50 Bathroom Designs That Are So Hilariously Bad It Hurts To Look (New Pics)

Bathrooms—they’re an unignorable part of your life. Everybody uses them every single day. However, unless something goes very wrong, you tend to take them for granted. After all, we rarely notice design decisions when they’re done well. When they’re not, it can lead to a lot of laughter through tears.

To that end, we at We wanted to showcase some of the most epic bathroom design fails ever. It’s the kind of narrow-minded planning that you wouldn’t wish on even your worst enemies… maybe. Scroll down for a taste of bad design, and a reminder to be grateful for when things work as intended.

#1 My Friend’s Apartment Has A 1/2 Bathroom On The Ground Floor. This Is The View From The Street

#2 The Bathroom In Our Airbnb Was Rather Smol

#3 This Mirrored Ceiling In Our Bathroom At Work

The Statista Research Department recently reported on the most common features of high-tech toilets found in renovated master bathrooms in the US in 2023. By far the most common feature was a seat with a bidet feature (27% of respondents updated their toilets with one).

Other popular high-tech features included self-cleaning capabilities (18%), heated seats (16%), built-in night-lights (14%), motion-activated seats (8%), and self-deodorizers and overflow protection (both 8%).

#4 My Friend’s Under-The-Stairs “Bathroom” Where The Toilet Is Diagonal And Partially Installed Into The Carpeted Wall

#5 For A Quick On The Go

#6 You Guys Hate Carpet In The Bathroom? I Can One Up That. My Parents Have A Bathroom With Carpet That Goes Up The Bathtub Walls! Bonus Points For The Terrible Wallpaper

Meanwhile, according to Statista, a survey of 300 architecture firms showed the most popular bathroom features in Q4 of 2023 to be larger walk-in showers (50%), doorless showers (49%), and stall showers without tubs (also 49%).

Furthermore, adaptability and universal designs were noted as a very popular feature (40%), while spa-like designs were slightly lower in demand (31%). Natural lighting was also not a very popular feature (24%), alongside heated floors (27%), private toilet compartments (26%), and linen closets (17%).

#7 These Bathroom Stalls

#8 This Horrible Toilet-Seat

#9 My Grandparent’s Carpeted Bathroom

Contrasting experiences can teach you a lot about the world and what you value. You never really think about how great it is to have access to a proper bathroom until you come across a bad one.

If the restroom is dirty, uncomfortable, or lacks the necessary hygiene supplies, you’re going to have an awful time. On the flip side, clean, cozy, well-stocked bathrooms are a godsend. And we say this without any irony—it’s important to be able to relax when nature calls.

#10 I Mean, Of All The Design Choices, You Chose This

#11 My Uncle’s House Got A Bathroom Without A Door, Literally The First Thing You See When You Enter The House

#12 House Sitting For Uncle. Reached The Final Boss Of The Game “Unfamiliar Shower Controls”

Another major concern is privacy, or rather, the lack of it. Views on this can vary historically and culturally (public toilets with communal sponges-on-sticks in history/how-the-ancient-romans-went-to-the-bathroom-180979056/” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>ancient Rome, anyone?), of course. But in this day and age, most people are used to doing their business in restrooms in complete isolation.

To put it bluntly, although there’s nothing ‘shameful’ about what you’re doing, you still don’t want anyone (accidentally) seeing or hearing you. Rather, it’s the opposite: you probably want to be alone with your thoughts.

#13 The ‘Bathroom’ In My Airbnb Will 100% Result In The Worst Encounters With The Host

#14 Just Watched A Guy Go Into The Wrong Bathroom At Toronto Pearson Airport. He Was Looking At The Top Sign

#15 This Bathroom In My Dads New House. I’m 6’1″. The Room Is So Short They Had To Cut Holes In The Ceiling Over The Toilet And Sink So You Can Stand Up

With all of that in mind, it makes sense to design bathrooms and public restrooms with privacy in mind. It might sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how uncommon it is.

Designers, architects, and engineers should consider which materials they use and how to incorporate them into the entire space.

