newbie question - your opinion on bathrooms

[Dalesq]

I'm the same. I think my lack of interest in bathrooms has been the extremely limited options, especially in half scale. I too like the more modern ones, and have been working on coming up with some repeatable designs for fixtures, because I think I will have to build it myself to get what I want.

I don't cook, so I have to really work at kitchens, and will happily skip one for a dining room. I think illusion doorways and stairs are just fine too.

[havanaholly]

All of this talk is making me want to build a new dollhouse :-)

Kat...I know for a fact at least one of the mini manufacturers stalks our threads here (and I don't mean Greenleaf) so maybe they'll take note;-)

I love the story about Brooke Tucker and the toilet, that's how I feel about cooking so if given limited space I would prefer a dining room to a place where food is prepared.

I love soaky baths and cooking is another hobby DH & I share; and I like to have room for bathrooms and kitchens in my little houses. That said, if the house doesn't want whatever it doesn't want, I don't put it in.

[jennybee]

I agree rooms you don't want to make are optional. I like to think of them as being on the other part of the house you don't see. That being said I did add one to my Witch's house cause I had a kit and I really like the look of the older style. But really anything goes its all about how you want the house to look and what you want to decorate. If you don't want a kitchen then have a dining room instead or a library. Just do what you want its all apart of the fun. Then if later on you really want a kitchen or a bathroom you can always get another kit.

[Dalesq]

Or remodel!

[CheckMouse]

Somebody posted a picture of a finished dh on Facebook the other day, and asked the question - What was left out of this house - what did I forget to do? Several people left comments, pointing out that it had neither stairways (2 story plus attic) nor a kitchen! The answer? The trim at the end of each wall had not been painted! No one noticed that one!

[Selkie]

As for more modern toilets, I make my own, either out of tiny pill bottle bases or polymer clay; and because I happen to like wooden toilet seats in my 1:1 bathrooms, my mini ones also have them.

I tried making my own toilet and sink and it came out horrible. It looked SO homemade and crude. I doubt I could ever make one that would meet the visions in my head of what I want. I admire those who can do it but it's certainly not my forte. I can build wooden things though!

[havanaholly]

In Patricia King's book subtitled Lots of Little Loos the small pill bottle was one tool and the small end of a plastic 'Easter egg was another. I went all out and built the "dolphin" throne from her book with poly clay, made a bathtub with waves to go with it, put them in the McKinley, and haven't looked back!

[kellyannmo]

I have left both stairs and bathrooms out of houses... most often the bathroom is left out of my Tudor builds... because in my mind the bathrooms would have been either outside or a chamber pot... LOL... I do like bathrooms otherwise... I have left stairs out in order to use valuable space for other things... but I do prefer stairs and bathrooms when it's possible or fits with the era of the house

[Dalesq]

I have left both stairs and bathrooms out of houses... most often the bathroom is left out of my Tudor builds... because in my mind the bathrooms would have been either outside or a chamber pot... LOL... I do like bathrooms otherwise... I have left stairs out in order to use valuable space for other things... but I do prefer stairs and bathrooms when it's possible or fits with the era of the house

Also if it's being decorated in a period, some had washstands or shaving stands in the room, and chamber pots like Kelly said. Bathrooms were also very small rooms, sometimes just a toilet.

[morgansmith]

So most of us can take or leave bathrooms or what we don't want. What about the things we can't live without? The things we find in most if not all of our builds. I LOVE attics and lofts.

[Dalesq]

I always want some sort of sitting room. A living room or parlor, some place that reflects a relaxed atmosphere.

[moonberry]

I have exactly the same dilemma about a toilet! I found this amazing little soup bowl at the Japanese Dollar Store (Daiso), from above, it looks like a teardrop shape. From the side, the point is angled higher than the rounded section. A fabulous modern bath tub lol.

And I found a teeny-weeny little sauce bowl in the matching pale blue ceramic that I'm going to convert into a sink, and a slightly larger sauce bowl that will be the shower basin. But what to do for a toilet?

I managed to grab some of the matching oriental soup spoons in the same colour and am hoping to be able to cut off the handle without damaging the bowl too much. So I'll have a bottom section for the toilet. Just not sure how to proceed with the cistern part and the seat and cover part.

Here in Dubai I've seen some ultra modern toilets - some of them look as if they belong in an art gallery! I wish the mini manufacturers would design something simple and ultra modern (2 styles - rounded and boxy) and sell them separately please. That way, we can get more creative with the bath tubs and sink designs.

[Caseymini]

Karin, I just came back to see what was happening in this thread and started laughing when I read your sentence about not liking to cook..? I have to tell you the rest of the Brooke Tucker story.

