Hasta La Ideas

As an industrial designer traveling to a foreign land, you’re less likely to be interested in the big differences, like what side of the road they drive on, and more likely to be fascinated by the little things; you’ll unconsciously blurt things like “Hey, check out this light switch!” “Did you see those hinges?” and “Weird–there’s no parting line on this handle!” et. al., much to the annoyance of your non-ID traveling companions.

Which explains why I’m taking pictures of the bathroom in my suite at the Nordic Light Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden.

First thing I notice is the dual-flush toilet buttons, common in Japan Scandinavia and other places but unheard of in the sadly water-guzzling U.S.:

Second thing is the sink trap–rather than that gooseneck-looking pipe, it’s sleek and cylindrical (and standard throughout Sweden, far as I can tell):

Third thing I notice, the basin-style bathtub’s got this smooth, sculptural lip rising out of the back, so you can rest your head without using a rolled-up towel:

(By the by, I tested it out and it’s surprisingly comfortable.)

Last thing I noticed is that everything in the bathroom is elevated up off of the ground. The wastebasket, tampon basket, toilet brush and the toilet itself all have a few inches of clearance off the floor tiles, which makes it very easy to mop up and keep clean.

As someone who hates having to maneuver and scrub around the toilet in my own bathroom at home, I love this! I practically wanted to clean this bathroom myself just to try it.

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