If you are planning on fitting out a building with a new washroom, you may be thinking about basic details like ensuring there are enough cubicles, or that there is a large enough urinal in the men’s washroom. Going beyond the functional to getting an award is probably not on your mind.
The question of whether it should be a consideration is something some might have wondered about after a recent article in the Metro News on the award conferred by self-styled toilet guru Gemma Wardle, author of the ‘Loos of London’ TikTok account.
Her account features hundreds of comprehensive reviews of loos, covering every aspect from the toilet paper quality to the fixtures and fittings. Clearly, anyone coming up short could be stung by a bad review.
There is no doubt that any negative comments will be widely read. With around 80,000 followers, Ms Wardle’s interest in finding the finest (and worst) lavatories clearly resonates with some people and she ended 2025 by announcing her ‘Loo of the Year’.
What Is The Number One Loo In Britain?
Ms Wardle does not just list facilities in the capital and two of her top five in the UK were outside the capital, including a lavatory in Birmingham with its own disco and a loo in Essex that was praised for its “glamour”, including ”black, mock crocodile wallpaper” plus a “magnificent glowing marble sink.”
However, in the end, the winner was the loo in Jacuzzi, an Italian restaurant in Kensington that Ms Wardle described as having the vibe of “80s erotica extravaganza”. She added: “Once you’re inside, you’ll feel as though you’ve been teleported to an Italian disco.”
This is, of course, a personal verdict from one lady, and, needless to say, she offers no comments on the men’s facilities. However, it does raise the question of what makes a good washroom and, just as importantly, whether those fitting out commercial washrooms should take heed.
What Makes A Washroom Great?
In Gemma Wardle’s view, ‘vibe’ is a big issue. But so, too, is design and the provision of good facilities. She remarked: “I love a nice hand wash and hand lotion, a good hand dryer along with hand towels, and a coat hook is non-negotiable,“ adding that points are also awarded for female-friendly extras like free sanitary products.
However, as the Metro notes, while these features may earn praise, others are often criticised, including cases where the loos lacked proper doors.
Joining in the debate, interiors expert Deirdre McGettrick told the Metro that some designers are “trying to push boundaries and win awards”, but, she added, “They want to do something different and sometimes that means doing something that doesn’t work.”
For that reason, your basic, functional cubicle door may be more appreciated than you might at first imagine, especially if some users will be relieved to find that there actually is one, unlike some of the other facilities they may have used.
Where, therefore, should you pitch your washroom facilities in a bid to balance attractiveness and function? It may be that certain elements are non-negotiable:
- Proper toilet doors
- Everything should function well
- Coat hooks
- Efficient hand driers
- Dispensers of sanitary products in the Ladies’ washrooms
What Does A Company Washroom Really Need?
Beyond this, you may need to think more broadly about the nature and circumstances of the use of washrooms. A public toilet may be just a functional place, while a washroom in a railway station will seldom be a place to linger, as people have trains to catch.
However, by contrast, users in restaurants may take their time and in nightclubs, the washroom is an integral part of the social scene, especially for the ladies.
Does that mean everywhere has to be like a disco? The answer is surely not. The washroom does need to be appropriate to the setting and that means a school or college, an office, a sports centre or a hospitality venue such as a nightclub or restaurant will each have its own distinctive needs.
Besides, you can meet the needs of users without being obsessed with winning awards, while the idea that every washroom will benefit from a major focus on aesthetics can sometimes be misplaced.
At the very least, the idea that decorating a lavatory will make it less prone to vandalism was, sadly, undermined in November when a new mural on the outside of the public conveniences in Royal Wootton Bassett was itself attacked by a vandal.
In most cases, functionality will have an overwhelming priority. The aesthetics and ‘vibe’ of washrooms may be of greater concern to the likes of Gemma Wardle, but when it comes to ensuring the right facilities, trying to make them look funky and novel cannot take precedence, especially not over having proper cubicle doors.
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