Ice Cube & Vanilla Ice inspire Delaware couple's iced-out bathroom

Andre Lamar, Delaware News Journal
Updated ·3 min read
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A Magnolia couple are hip-hop fans with a novelty bathroom in their house that marries iconic '90s rappers Vanilla Ice with Ice Cube.  

Newlyweds Chad and Marianne Hastings call their restroom "The Ice House." They also have a silly catchphrase for the room.

"We call it 'The cool place to handle your business,'" said Chad, 49, who graduated from Delaware State University.

What's in the Ice Cube & Vanilla Ice bathroom?

"The Ice House," a bathroom decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube, is seen in Magnolia on Monday, July 17, 2023.
"The Ice House," a bathroom decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube, is seen in Magnolia on Monday, July 17, 2023.

Once you step into The Ice House, you'll hear Ice Cube's 1992 hit song "Today Was a Good Day" or Vanilla Ice's famous tune "Ice Ice Baby."  

The Ice House, a play on the word outhouse, is a full bathroom off the Hastings' game room, located in their finished basement.

The bathroom features a trio of Vanilla Ice dolls still in original packaging mounted on the wall next to the shower. Multiple Funko Pop! figures of Ice Cube decorate the space, including one of the rapper in a Chevy Impala, which decorates the top of their toilet.

Photos of the rappers line the walls. There are also custom collages Marianne assembled. One features a photoshopped version of Cube with a cheesy smile as he's rocking Vanilla Ice's skunk-striped hair.  

Husband and wife Chad and Marianne Hastings stand outside their home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The Hastings home boasts a bathroom called "TheIce House," which is decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube.
Husband and wife Chad and Marianne Hastings stand outside their home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The Hastings home boasts a bathroom called "TheIce House," which is decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube.

There is a wall hanging of a record plaque for "Today Was a Good Day," plus a vinyl record of "Ice Ice Baby" behind glass.

Every detail of the Ice House pays tribute to Cube and Vanilla Ice, even the vanilla-painted walls.

"We've got vanilla air fresheners in there, Ice Breakers gum and ice mint hand wash. Anything that had a vanilla or ice effect, we threw in there," Chad said.

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How'd Ice Cube and Vanilla Ice inspire a bathroom?

Chad Hastings holds up a picture of Vanilla Ice, which hangs on the wall of "The Ice House," a bathroom at his home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The bathroom is decorated with memorabilia of Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube.
Chad Hastings holds up a picture of Vanilla Ice, which hangs on the wall of "The Ice House," a bathroom at his home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The bathroom is decorated with memorabilia of Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube.

The Hastings are competitive pinball players with a game room that features 13 pinball machines. Chad is president of the Delaware Pinball Collective near Newport, for which Marianne is the Delaware Women’s Pinball director.

While friends love their arcade setup, Chad wanted to create a more memorable conversation piece for guests. Then he pitched the Ice House idea to his wife.

"He said, ‘Do you care if I do Vanilla Ice?’ I said if you can add Ice Cube in there, I'm happy,” Marianne, 46, explained. "We're just two big kids with a house." 

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What do friends think of the Ice House?

Images of Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube decorate the entrance sign to "The Ice House," the bathroom of the Hastings home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The bathroom is decorated with memorabilia from the rappers.
Images of Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube decorate the entrance sign to "The Ice House," the bathroom of the Hastings home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The bathroom is decorated with memorabilia from the rappers.

When the Hastings' friends come over, they get lots of photo requests for The Ice House.

"A lot of people go in there [and ask], 'Do you mind if I take a ...,' Chad explained in mid-sentence, before adding, "No, take all of the photos you want in there."

Why didn't Ice-T and Ice Spice make the cut?

Part of "The Ice House," a bathroom decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube, is featured in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023.
Part of "The Ice House," a bathroom decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube, is featured in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023.

Chad wanted to incorporate rapper Ice-T into his bathroom, but it didn't work because he's not familiar with his music, he said.

Marianne joked about adding rapper Ice Spice to the room recently. But there's no way they could've added her to The Ice House when they launched it around 2017 because the rapper hadn't begun her career yet.

Vanilla Ice is coming to Delaware State Fair

Chad Hastings enters "The Ice House," a bathroom in his home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The bathroom is decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube.
Chad Hastings enters "The Ice House," a bathroom in his home in Magnolia, Monday, July 17, 2023. The bathroom is decorated with memorabilia of rappers Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube.

The Hastingses said they aren't sure if they'll see Vanilla Ice headline the Delaware State Fair on Saturday, July 22.

Friends are trying to get Vanilla Ice to come to their house, but Marianne, for one, isn't sure how that would happen.

"I'm like, is he really going to want to come to our basement to see this ... bathroom?''

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ice Cube and Vanilla Ice inspire Delaware couple's iced-out bathroom