the attendant: abandoned london toilet is turned into a unique cafe

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the attendant: abandoned london toilet is turned into a unique cafe
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the attendant: abandoned london toilet is turned into a unique cafe
11

first image
'the attendant' by pete tomlinson and ben russel, london, england
all images courtesy of pete tomlinson

 

 

the urinals are so clean you can eat off of them- an idea turned into reality by pete tomlinson and ben russel who acquired an 1890's
victorian style london lavatory and converted it into a clean contemporary cafe. 'the attendant' features the original installations which have been
preserved and thoroughly cleaned (for those of you still unconvinced), retaining the original look and feel of the historical washroom while
complying to current day sanitary standards. the urinals, produced by doulton & co, have been converted into a small bar table, with a
continuous wooden plank that fits to the contours of the urinal walls, suggesting individual eating areas. the attendant's office was repurposed
into a kitchen and  the original hand dryer still sits on the wall.

 

 

 


urinal table

 

 

 

 


contemporary stools next to the historical urinals

 

 

 

 


full table

 

 


original attendant's door, now a kitchen entrance

 

 


'the attendant' from the exterior

 


(left) logo created by james duffy at we are shadows
(right) outdoor seating

 

 


original structure

 

 


original bathroom

 

 


urinals

11
  • The question on everyones mind is of course: are the urinals still functioning? :) And if so, very practical, yet gross.

    Erik says:
  • this is taking the p***
    nice idea for winter maybe, not a lot of light down there.

    pg says:
  • Great idea!!!! Reusing a such central hot-spot space is brilliant…
    Hope the cafe is running well!

    Nadine says:
  • wow….wow…..got to be one of the least inviting cafe’s….ever.

    kalvin denike says:
  • :-) ) good job!

    Finny says:
  • Just how clean is it really? Nice use of a derelict space though, must be loads of potential sites in London like this – perfect opportunity for a ‘chain’ – sorry! :)

    SJS says:
  • the thought of eating next to near anything toilet
    is a real mind-fuck
    good luck if people can get beyond that

    Paedra says:
  • Good place to go when you are on a diet!

    Andrea Ventling says:
  • Amazing use of space…People should bypass their taboo and stereotyping and be creative as in this case….i hope it works

    nassos says:
  • Not a place that I would wish to go to for dinner.
    I imagine it would be interesting to see what kind of people do decide to dine here though.
    Best of luck.

    Ron Smith says:
  • Not sure its my kind of place.

    ARTHUR CHRISTY says:

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