Bathroom no longer considered the perfect place to hide away

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
The old song lyrics "I need a place to hide away" have traditionally applied to the bathroom in conventional culture.
It was the one comfort zone in which to be alone.
Don't count on it.
The New York Times says attitudes about privacy are changing, and cutting-edge bathrooms have translucent glass or acrylic walls that make the interior visible from other rooms.
Joel Sanders, an architect and professor of architecture at Yale, has designed several see-through bathrooms. The shame about the body is not a factor for many clients, he told the Times. Ideas about privacy are more relaxed.
Some homeowners want no walls. One family put portholes in the door. Another used a blue glass through which only shadowy figures are visible.
They've taken cues from trendy boutique hotels. The Hotel on Rivington on New York's Lower East Side provides floor-to-ceiling views of the city from the shower. Or maybe they've opened up their kitchen to serve as the social center and are now ready for the bathroom.
The arrangement can be a problem for guests. The answer is two bathrooms or short visits.