Brilliant Bathrooms

Bowled Over

by David Snyder

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Published: May 2, 2007

Form meets function in the restroom of this stylish sushi and sake bar. At the sleek, co-ed sink, water pours onto a long, flat piece of absolute granite before being magically channeled away. But what really sets Raw apart is the dramatic, ceiling-to-floor urinal in the men's room. Fortunately, the female samurai adorning the wall wields her blade at a relatively nonthreatening angle.

Installed in 1997, Paradigm's famous see-thru bathroom stalls still have everyone lining up to get a peek. Each door is actually a giant LCD panel that fogs over when locked. Some patrons, however, fail (or decide not) to do so, giving everyone a glimpse of more than just the colorfully tiled interior.

Oceanaire carries its 1930s art-deco ocean liner theme into its restrooms, with hexagonal tile, cherry wood stalls and portal-shaped lights. The ladies' powder room features a parlor and a vanity, while the gents' space boasts old-school amenities like Brylcreem, Barbicide and "the Cadillac of shoe buffers."

Artist Kate Swan translated the tradesman's heritage of the historic National Mechanics Building into organic art. The faucets are the real draw: an intricate, almost rootlike network of exposed copper piping that flows into a deep workman's basin in one room and a custom-made granite sink in the other.

Stephen Starr's minimalist, retro-futuristic restrooms resemble airplane lavatories. Streamlined and functional, the eight unisex rooms are perfect for the washroom connoisseur who wants a mile-high experience without the inconvenience of surrendering liquids to airport security.

 

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