Design — Blog — Healy Chen

Make showers great again

I think one of the worst designs in American homes is the combination shower and bathtub. The two really ought to be separated. There is no benefit to them being in one unit, other than the obvious cost savings to the constructor.

I’m not the biggest guy out there, but even I find the width of a bathtub to be constricting when showering. I weep in joy and jealousy whenever I travel, and the hotel has a proper shower stall with enough space for my shoulders to move side to side. Keep in mind that you get less foot/floor space due to the curvature of the tub, too.

The combo shower and tub creates another problem when I want to take an actual bath. Think of all the soap scum and bodily dirt that has accumulated onto the tub surface from your (hopefully) daily showering. Well then you’d want to clean all that off before laying on top of it, wouldn’t you? I know I would, which is why I’ve yet to take a proper bath ever because I don’t want to clean the tub every time that I do.

If I were lucky enough to own my own place in the future, there will for sure be some remodeling to the bathroom. A shower stall is a must. And if there isn’t space leftover for a bathtub, then so be it. Who can afford tubs full of water in this economy anyways? Besides, rather than a bathtub, a single-person sauna box would be way more useful.

A stacked combo washer and dryer is a great space-saving design. The combo shower and tub, however, simply inconveniences both of the two experiences. Stop it, homebuilders. Get some help.

That's a no from me

Much have been said, lots of it negative, about the exterior design of the new BMW M2. The incongruously boxy design makes the new car look like a Chinese knock-off of the old one. You know it’s not a winning design when people have to caveat it with, “It looks better in person!” Beautiful objects look good no matter if it’s in person or on photographic medium.

To test out the hypothesis that the new M2 looking better in the flesh, I got an opportunity to stare at one when I took my own M2 (previous generation) to the dealership for service. The copy in the showroom is in Black Sapphire Metallic, which helps to camouflage the bulbousness of the lower half. In person, the front end of the new M2 looks rather decent. I wouldn’t call it cohesive, but it’s effective in translating the latest BMW design language. Again, the color black really helps to hide some of the awkward shapes.

What black cannot hide is the hideousness of the new M2’s rear end. The rear bumper design is as atrocious in person as it is in pictures and videos. Why the need for so many elements that jut out? Like warts on an otherwise pristinely smooth face. If I were in a car following this new M2, I would want to pass it as soon as possible so I don’t have to keep looking at that rear end design. It’s simply awful.

The service advisor asked me if I were looking to upgrade - from my old M2 to the new one. I had to be diplomatic about it (instead of laughing out loud ) and said the new car’s exterior is too polarizing. Obvious bias aside, the F87 generation BMW M2 Competition will go down in BMW’s rich history as one of its classic designs. Elegantly aggressive is how I would describe it.