A closer look
Your bright white bathroom is basically a fossil from the 1918 flu pandemic. Before that pandemic, many homes had dark, cluttered, even carpeted washrooms, and people were weirdly proud of heavy drapes and wooden details around sinks. Then a virus killed tens of millions, and suddenly the world became obsessed with anything that looked clean. Architects and advertisers pushed smooth white tiles so dirt and stains were obvious, pedestal sinks so you could not hide dust, and built-in bathtubs instead of claw-feet so there were fewer places for germs to lurk. Soap companies ran ads tying hygiene to patriotism and modernity. Hospitals influenced home design with easy-to-wipe surfaces and bright light. Even the habit of opening windows and airing out rooms became a moral duty, not just comfort. A century later, we still treat that aesthetic as 'normal', forgetting it was born from panic. Every time you step into a minimal bathroom, you are walking through the afterimage of a global disaster.
