Designing or renovating a bathroom is a significant undertaking that impacts not only the functionality of your home but also its style and your daily comfort.
Among the most crucial decisions is selecting the right toilet, a fixture that must balance efficiency with aesthetics. While traditional floor-mounted models have long been the standard, a growing number of homeowners and designers are now exploring more innovative, space-efficient, and visually appealing solutions.
Options like wall-mounted, skew, and in-wall toilets systems represent a modern evolution in bathroom design, offering compelling advantages over their conventional counterparts.
This comprehensive guide delves into the mechanics, benefits, and considerations for each of these contemporary toilet options. By understanding their unique features, you can make an informed decision that perfectly aligns with your design vision, spatial constraints, and long-term needs.
Understanding Wall-Mounted Toilet Systems
Wall-mounted toilets are a hallmark of modern bathroom design, defined by their clean lines and minimalist aesthetic. They are often the first choice for those seeking to create a sleek, uncluttered space.
How Wall-Mounted Toilets Work
At first glance, a wall-mounted toilet appears to float above the floor, creating a striking visual effect. This is because the entire bowl is attached directly to the wall via a sturdy, hidden steel frame. The most significant component, the cistern (the water tank that holds and releases the flush), is concealed inside the wall cavity, along with all the plumbing. The only visible parts are the toilet bowl itself and the stylish flush plate on the wall. This clever design frees up a considerable amount of visible floor space, making the bathroom feel larger and more open—a crucial benefit in compact or narrow layouts.
Space Efficiency and Aesthetic Appeal
The primary advantage of wall-mounted toilets is their ability to transform a bathroom’s spatial perception. By removing the toilet from the floor and hiding the bulky cistern, they create a seamless and airy environment. This minimalist approach is especially effective in contemporary, Scandinavian, and minimalist interior designs, where clean lines and a lack of visual clutter are paramount. Furthermore, the absence of a floor-based pedestal makes cleaning the bathroom floor incredibly easy, as you can simply mop or sweep underneath the bowl without any obstruction.5 This not only saves time but also significantly improves bathroom hygiene.
Ergonomic and Customisable Features
Beyond aesthetics, wall-mounted toilets offer a surprising degree of customisation. The height of the toilet bowl can be adjusted during installation to suit individual preferences, making them ideal for households with tall or shorter members, or for those with mobility issues who find a standard toilet height uncomfortable. This ergonomic benefit is a key reason for their growing popularity in residential and commercial settings alike. Many models also feature a rimless bowl design, which simplifies cleaning and ensures a more hygienic flush.
Installation and Maintenance Considerations
While their benefits are clear, wall-mounted toilets require careful planning and professional installation. The process is more complex than a standard toilet and is best suited for new builds or major bathroom renovations where the wall structure can be opened up. The installer must fit a specialised load-bearing frame within the wall, which is then securely bolted to the floor and wall studs. This frame is what holds the entire weight of the toilet and the user. The plumbing for both the waste pipe and the water supply must also be carefully routed and connected within the wall cavity.
For maintenance, an access panel is typically installed in the wall, often integrated with the flush plate. While daily use is hassle-free, any significant repairs to the internal components would require a plumber to access the cistern through this panel. While this might sound daunting, the robust nature of modern in-wall systems means they are designed for long-term reliability, and major repairs are infrequent.
The Power of the In-Wall Cistern
The concept of the in-wall cistern is central to the design of a wall-mounted toilet, but it can also be used with other toilet types, creating a unified and streamlined look.
Definition and Structure
An in-wall cistern system is a pre-packaged unit that houses the toilet’s flushing mechanism and water tank entirely within the wall. It is the invisible engine that powers the modern toilet suite. The system typically consists of a sturdy frame, a durable plastic cistern, and a connection point for a flush plate. The flush plate itself is often a stylish, push-button panel that is the only part of the cistern visible to the user.
Advantages of In-Wall Systems
In-wall cisterns deliver a range of significant benefits:
- Exceptional Space Saving: By eliminating the bulky external tank, they can save up to 20 cm of space in a bathroom, a considerable amount in small layouts.