#16 This Public Restroom Has Facing Toilets

#17 Impossible To Clean

#18 Practical Bathroom

For example, you wouldn’t want your public toilets to have massive gaps beneath the door. Nor should you use transparent materials for the stall doors or walls. And you wouldn’t add curtainless windows in bathrooms without making sure that nobody can look through them from the outside. Again, these are basic considerations.

#19 This Is The Inside Of The Bathroom Door At A Bar In NYC. After Some Cocktails, It Is Impossible To Pick The Right One On The First Try

#20 A Bad Place For A Restaurant To Store The Dishes

#21 Restaurant Bathroom Sink, Made From…wood

When designers, architects, and engineers are focused solely on their work, they can miss details and mistakes that may seem obvious to bystanders. That’s why it’s so important to run your ideas and blueprints by other folks, whether they’re coworkers, focus groups, friends, or strangers on the street.

You can avoid a lot of headaches by setting your ego aside for a moment and asking for some honest feedback.

#22 Just Moved & My New Bathroom Tiles Are Designed To Always Look Dirty

#23 This Hotel Bathroom

#24 My Parents Bathroom Is On A Platform Next To An Angled Ceiling So You Hit Your Head Every Time… And It Has A Telephone

However, in some cases, it’s not due to a lack of foresight that bad designs pop up. Sometimes, it all comes down to finances. No matter what you’re designing, you’re probably going to have a limited budget. You need to work with the resources available to you.

Unfortunately, in some cases that means cutting corners. The result? A suboptimal restroom that might partly serve its main purpose, but leaves people yearning for something better.

#25 The Placement Of This Toilet In My Hotel Is Just Stupid

#26 This Brass Instrument Sink In My Step-Uncle’s Bathroom

#27 Ugliest Bathroom Ever

Which of the photos featured in this list made you cringe the most, dear readers? Which of these toilets would you hate to use more, even if you really had to go? What is the very worst bathroom you’ve ever used?

On the other hand, what’s the very best restroom experience you’ve had, whether in public spaces or in private homes? Drop a comment below. And remember—good design is about more than just aesthetics.

#28 The Shower In My Grandparents New Bathroom Is Very Nice, Except For One Small Problem

#29 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

#30 Bathroom With Glass Walls

#31 Installed New Shower Curtains Boss

#32 This Was The “Sink” In A Restaurant

#33 Bathroom Stall Doors Made Of Glass

#34 The Dividers In This Stall Are Way Too High Up. They Could See My Thighs

#35 I’m About To Explode! Where’s The Men’s Restroom? Hurry

#36 The Ridiculously Tiny Bathroom With Everything You Need (Or Don’t)

#37 This Bathroom Mirror In My Hotel Room

#38 The Worst Bathroom I Have Ever Seen (In A Hotel)

#39 They Replaced Half The Mirrors In My Local Shopping Mall’s Bathroom With Advertising Boards

#40 My Hotel Made The Walls Of The Bathroom Fully Transparent

#41 Disco Toilet In An Airbnb

#42 This Toiletry Trash Can That Opens Into The Other Stall

#43 This Title In The Bathroom At A Restaurant

#44 This Stall Door In A Gas Station Bathroom

#45 Nice Bathroom Door

#46 This Restaurant’s Bathroom Had A Piano In It

#47 Shower Room Has Window To The Kitchen

#48 My Brother And Sister In-Law Came Across This Gem While House Hunting

#49 Angles I Never Knew I Didn’t Want To See

#50 My Friend Went To Look At An Apartment Today And This Was The “Shower”

#51 Blursed Toilet

#52 Gives The Term On The Throne A Whole New Meaning

#53 Seen On Facebook Marketplace. The Sewing Of These Took Some Real Talent

#54 There Are No Words

#55 Better Hope You Don’t Stab Yourself In The Shower Of This Airbnb Rental

#56 This Sink In Our Airbnb

#57 This Bathroom Sink At A Pub In Bruges

#58 I Didn’t Notice This Toilet Window Until It Was Too Late

#59 These Appeared In The Shared Toilets I Have To Use Every Day…

#60 High School Bathrooms Are Already Wild Enough

#61 Ice Fishing In Your Bathroom

#62 My Boyfriend Wanted Me To Post This Here. No We Don’t Leave Our Toilet Paper There LOL

#63 My School Doesn’t Have Stall Doors

#64 “I’ve Finished Installing That Sink Honey!”