The Yellow Rose is the only house that Brooke ever built. Pat has it in the present Mini Time Machine Museum. Brooke also doesn't like to cook. This dollhouse is a two story house that is about thirteen feet long. Space was not an issue. She just forgot to put it in.

She went back and managed to squeeze a galley kitchen in by taking a sliver of the garden room. Out of the length of the house, it takes up a space that is maybe 7 or 8 inches wide. The topper to the story is... The theme of the house is a Texas wedding. Complete with a Rolls Royce in the driveway and very fancy wedding buffet and cake. Even if it was catered, they sure didn't have much prep room, thanks to Brooke's aversion to cooking. LOL

[WyckedWood]

Lol, that's too funny. I'd love to see pictures of that house.

[Caseymini]

Karin, there were some photos of the Yellow Rose in either Miniature Collector or Nutshell News, years ago, but I couldn't tell you the issue. You probably should just come to Tucson and see the whole collection. Trust me. It's worth the trip! The museum is about 15,000 square feet of miniatures. Plan to spend at least one whole day looking.

When I did restoration work at the old site, I used to spend a lot of lunch hours just wandering around looking... Fantastic place!

[morgansmith]

Karin doesn't like to cook? Neither does Morgan but........I collect antique kitchen stuff. Go figure.

[KoalaSam]

I hate cooking with a passion, but I am loving creating miniature food out of polymer clay- go figure!

[rodentraiser]

Oh my goodness! The house I am working on will probably have a half bath under the stairs in the entry way hall and there are two bedrooms, each with a full bath. I may also put a half bath in the laundry room. I think next to the kitchen, a bathroom is the most fun to decorate. That's probably the direct result of all the kitchen and bath magazines I've devoured in my lifetime.

[kat57]

Morgan, My ideal RL house would have to have a big porch with a lovely flower bed right below it. When I had to move into this little trailer rental,the major draw was it's sweet little weathered wood porch with a tin roof,and I put in small flower beds in front and beside it. So,after I get past building the Ashley,with it's little dinky 'porch' entryway(Which will have a small flower bed beside it!),I plan for all my future houses have nice porches.

[CheckMouse]

I haven't finished my micro-townhouse yet, but began some research to plan the rooms - assuming there would be a kitchen and a bathroom! Wrong! The kitchens in that era were in the basement, out of sight, and run by servants. And there was no indoor plumbing yet - although the wealthier homes (which mine will be) did have a tub in the master bedroom, with a folding screen to hide it from view. So in this little house I won't be putting in a bathroom or a kitchen! It does have stairs, though.

[KathieB]

Many modern home designs have the toilet walled off from the shower/sink by a half wall or even a separate closet-like space with a door on it. These could be viable options for indicating the presence of the toilet without actually showing it. A glass block wall would obscure the design details, so a less-than-desirable toilet might be made presentable for viewing if placed behind it.

[moonberry]

Many modern home designs have the toilet walled off from the shower/sink by a half wall or even a separate closet-like space with a door on it. These could be viable options for indicating the presence of the toilet without actually showing it. A glass block wall would obscure the design details, so a less-than-desirable toilet might be made presentable for viewing if placed behind it.

Kathie, I think you may just have saved my bacon lol!

Now, to try and find small enough glass blocks to build a wall, does anybody have an idea where I could find transparent glass-like blocks about 1 inch by 1 inch?

[Selkie]

... does anybody have an idea where I could find transparent glass-like blocks about 1 inch by 1 inch?

HBS sells these. They may not be exactly what you want but it's a starting spot.

Also, check out Christmas decorations. I remember someone saying they found theirs in that dept.

I think this is a great idea.

Perhaps the "flat on one side" clear marble gem type things could work as well. It would be a circular look instead of squares.

[moonberry]

Thanks for the link, those blocks would be perfect!

They're just a bit too pricey and too expensive to ship internationally. At least now I know the scale and the measurements. I think another trip to Dragonmart may be required (the Chinese Market so big you need a bicycle to see the whole thing). I'm sure some of those tile suppliers may have something similar in size and at a reasonable price.

Will they be too heavy for the Garfield's floor perhaps? I don't want the lot to come crashing down on me!

[tyggereye]

I love hearing what you are all doing for your bathrooms. I am pretty set in stone now that my San Fran will not have a bathroom. Like I said the only thing making me think about it was the fact of getting a claw foot tub I've always wanted. Also I wouldn't mind doing this cute thing I saw on pininterest for a real room where you put shelves around the walls and add little real shells. It looked cute. I'd totally might do this in a future dollhouse bathroom.

http://pinterest.com/pin/4503668346912360/