- Enhanced Hygiene and Cleaning: With fewer exposed surfaces and no gaps between the cistern and the wall, these systems are a dream to clean, as there are fewer places for dust and grime to accumulate.
- Superior Noise Reduction: The wall acts as a sound barrier, effectively muffling the noise of the cistern filling with water after a flush, providing a much quieter and more peaceful bathroom experience.
- Aesthetic Flexibility: In-wall cisterns allow for a variety of flush plate designs, from simple buttons to modern sensor-activated plates, which can be chosen to match the bathroom’s other fixtures and fittings.
Installation and Maintenance
The installation of an in-wall cistern requires a wall with sufficient depth, typically at least 10 cm, to accommodate the frame and tank. In new constructions or major remodels, this is easily factored into the design. In older homes, it might require building out the wall slightly to create the necessary cavity. As with wall-mounted toilets, professional installation is crucial to ensure the system is properly sealed and secured. The flush plate doubles as an access point for maintenance. While this can seem intimidating, modern systems are designed to be easily serviced by a qualified plumber, and the need for access is infrequent under normal use.
The Practical Solution: Skew Toilet Pans
While wall-mounted and in-wall toilets are often the go-to for contemporary design, a third modern option, the skew toilet, offers a highly practical solution to a common renovation challenge.
How Skew Toilets Work
A skew toilet is a type of toilet pan designed for specific plumbing configurations. Unlike standard toilets, which are connected to a waste pipe coming straight out of the floor or directly from the back of the wall, a skew toilet has its waste outlet angled to the side. This clever design allows the toilet to connect to a waste pipe that is offset to the left or right, often a legacy of older plumbing layouts or awkward architectural features.
The Practical Problem They Solve
In many renovation projects, a homeowner might want to replace an old toilet but discovers that the existing waste pipe is not in a standard position. Redirecting the pipe through the floor can be an expensive, labour-intensive, and disruptive process, requiring the breaking of concrete slabs or extensive re-plumbing. A skew toilet pan provides an elegant workaround, allowing for a modern toilet installation without the need for major structural changes. It solves a practical problem while still providing a clean and updated look.
Benefits and Ideal Scenarios
- Cost and Time Savings: The most significant advantage of a skew toilet is the avoidance of costly re-plumbing work. It simplifies the installation process, reducing both the overall cost and the time required for the bathroom renovation.
- Problem-Solving Design: They are the perfect solution for tricky spaces where plumbing cannot be easily altered.
- Improved Aesthetics: Modern skew pans have evolved beyond their purely functional origins. Today, many models are streamlined and stylish, offering a far more appealing aesthetic than the bulky toilets they often replace.
Who Should Consider a Skew Toilet?
A skew toilet is an excellent choice for anyone renovating a bathroom in an older home where the existing plumbing layout is non-standard. If you are replacing a toilet and find that the waste pipe is coming from the side rather than the back or floor, a skew toilet is a highly practical and budget-friendly option that can save you significant time and hassle.
Making the Right Choice: A Comparative Summary
Deciding between these modern toilet options depends on a combination of factors: your budget, the nature of your project (new build vs. renovation), and your aesthetic and functional priorities.
- Wall-Mounted Toilets: Best for those prioritising a sleek, minimalist look and who have the budget and scope for a major renovation or new build. Ideal for smaller bathrooms where creating a sense of space is crucial.
- In-Wall Systems: A component of the wall-mounted solution, but can be used with specific floor-mounted pans to hide the cistern. Best for those who want a clean, minimalist aesthetic and quiet operation but may not want the floating bowl.
- Skew Toilets: The practical hero of renovation. Best for homeowners who need to replace a toilet but are faced with non-standard plumbing configurations and want to avoid expensive and disruptive re-plumbing.
A Final Thought
The modern toilet has evolved from a simple necessity into a key design element. By understanding the unique features of wall-mounted, in-wall, and skew systems, you can select a fixture that not only meets your functional needs but also elevates the entire design of your bathroom. The right choice can save you space, simplify cleaning, and provide a quiet, comfortable experience for years to come. Whether you’re planning a complete bathroom renovation or simply upgrading your existing toilet, retailers like MyHomeware offer a comprehensive selection of modern toilet systems to help you find the perfect fit for your space and style preferences.