What are these circumstances?
Well, in the first place a particularly small bathroom and a small distance between the side wall and the toilet itself.
The toilet should have a minimum distance from the wall so that the latter does not come to be touched with the shoulder, when sitting on the toilet.
Now, in most cases the drains should have been made in such a way as to avoid such inconveniences, but in particularly small bathrooms here you can get to face similar problems.
In the case of a small bathroom the first thing to do is to organize the layout of the sanitary ware in the best possible way, in extreme cases remove the bidet and buy a toilet with integrated bidet.
The corner toilet, on the other hand, allows you to make the most of the corner of the bathroom with all the critical issues that this entails and that I will explain below.
Like all types of sanitary ware, corner toilets are sold in different versions:
- Suspended or floor standing
- With wall or floor drainage
- With or without built-in cistern
Having a corner toilet means looking at the center of the room when you do your business, this ensures that arms and legs have space and are not forced against the wall.
In short, this corner toilet isn't just saving space, it's making the most of it. In other words: it makes a space usable that otherwise could not be used for the purpose for reasons of distances that sanitary ware should have, from each other and from the walls themselves.
This does not mean that the minimum distances between the sanitary ware must be respected, in summary, we can say that the minimum distance between sanitary ware should be at least 8 inches.
However, the water closet is not the only sanitary that could occupy the corner position, much more often is the washbasin to be "put in the corner" thanks to the fact that the drains are easier to direct and the fact that, however, the cabinet covers any underlying pipes in a much easier way.
We do not even talk about the shower, it is certainly the one that first tends to be placed in an angular position.
Wall hung corner toilet: the most complicated choice
As I have already written the installation of the corner toilet presents some problems that we will also see later, but right now I want to focus on the type of corner toilet that is certainly the most difficult to install: the wall-hung toilet.
All wall hung toilets, including the wc, need special attention because their weight is not discharged on the floor but on the wall.
Hence the need to have particularly strong anchors and a wall that does not create problems to integrate these anchors.
When it comes to a wall-hung corner toilet, however, things get even more complicated because it is taken for granted that the drain is not on the floor.
If the drain is not on the floor it must be on the wall but rarely are wall drains made right in the corner.
This is for a number of reasons, the first of which is that in the corners it often happens to find reinforced concrete beams that would be difficult to bypass.
For this reason the solution of the wall-hung corner toilet is to be discarded and, as far as I know, there are no manufacturers who sell a sanitary fixture of this type.
The best solution
The best solution, excluding the corner wall-hung toilet, I believe is the one-piece corner toilet.
What is this all about?
We are talking about a corner, flush toilet that covers the entire wall from the water cistern to the floor.
This makes the toilet aesthetically pleasing and leaves no space behind the bowl, at floor level, where it is always difficult to go and clean.
The angular backpack cistern is the natural extension of the base. A cistern built into the wall would be a difficult solution for a corner toilet.
Again: we are talking about a sanitary from the "canonical" form in the sense that it has an oval seat that, in my personal opinion is also the most comfortable and functional.
As we will see a little further on there are very interesting design solutions that have, however, a fairly unusual shape.
The drain, a very important thing to consider, is on the floor and this facilitates the installation of the sanitary, provided that the best thing is to imagine a bathroom with an angular toilet since its design.
Replace a traditional toilet already present with an angled one is not impossible but it certainly creates complications.
The alternative to the one-piece model is a toilet whose only flush cistern is at an angle while the bowl that supports it has a more traditional look, if you can call it that.
It is not the solution I prefer because the rear part of the bowl remains visible and must be cleaned, with all the difficulties involved.
Flush toilets are always the most functional and aesthetically pleasing solution compared to all other types, and even for the corner toilet I think we can consider this statement valid.
Corner toilet by Hatria
The Italian corner toilet by Hatria, from the You and Me series, is perhaps the most compact and stylish solution you can find on the market.
Combined with the wall-hung corner washbasin from the same series, they can make even the most cramped bathroom a pleasant and functional place.
As functional as a really small bathroom can be, but while this is a very nice looking solution, it does somehow lack in comfort.
The sink is more of a hand basin than something to do your daily grooming in, and the toilet has somewhat unique features.
While the toilet block is essentially a cube, the seat is circular rather than oval and this may appeal to some and others may not.
The drain is in the floor and the sanitary ware is ceramic flush with the wall.
I repeat: from the aesthetic and functional side there is nothing to object to, but perhaps about the comfort may arise some doubt. The fact remains that if the bathroom is really small solutions like this are a real blessing because the alternative would be the non-use of the bathroom itself.
The model in the photo is on sale HERE.
Okay, based on what has been written, let's try to make a summary of the pros and cons of this particular corner positioned sanitary ware.
Corner toilet: advantages and disadvantages
Pros
- Minimizing the corner space of the bathroom where the toilet is normally placed;
- Aesthetically pleasing and functional solution;
- Often the only possible solution to have a second bathroom while respecting the distances between the sanitary;
- Easy installation if this takes place immediately having in mind in the design of the bathroom this type of sanitary.
Cons
- Very complicated to switch from a traditional toilet to a corner toilet, it may require a good deal of work, if it is possible, to properly hook the drain;
- It seems almost trivial to say this but, before buying a corner toilet, check all the measurements thoroughly so that you are aware, from the beginning, if the installation is feasible or not;
- It is impossible to flush the toilet on the wall if not through a curve that connects to a wall, otherwise you would have to have the flush right in the corner, which is very unlikely;
- The price of corner toilets is much higher than traditional ones.