Bog standards
Sticky carpets, wonky seats and doors that don't lock are definitely things of the past, if the latest crop of stylish, new restaurant loos are anything to go by. Nowadays, diners are more likely to find chrome and glass fittings, CCTV, Web cams, glass walls, Tardis-like wash-up areas, and maybe (if they're lucky) a member of the opposite sex. In restaurant design terms, 2002 is the year of the loo.
An eye-catching example is provided by the facilities at Rocpool in Inverness. The 50-seat restaurant, which serves modern European dishes at prices from £6 to £15, opened at the end of March and has received its fair share of press coverage, not least for its chic loos. Co-owner Adrian Pieraccini explains: "We wanted to create a talking point and do something people in the north of Scotland weren't used to, something really individual."
The result was a unisex toilet area - the first in a Scottish restaurant. The reaction was immediate. "There were a couple of people who weren't sure about it at first," admits Pieraccini. But, despite initial minor grumbles, the gamble paid off. "We've had a lot of press attention because of it," he says, "and now you hear people refer to Rocpool as the restaurant with the fancy loos."
Stirling-based architect Revamp Transition By Design, which was responsible for designing the modern, Continental restaurant interior, carried that look through to the toilet area. Situated in the basement, the 500sq m space features turquoise terracotta flooring, six WCs and a dramatic oval sink area that separates the "ladies" from the "gents". The cubicles and matching sink unit are made from cherry wood, and the toilet-roll holders, tall taps and door handles are all chromed. Another contemporary touch is the five overmounted resin washbowls.
Pieraccini worked closely with Revamp and Leith-based David James Bathrooms to create the look. The total cost of the toilet area was £150,000.
And as if a male-female bathroom wasn't enough for customers to chat about over their Bloody Mary gazpacho (a dish from the main menu), another major talking point is the CCTV camera, which is situated in the wash area and is wired to video monitors in the bar. This could have seemed like an intrusion and was born of the owners' slight concern that patrons might enjoy the idea of a unisex loo a little too much. "The monitor was there to check there wasn't any hanky-panky going on," laughs Pieraccini, "but it quickly turned into a popular design feature in itself. Of course, we always advise diners that the cameras are there."
With the current fascination for reality TV, it may be no surprise that watching the monitors has become an entertaining pastime in itself. "People enjoy sitting there watching them while waiting for partners to turn up," Pieraccini says.
There was a price to pay for such cutting-edge conveniences, however. "The planning application took a long time to sort out, and there was a lot of waiting," Pieraccini concedes. At first, the local council wasn't convinced about the communal concept. Pieraccini recalls: "They said to us, ‘Only one lot of toilets? You can't do that.' But we went back and said there's nothing in the legislation that states you can't have men's and women's loos together. They checked it for themselves and conceded that we were right."
The project was a labour of love, but Pieraccini does offer a word of advice to other restaurateurs. "You've always got to remember not to get too involved in the design and forget practicability," he warns. "It's an area that absorbs huge design costs and doesn't generate revenue in itself."
With the steep costs and the planning issues, was it worth it? "Definitely," Pieraccini says. "It was a bit of an ego trip but the effect they've had, and the publicity they've generated, has all paid off."
Latrines to be seen - some cutting-edge examples
The Fall Well (A Lloyds No 1 pub), St John's Precinct, Liverpool
Spectacular loos are the norm at pubs run by JD Wetherspoon (owner of the Lloyds No 1 brand). The company swept the board in last year's 2001 Canon Hygiene Loo of the Year Awards, and seems likely to repeat the feat this year. "Everything we do is to a high standard, and that extends to the toilets," says Wetherspoon spokesman Eddy Gershen.
"Pub toilets used to have a pretty poor reputation, so we wanted to do something about that," he adds. "If you're going to spend £1.5m on a new pub, why stop at the toilets? Our loos are often a bit tongue-in-cheek, and they get a great reaction. People go in and come back out again saying, ‘Come and look at the loos'!"
The new Fall Well pub in Liverpool is a prime example of the company's innovative approach to its lavatories. Architect Andy Ince of design firm Harrison Ince likens the ladies' loos to "Dr Who's Tardis". He explains: "We wanted to make a real feature in the ladies' loos."
In the wash-up area is a central circular sink. The perimeter walls are made of laminated mirrors and opaque, floor-to-ceiling Perspex panels, backlit in dramatic magenta, with an etched haphazard circle pattern.
Black granite vanity tops in the main area feature sunken basins. There are no fewer than 22 WCs in the ladies and Ince estimates that the overall cost of the loos was between £30,000 and £40,000.
Planning permission: no
Estimated cost: £30,000-40,000
Architects: Harrison Ince, tel: 0161-236 3650
Cisterns and basins: Armitage Shanks, tel: 0870 122 8822
Accessories: Twyfords, tel: 01270 879777
The Goose, Wandsworth Bridge Road, Fulham, London
Greene King has just opened the Goose bar in London under its new brand, University of Life. It incorporates three zones - a relaxing area, a drinking area and an activity area - which respectively feature football and air hockey tables, plasma screens and space for regular live events. The bar's "all-action" loos - with TV screens and weird mirrors - are in keeping with the theme.
