Sigrid A toilet for the guinea pig. When I had cats, I thought about whether you could install a squatter type toilet in the basement and teach your cats to use it. Of course, in America, finding a squatter toilet is probably impossible.

newmouse Great illustrations!

j0dy I like the cool idea of the fridge.

Bette The toaster is a big complaint. A bigger one is the "fart fan" (contractor's word). It looks like
a space ship about to land. Ugly.

lizziek Ugly outside utility equipment and boxes. Don't they realize that stuff goes in your yard where everyone sees it.

Ductless mini-split heat pumps are a wonderful invention for low cost heating and cooling but the units look like you are in a hotel room. We passed on them for our new energy efficient house.

slynch1960 a good looking fire extinguisher

karelina I met a cat who used the toilet. [Yes, I did see him do it.] There are actually training seats and techniques. The owner complained that he couldn't train the cat to flush.

karelina Any suggestions for computer cables?

xenasmom @karelina. One of my cats spontaneously decided to use the toilet. I have no idea what prompted that and I have never had another feline be so bold. The thing is, he would only tinkle in it. He still wanted a box for the rest. Who knows what goes through their minds?? BTW - Houzz - love the artwork!

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Those illustrations are adorable!
I'd like:
A stealth refrigerator that doesn't sing, hum or let me know he exists in any other way.
A vacuum litter box driveway, that sucks all the sand from between her toes.

karelina xenasmom: Truly amazing! Now if I could just get my two interested . . .

setc12 the big ugly propane tank in the yard.

bobbiecohen I've actually seen pictures of a new house with the toilet in the shower to save on space.

lizziek In the house we are building we will have a shower room with a toilet. These are becoming more common in homes built to allow you to age in place.

Environmental Design Co. Since we bought our ToTo toilet one year ago, I have become the unofficial spokesperson for ToTo. I could do their commercials! With their cyclone flush and special-coated basin, nothing ever sticks to them!

ploefff @sigrida some guinea pigs can be trained to use a tray.

deny52 Great Illustrations. Buckminster Fuller invented the easy-clean bathroom decades ago - all stainless steel one piece - with a central drain. Hose down, done. I don't know what he did about those pesky water spots though...

gwen47 I live in a high calcium area---not even the new coated toilets will not come clean. Having a toilet in the shower would be a cleaning nightmare.

However, there are two solutions for cleaning the outside of toilets. One is a wall mounted toilet, the other is one with a smooth outside. Mine is American Standard. They are a little more difficult to install because you can't see the bolts on the floor. My plumber was not amused after the third visit as he kept tearing up the seal ring and the toilet would leak. But I love it.

I looked into buying a wall-mounted stainless steel prison toilet. Lovely design, but the price was prohibitive and I suspect that is why Buckminster Fuller's bathroom design never became popular.

Deanna Yeah, in hard water areas, I wouldn't want the toilet in the shower, either. I had a Jacuzzi brand toilet very similar to the American Standard that Gwen47 posted a pic of. Loved how easy it was to clean with the flat sides. :-)

janellass Things I hate: Handles on the refrigerator that stick out. Why cant they be flat or even recessed? Also hate wall plates. Why can't they be made to totally disappear on the wall? Also hate thermostats and door bells that hang on the wall. Wouldn't you think in this century this stuff could be flush to the wall and therefore invisible?

karelina A friend of mine tiled her kitchen with beautiful Mexican tiles and put a drain in the middle of the floor. She'd hose the floor down when it needed cleaning. Maybe you could do that in the bathroom?

prospera The Calphalon pop up toaster has a slide out crumb tray that is easy to clean. The toaster actually works as well. I do turn it upside down over the sink and shake it out every now and then to catch the persistent king crumbs.

My pet peeve has to be intake vents that you can't reach to remove and clean. They also have weird screws on them. I had one I could never reach. It was hallway up a semi spiral star case, WAY high up.

Bette I would like tile in my shower just like the illustrations.

carolincarolina All bedrooms should have 3-way light switches by the door and also by the most likely place for the bed so you can turn the lights on when you come in and off when you go to bed. And why do are return vents so big and square? And why are garage doors and gutter down-spouts always white?

prospera I second that CinC! We have a long pathway into our house and didn't realize until we came home one night in the Fall that the light switches didn't light it up with any kind of logical pattern. We called in an electrician and they were changed with at as one was lit, the one behind could be turned off. Before that, there was no way to come in the house without being in the dark at some point.

The other thing that is handy are timers switches on closets so the light is not left on by accident. We also have timers on bathroom fans. You just have to be careful not to put two timers next to each other in the same panel, they can overheat and cause a hazzard.

jagood My pet peeve is the typical way that kitchens are designed, and the self-perpectuating cycle that seems to dictate that if they aren't designed as a virtual shrine to cabinets that the value of a property will be affected. I am a big fan of kitchen storage rooms, constructed adjacent to the most heavily used kitchen prep area. The storage room can contain much less expensive shelving systems than the typical kitchen cabinet, and if they are modular and adjustable, a much more flexible use of space. With a storage room, almost all overhead cabinets can be eliminated, opening up wall space for much desired natural light (windows) and views, display of art and beautiful objects, and make a kitchen seem more spacious. I think the trend toward large islands reflects the desire to have work spaces without cabinets hanging over our heads. Also, at least half of the space in overhead cabinets cannot be reached by the average woman without using a stool, so they end up as storage areas for those things we don't use very often. Put those things in a kitchen storage room, build large deep drawers with heavy-duty sliders under the counter for dishes, pots and those items we use the most often, and get rid of at least 75% of the overhead cabinets in a typical kitchen.