First fold-away bathroom invented

BRADFORD, England, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A British designer said he was inspired to create the first fold-away bathroom by the limited space in many apartments throughout Britain.

Designer Paul Hernon said after his research indicated bathroom space in homes and rentals was limited, he went about creating the world's first bathroom that can simply be folded up to save space, The Daily Telegraph said Friday.

"I did lots of research and it became obvious to me that bathroom space was decreasing, particularly in apartments," he told the newspaper.

The 38-year-old inventor's creation is an 8-foot-tall metal column whose shower attachments, storage units and toilet all rotate out for use. Once an individual's bathroom activities are concluded, the items swivel back into place and form a unit that takes up less space than conventional bathroom units.

Hernon told the Telegraph that the most alarming consumer aspect of his creation is its weight as the Vertebrae weighs in at 330 pounds, meaning the floor beneath it may need to be reinforced to support its weight.