I didn't appreciate the off centre IR controller. No plug either, but acceptable in a public washroom.

Toilets on Holiday

Is it wrong that one of the things I was most looking forward to about going on holiday is exploring lots of new toilets. There is nothing like the toilets at an airport to really make one feel like the holiday has begun. Here are a couple so far from Korea.

22:44 Great Northern from Kings Cross

Train loos are some of the worst in humanity. British ones at least. I personally blame privatisation, but it could also be their poor design and the lack of care given by train operators. Here is tonight's monstrosity along with their sink taps which I never find intuitive. How visually impaired used find them I dread to think (how do they even find the braille notice in the first place?).

2/3's Universal Joint Plug

I really like these plughole plugs. They have a very pleasing form and function - an elegant solution to the problem of how to plug a hole. Unlike with standard plugs it can't get lost or broken. They have two degrees of freedom making them fun to play with. The only downside is that they can not be operated from outside the water. So if someone fills a sink to use then leaves it filled, the next person can only drain the sink my sticking their hand through the now dirty water to open the drain. But otherwise, brilliant.

A nice sink plughole design

Nice sink design

This was a rather nice sink I saw a while back, like some strange astrophysical phenomenon.

Has automation has made us all idiots?

Inadequate Toilet Space

It's nice to have a sink within reach of the toilet for reasons that you either realise intuitively or else I won't be explaining. But when the sink is in your chest as you sit on the loo, no, that is too close.