#65 When You Can’t Afford A Solid Gold Toilet

#66 Girlfriends View From The Bed Of Our Hotel Room

#67 My Schools Renovated Toilet

#68 I Cringe Every Time I Step Foot In This Shower

#69 From An Airbnb I Stayed At

#70 Cute Yet Also So Wrong

#71 Like Reading A Magic Eye Book

#72 Basement Bathroom In The House I Bought

#73 Stall Door With Knee Cutouts

#74 These Bathroom Stalls Were Designed To Make You Feel Inadequate

#75 Look What I Found In A Bathroom

#76 My Client’s Toilet Art Piece

#77 This Hotel Bathroom “Tile” Wall Is Actually Just Numerous Pictures Of Jeans

#78 A Shower With A High Entrance, Sharp Edges, Garish Colors, And A Hole

#79 Why Pay Money For A Toilet That Fits When You Can Just Mutilate The Door Instead?

#80 The Stall Doors In This High School Bathroom

#81 The Shower At My Gym

#82 “Family” Bathroom

#83 I Was Drunk And Needed 5 Min To Get On It, It Was Like Playing Tetris Irl

#84 The Toilet Was Normal, But Not The Sink

#85 The Bathrooms At Magiano’s In Denver

#86 Honestly I Hate It

#87 Soap, Water, Blow Dry. Let’s Cut The Efficiency Of The Restroom In Half Because Aesthetics

#88 This Bathroom With Too Many Stairs

#89 I Was Told I Should Post This Here

#90 My Parents: We Don’t Need A Paint Roller

#91 A Public Bathroom In Seattle

#92 The Only Unlocked Bathroom At My School

#93 I Came Back To My Apartment To Find That My Roommate 3D Printed A T-Rex Shower Head

#94 To Be Non-Discriminatory

#95 Hidden Toilet At The Doctor’s Office

#96 Just Reading The Paper

#97 When Mother Nature Calls, You Dont Let It Go To Voicemail. Lumpy Ridge, Co. What A Place To Poo! Lumpy Ridge Trailhead … “Please Pack It Out!” The Sign Says

#98 The Toilet In My Hotel

#99 I Stumbled Upon This Beaut Out In The Wild

#100 When You Need To Use The Bathroom, But You’re In The Middle Of Cooking Dinner… No Problem

#101 I Just Noticed Neither The Mirror, Nor The Lighting Fixture, Are Centered With The Sink Faucet In This Hotel Room

#102 Who Doesn’t Love Having Soggy Loo Roll From People Washing Their Hands

#103 The Tiles In My Hotel Bathroom

#104 This Should Be Illegal. Work Bathroom

#105 This Toilet At A Hotel

#106 Purple People Be Weird Some Times

#107 I See Your Giant Toilet Seat With The Largest Toilet Tank I’ve Ever Seen

#108 Men’s And Women’s Bathroom

#109 Please Just Let The Toilet Be

#110 This Tile In A Bathroom At My Work

#111 You Have To Either Lean Over The Toilet Or Wedge Yourself In The Dirtiest Part Of The Bathroom

#112 There’s A Mirror Screwed Into The Ceiling Above The Toilet In My Airbnb (Oc)

#113 Apartment Installed A New Toilet. Doesn’t Flush Correctly And I Can’t Take The Lid Off The Tank To Fix It

#114 The Bathroom I’m Expected To Use Everyday

#115 I Call Her The Louisiana Thrown

#116 My Parents Toilet Is Litteraly A Throne

#117 Please Take Two Friends And Enjoy Our Lovely Three Seater

#118 Burgundy

#119 Sooo, How’s Your Night Going?

#120 My Aunt’s Toilet Seat

#121 Spacious

#122 This Bathroom’s Mirrors Are Sunglasses

#123 My House Has Many Of These Architect Flaws (I Live In Brazil), One Of Them Is The Flaw In The Ceiling Of The Living Room’s Stairs That Makes My Mom’s Bathroom Have Stairs