When creating a new bathroom the focus of attention goes on choosing the style of bath, shower and washbasin. When it comes to toilets the many options available are not widely known. To help you pick the most appropriate style of loo for your bathroom we have made a guide to the various types and style of toilet available from bathroom showrooms and websites.
Old England Colchester Low Level Toilet
Low Level Toilets
A traditional style toilet, the low level loo is where the cistern is fitted on the wall separate to the pan and connected to the pan by a pipe. This flush pipe is usually chrome (or sometimes Nickel) and this, often with a wooden style seat, helps produce a Victorian or Edwardian style. A low level toilet will also have a lever flush handle usually in a white ceramic. They are one of the best ways to add a touch of quality and flair to a bathroom on a modest budget. See the Old England Colchester Low Level Toilet
High Level Toilets
These will be more expensive than a ‘low level’ loo. They also require a larger room and higher ceiling than a standard bathroom if they are to avoid looking out-of-place.
Old England Cambridge High Level Toilet
The key features of this style are a high level cistern flushed using a pull chain. The elegance of the unit comes from the chrome or nickel flush pipe, the brackets supporting the cistern, the metal chain with ceramic pull and of course the authentic traditional look. There are some classic examples in the ‘old England’ range.
Concealed, back-to-wall toilets
This means that the cistern is hidden behind a wall or vanity unit. It can only be used with wall hung or back-to-wall style toilets and is well worth considering if you want to create a very minimalist look to your bathroom. The one downside to this toilet type – and it is a massive downside – is that maintenance is extremely difficult given that access is severely restricted. It works well in a modern bathroom where you are trying to conceal pipework or where there is restricted space like an ensuite or cloakroom.
Close Coupled Toilets
Palladio Close Coupled Toilet
This is one of the most popular styles of toilet and and adapts well to either a traditional or modern style bathroom. The key feature of a close coupled toilet is the that the cistern sits on the pan with the pan attached to the floor and the cistern to the wall. This hides pipework and makes it easier to clean. It can also have a variety of flushing mechanisms such as a dual flush button sitting on top of the cistern or a traditional handle flush.
The style works well in large or small bathrooms (or cloakrooms) and will easily match up with most types of bath and wash basins. For the Palladio Close Couple Toilet (picture) click here.
Wall Hung Toilets
These require supreme confidence in the strength of your bathroom’s walls and you’ll need to purchase a concealed cistern and wall frame separately. Generally wall hung toilets create a contemporary look, especially if used with other minimalist bathroom units.
Old England Cambridge Wall Hung Bidet
The loo appears to float above the floor which creates a sense of space and also aids cleaning. Because the pipes and cistern are concealed you will have to ensure there is some form of access during and after installation. Not suitable for all bathrooms.
Corner Toilets
The triangular shape may save some space in the corner of certain bathrooms or allow for better access. For this reason they are mostly used in small bathrooms, ensuites and cloakrooms.
They will have a close couple cistern usually with a top push button to flush and generally suit a contemporay style.
Comfort Raised
With a Comfort Raised toilet, the pan sits at a higher point than a standard toilet. This reduces the distance a person needs to lower themselves and thus easing use for the elderly or people with knee and back problems.
Short Projection
As this point we are slightly running out of ideas! As it’s name suggests, the short projection toilet doesn’t stick out from the wall as far as other loos making it ideal for a small bathroom, cloakroom or a ‘cupboard under-the-stairs’ toilet.
Other loos are available!
At Old Fashioned Bathrooms we sell variations of all the above, but there are some styles of toilet that don’t grace the floor of our Suffolk showroom. One of these is the ‘squat toilet’ which is still very common in Asia and some European countries. Some medical professionals claim that squatting promotes strength in the users legs – if you view this YouTube video on how to use a squat toilet you’ll find out everything you need to know about Asian toilets!
At the other end of the technology scale are Japans hi tech toilets (sometimes called ‘smart toilets’!) which include features such as lid and seat controls, flush strength, fake flush sounds, front and back bidets and air drying. These were in the news recently when Japan’s Sanitary Equipment Industry Association produced new pictogram symbols to help guide users – see the BBC’s article here.
Neoclassica Close Coupled Toilet
Needless to say, there are no Japanese hi tech toilets for sale at Old Fashioned Bathrooms but if you are after traditional style toilets manufactured to the highest standards, then please view our range in the bathroom suites section here.