The floor-standing sanitary ware (flush part). Soft, enveloping shapes. Toilet seats with top-mounting are required. (expa)
They are considered the forms of modern sanitary ware in the bathroom furnishing world. They are practically the next step up from wall-hung sanitary ware, which has always been chosen for hygiene (ease of cleaning) and aesthetics (an icon of modernity in the bathroom since the 1990s). With these shapes, which we will shortly explain why they are called “carenate”, ceramic companies have revolutionised their catalogues. In practice, sanitary ware of this type, as well as being very beautiful from an aesthetic point of view, are also very practical because the body of the sanitary ware has been brought to rest against the back wall in a total way, with the consequence that there will be no more gaps between the inner and outer part of the same, both on the floor and on the wall (that’s why they are called careened or flush with the wall).
This has two consequences: dirt will not be able to get under or behind the toilet bowl because there is no possibility of passage or air gaps, and the second is that all these types of sanitary ware need toilet seats that can be both fitted and removed from above (fixing from above with expansion). It would be absurd to have to dismantle the toilet seat each time, wasting time and money and having to call in a professional installer! We have already come across some of these sanitary fittings in previous posts. In the post: “The latest series of Ceramica Dolomite and their toilet seats (part 4)” we have seen GEMMA 2 e ASOLO, in the post : ”Hidra Ceramiche. The shapes of new millenium sanitary ware and their toilet seats.” We have seen: LOFT, DIAL, in the post : ”The modern Ceramiche Kerasan series. Tailor-made thermosetting toilet seats. (part 2)” we have seen: FLO, PELICAN and EGO, in the post : ”Teardrop-shaped sanitaryware and toilet seats. Narrow at the back and wide at the front. (part 2)”, we have seen: AFFETTO and GRACE, in the post : ”AXA Ceramiche. Modern style conquering the market. Some troubles finding toilet seat.”, we have seen: AXA ONE, ROND in the post : ”HATRIA Ceramiche. Creative genious. The ceramic series of a 2.0 company.”, we have seen: SCULTURE, YOU&ME, DAYTIME, in the post : ”Ceramica Althea and sanitaryware round, square, special shapes….Adaptable toilet seats do not feet here!! “, we have seen: OCEANO, HERA, PLUS, in the post : ”Pozzi Ginori sanitary ware: the modern era series and their toilet seats. (part 1)”, we have seen: Q3, JOIN, 500, EASY.02.
The top fixing for toilet seats: expansion and anchor fixing
Let’s start by looking at the type of fixings available to attach the toilet seat to the toilet. Initially, only the one with the clamping from underneath was available (in photo 1b), the sanitary fixtures were all on the floor and free at the back, so there was the possibility to access behind and clamp the toilet seat by means of a butterfly/bolt. With the introduction of the first wall-hung toilets (see post: ”Wall-hung sanitary ware and thier toilet seats (part 1)“) Since there was little or no room for side access (due to the presence of bolts to anchor the sanitary fixtures to the wall), the innovation of fixing from above was introduced, called expansion fixing (in photo 1a). It was called expansion fastening because, like a wall plug, once the expansion kit has been inserted into the hole of the toilet bowl, a screwdriver is used to expand it and anchor it to the bowl (clearly all from above). A small, though simple, revolution in the world of bathroom furniture and toilet seats. This type of fixing allowed the arrival of the sanitary fixtures we are talking about in this post: the flush-to-wall fairings. Without the possibility of anchoring the toilet seat to the toilet from above, every time the toilet seat had to be changed the whole sanitary fixture had to be disassembled! Which is clearly absurd. Nowadays, when the toilet seat breaks, the entire toilet seat can be changed from above with a simple screwdriver. To close the discussion on fixing the WC seats, let’s talk about the latest version introduced for fixing from above (photo 1c). This is called anchor fixing. A significant improvement on the expansion dowel fixing. In fact, the latter is sometimes difficult to expand (either because the hole in the ceramic is too big) or if it does expand, it often loosens up over the weeks and has to be continually re-tightened. This new system in its simplicity is very effective. In practice, you always work from above, using a metal rhombus/mosque element which, by inserting it vertically into the hole in the sanitary ware, once it has passed the thickness of the ceramic, positions itself horizontally. By holding the screw pulled upwards from above and turning it the fixing will “anchor” and block the toilet seat in a stable and lasting way. It is clearly usable for sanitary fixtures that have a through hole (about 90% of those in production) and not for those that have a blind hole.
Well, let’s start now to look at the flush-to-wall sanitary ware and their toilet seat covers, which in our opinion have been the best sellers in the sector. We will talk about: the new Sfera series (C system) by Catalano, the Open Space series by Ceramica Globo, the LFT Spazio series by Simas and Fast by Pozzi Ginori.
Sfera (sistema C) series by Ceramica Catalano
They are certainly one of the series that best represents this category. Source of inspiration for many competitor series, among the most imitated. SFERA by Catalano with its soft and enveloping lines marked the first decade of the 2000s and is still in production today and is very popular with the public who are looking for modern lines for their bathroom. All the Sfera toilet seats, the versions with wrapping cover, both the new slim versions with standard and soft-close hinges, are available in the Sintesibagno store at the following link [ clik here ]
Open Space Concept series by Ceramica Globo
It has been the real competitor of Sfera for a long time. Produced in two depths, the 57 size is certainly the most distinctive. Unlike size 49 (which is reminiscent of the soft, rounded lines of its competitor produced by Catalano) the larger version with its straight diagonal line that marks the lower part of the toilet bowl and the upper surface makes it immediately recognisable. All the toilet seats for this Globo ceramic series are available in the store at the following link [ clik here]
Fast series by Pozzi Ginori (Geberit)
Along with other Pozzi Ginori sanitary ware mentioned in the post:
”Pozzi Ginori Sanitary ware: the modern era series today and their toilet seats. (part 2)” is part of the latest lines designed by the company (all strictly flush with the wall and requiring toilet seats to be fixed from above). Together with
FANTASIA 2, METRICA, CITTERIO and ACANTO were witnesses to the company’s grand re-launch, now part of the Geberit Group. Today it is also produced with Rimfree technology, an innovative flushing system that has led to the elimination of the rim in WCs, solving the problem of hygiene and cleaning of the toilet rim. All the toilet seats for this series of sanitary ware can be found in the store at the following link [ clik here ]
LFT Spazio (Acqua Space) series by Simas
We take as our source for describing this series the one on the company’s official website (SIMAS): “The pleasure of a friendly design. A collection that is essential in its clean form, in the name of a new concept of geometry that goes super-oval. Adaptable to modern, architectural spaces and to the most intimate, everyday bathroom. It wears the simplicity of its lines lightly, in a young and versatile response that is accessible to all.” That’s right: it’s a super-oval which, when viewed from above, tends towards a triangle, an unmistakable shape. All the WC seats, including the old and first version in white polyester-coated wood, are available in the store at the following link [ clik here ]
We have started to look at flush-to-wall sanitary ware that requires a toilet seat with an expansion or top-mounted fixing. If you still have doubts about which toilet seat to look for in your bathroom, we suggest you send us an email to info@sintesibagno.it or a WhatsApp message to 3341288978 with two pictures of your toilet seat and a few measurements and we will be able to help you choose. Here is the video on how to proceed in the search for a toilet seat:
