London - In the 1970s you could hardly find a bathroom without one.
But the fluffy rug round the loo – often with a matching bit to go on top of the seat – has rather fallen out of favour.
In fact, it’s been named as the biggest interior design crime of the past 50 years. Often ending up looking threadbare and grubby, it has no place in the modern minimalist bathroom.
The loo rug shares the accolade with avocado bathroom suites, chintz and stuffed animals.
The list of the 25 most offensive design features is based on a poll of 2 000 people and a panel of expert judges, including the president of the British Institute of Interior Design, Daniel Hopwood.
About 44 percent named the toilet rug as a particular horror, ahead of displaying stuffed animals and birds at 39 percent, the avocado bathroom at 32 percent and floral "chintz" furniture on 28 percent. Hopwood said: "I don’t think anyone in this country has any doubt that toilet rugs are not a great idea – for one, they are a breeding ground for germs.
"I’d be surprised if there are many people out there who’ve actually got one of these, but then again, some people love to be nostalgic with their style. Perhaps, even those knitted doilies that fit on top of toilet rolls might start to come back into fashion."
The dodgy decor list is dominated by features that date back to the 1970s, including water beds, wallpaper border strips – and bidets.
The same survey commissioned by Samsung named open-plan living as the best of current design trends, ahead of furnishings made from reclaimed or distressed wood, and bare floors.