"The customer experience shouldn't just be limited to the bar," says Greene King spokeswoman Nicola Mills. "Industry surveys show that good loos feature high up the customers' agenda."
The toilets, created by architects Caulder Moore, feature jellybean flooring in the ladies and astro-turf in the gents. Door signage is two clear resin boxes - the one on the ladies' door is filled with lipsticks, the one on the gents with Subbuteo figures.
Other standout features in both gents' and ladies' WCs are mini-TV screens, which stream in live video from cameras in the activity zone. "The idea was for people not to miss the action," Mills says. "For example, if there was a band playing or we had a hypnotist show."
Planning permission: no
Estimated cost: £5,000
Architects: Caulder Moore, tel: 020 8332 0393
Cisterns and basins: Armitage Shanks, tel: 0870-122 8822
Toilet-roll holders: Greene King issue
Mirrors: Concept Bedroom Design, tel: 01628 777122
Mini-TVs: Chantry TV, tel: 0800 373246
Jellybean flooring: Marley Flooring, tel: 01622 854040
Rocpool
1 Ness Walk/1 Young Street
Inverness
Tel: 01463 717274
Architect: Revamp Transition By Design, Stirling; tel: 01786 469101
Cisterns and basins: David James Bathrooms, Commercial Street, Leith, tel: 0131-555 1777 (basins and tap sets cost £250 each)
Chrome toilet-roll holders, door handles, soap dispensers: Initial Textiles Services, Edinburgh, tel: 0131-453 6767
Flooring: sourced from Italy by owners
CCTV: Northern Security, Inverness, tel: 01463 236658
Overall cost: £150,000
Planning permission: yes
More top bathroom suppliers
Avante Bathroom Products Avante offers a range of basins in different materials and finishes. Prices for its round glass washbowls start at £146 plus VAT, while prices for its Corian Koolie basins start at £193 plus VAT. Prices for wall-mounted Genova taps start at £205 per set.
The Edinburgh Posthouse hotel, which has recently had a £13m makeover, used Avante to equip its chic washroom and has Corian Avante bowls overmounted on vanity tops. Bespoke Corian wash-troughs also feature in the Pharmacy's bathrooms in London's Notting Hill.
The company has also recently launched its Square Glass Basin. In a sandblasted matt finish, it can be undermounted or wall-mounted on a chrome bracket, and costs £359 including VAT.
Avante Bathroom Products 0113-201 2240.
Cloak Room Solutions CRS regards itself as a supplier of cutting-edge washbasins and fittings. Its contemporary wall basins and wall mounts feature in the toilets at the Villu Toots restaurant in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Prices for its Pollux basins start at £229 each (discounts available on bulk orders) and run from £230 for its Marathon single-hand mixer taps.
CRS also offers soap dispensers, towel/coat hooks, door stops, toilet-roll holders and soap dishes.
Cloak Room Solutions 0700 234 5111.
Philip Watts Design The most fabulous loo is of little use if it cannot be found. This Nottingham-based design consultancy specialises in signage, door furniture and portholes. Its Stan & Betty range of logos uses fat-headed aliens to flag up male and female loos, at £29 a set. The company also produces polished or satin-finish door handles. Prices start at £37 for the Squib range and go to £375 for the Littlejohn range - a giant pair of entrance handles.
Philip Watts Design 0115-947 4809.
Armitage Shanks For a huge range of cisterns, basins and bathroom accessories.
0870-122 8822
Twyford Bathrooms
For a huge range of cisterns, basins and bathroom accessories.
01270 879777
www.twyfordbathrooms.com
Tips for updating your loos
Should you update your loos, or just make them a pleasant place to visit? As Eddy Gershen of JD Wetherspoon puts it: "You can be as gimmicky as you like, but the most important thing is for the loos to be clean, stocked up with loo roll and in good working order." And all that requires is a regular check.
He also suggests cheering the space up with fresh flowers, which is cheap, simple and effective - just don't let them droop.
But if you have a bit of extra cash to splash about and want your conveniences to be truly cutting-edge, then David Shread of Birmingham-based architecture and design company Art Environments has a few ideas.
- For a simple but effective wall decoration, try a mirrored light box. Shread recently revamped Shimla Pinks in Birmingham, and installed a sweet pink version in the ladies and a cool blue one in the gents. For the Villu Toots restaurant in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, the company also created a gel wall feature which plays music.
- How about a mirror that doubles as an effective marketing tool? The striking mirrors which the company created for the ladies at restaurant 52° North, in Birmingham, flash with different images at timed intervals. The mirror is actually a very slim lightbox fitted with a set of interchangeable transfers and a timer system. So far, the transfers have been used to promote Asahi beer and local art events. Prices start at £1,800.
- For a truly voyeuristic touch, how about a toilet wall made of glass? Shread is creating one for Mogul, a new nightclub in Houston, Texas. The wall is made from a one-way mirror, so customers can see out into the club, but clubbers can't see in.
Art Environments
Tel: 0121-507 1010
