The Secret Fashion History of an Employee Restroom

Okay. This has amused me for quite a while.

Last January every museum employee moved up to the 5^th floor to work in temporary shared office space while the rest of the building was being renovated. That is, every employee except me. Since mine was the only office not really undergoing major construction, I stayed put here on the 4^th floor. Starting in June this year when some of the other staff members rejoined me on the 4^th floor, some of our shared spaces – hallways, lounge, bathrooms – that had been gloomy dirty construction sites for 6 long months, became clean and painted, and occasionally filled with my co-workers.

These are big changes. For a long time it was just me, the dirt, and the construction guys. There were no working restrooms on my floor so I had to go upstairs to find such facilities. Once everyone moved back down here, though, the restrooms were put back in order.

One such restroom used to look like this:

Just your basic restroom, right? (I figure you don't really need to see the toilet, although I assure you there is one. For those who are curious, it is to the left of the camera's viewpoint.)

One day shortly after the rest of the staff moved back down to Floor Four, I walked into the restroom and found it transformed:

A total makeover! Every day after that something new was added. The lavender-scented cleaning products and air freshener appeared first. Then the fresh flowers in the vase and the handy girly basket to hold extras. The plaid curtain was last to appear, but I think it made the most difference.

I had no idea that my colleagues had been so frustrated by the utilitarian appearance of our employee restroom. As soon as they were given free rein a bountiful feast of frilly decorative elements appeared, like a desert blooming after a rain shower!

I’ve been so amused.