Speaking of Ideal Standard sanitary wares (old models), which contributed to making the ceramic company a market leader in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, we must mention Conca. These sanitary ware series (starting with Conca) had a great impact on the lines of the bathroom furniture market, so much so that they were often copied or taken as examples for their innovative shapes.
They are considered old models because production started a long time ago, but they still look current. In particular, Conca has remained popular to this day. The only difference from the early production is the toilet seat cover made of thermosetting plastic material, which modernised the profile of the vase. Conca’s sales peak came in the 1980s and 1990s, when Ideal Standard designers launched a series of colourways that we often find in the homes of friends and relatives built in those years.
Sanitary wares with rectangular/square shapes are a recent appearance in the history of bathroom fittings. Conca represents this category at its best. The Conca series has been a great sales success, which often leads customers, both private and professional, to confuse this model with other toilets in bathrooms and to buy the wrong toilet seat. We often hear the phrase ‘I was told it was definitely Conca’ after a hasty purchase, based mainly on the similarity of shape or colour (the official Conca colours can be seen in our online shop).
But let’s see what makes this Ideal Standard sanitary ware and its toilet seat covers special.
The rear of the toilet seat is RAISED. The toilet seat with 45° hinges
The sloping floor concept in sanitary ware was introduced by Conca, although other manufacturers such as Ceramica Dolomite presented similar products, such as the Epoca series, in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it was Ideal Standard that made this feature popular with the general public. The bathroom world looked to Conca for inspiration to create sanitary ware with a sloping top at the back. The holes for fixing the toilet seat are positioned on the curve of the riser, not on the flat part of the sanitary ware. For this reason, the toilet seat hinges must have a 45° angle for correct positioning.
Watching videos on our channel (clik here), you can see how the inclined hinge is made. The Conca WC covers are available in the Sintesibagno store in various materials and colours, including Eu white, Ideal Standard white, champagne, mink, kashmir, beaver, walnut, whisper blue, backdrop blue, blueberry, whisper green, fern green, whisper grey, pomegranate, cactus, black, manchurian yellow and dune yellow. All these products can be purchased in the store via the following link [ clik here ]
Why does the CONCA toilet seat cover need angled bumpers?
There are toilets with a step on the top (as described in the post [ clik here ]) and others with a smooth but slightly inclined upper surface, as in the case of the Conca WC. In this case, the grommets are not shaped, but inclined to ensure stability and sturdiness of the toilet seat. This Ideal Standard WC has a sloping rear surface and requires 45° inclined hinges for the WC seat. It also comes standard with sloping bumpers for extra grip and durability. These high-quality products can be found in the store at the link [ clik here ]
What is the difference between Ideal Standard white and European white?
In recent years, those who have had to change their Conca toilet seat covers have noticed a strange shade of white, called ‘Ideal Standard White’, devised by Ideal Standard and its marketing strategists. This white tends to grey, but the contrast is only perceptible when placed next to a ‘pure’ white. Until the early 2000s, Ideal Standard had two shades of white: ‘Ideal Standard White’ and ‘EU (European) White’, which is milk white. To tell whether you have sanitary ware in one colour or the other, simply use a sheet of white paper. Conca toilet seats in the ‘White Ideal Standard’ colour are still available in the Top Quality and e-business variant in the Sintesibagno store at the following link [ clik here ]
In which colours was the Conca toilet and its covers produced?
The Ideal Standard Conca WC and toilet seat cover is available in a wide range of colours, including white, Ideal Standard white, whisper grey, whisper light blue, whisper blue, blueberry, whisper green, fern green, cactus green, champagne, mink, kashmir, beaver, walnut, pomegranate, whisper pink, and black. Sintesibagno offers all variants of Conca toilet seats in all colours, materials (including thermosetting wraparound) and prices. Find your favourite variant on the following link [ clik here ]
Which sanitary wares are similar to the Conca model by Ideal Standard? Let’s find out to avoid mistakes when purchasing the correct toilet seat cover.
GLOBO Clio series : The success of Ideal Standard’s Conca series has inspired many competing companies to create a sanitary ware similar in form. However, Ceramica Globo decided to make a change to the centre distance of the Conca. As a result, some customers ask for the Conca toilet seat with an 18 cm centre distance, which does not exist. However, Globo offers the Clio model, which has a specific wheelbase and a similar shape to the Conca. You can find spare parts for the Clio model in the Globo section of our store at the following LINK [ clik here ]
Ideal Standard AERO series: The Aero vase is considered the luxury version of Conca, also produced by Ideal Standard. With larger dimensions and rounded corners, it has a distinct design but is often mistaken for the Conca. It used to be available with a wrap-around thermoset toilet seat cover that gave it a futuristic look, but unfortunately it is no longer available. We have developed a dedicated version in polyester-coated wood in the various colours. You can find them in the Sintesibagno store at the following LINK [ clik here ]
Ceramiche Senesi Duccio series: Among the many imitations of Conca, we have also selected Duccio. The shape is similar, but Senesi’s ceramists have made a small creative change. In this case, only the fixing points of the toilet seat cover are angled at 45°. This creates a beautiful visual effect where the toilet seat appears to be suspended. Duccio toilet seats are available in white and all official colours, you can find them here [ clik here ]
Gsi Facis Adda series: We close this article with an old Facis (now GSI) series, the rectangular-shaped Adda series, which is no longer produced. Today, even among experts in the field, it is often mistaken for the Conca series, but looking at it closely, you can see that, despite the raised rear surface, the toilet seat cover fixing is on the lower flat part and therefore does not require an inclined hinge. You can find Adda toilet seats in white and other colours at the following LINK [ clik here ]
Ideal Standard Velara series: The shape is rectangular like Conca, the similar dimensions and the same colours often lead users to error. How to avoid it? Let’s talk about this 1970s and 1980s vase. The Velara series was proposed by Ideal Standard about 10 years before the Conca series. It was quite successful on the market, certainly not comparable to the Conca series, but it is still present in many Italian bathrooms. Customers looking for the right toilet seat cover for this sanitary ware, enter our site, go to the Ideal Standard toilet seat section, don’t remember the name of the toilet (rightly so, it’s been several years since they had their bathroom redone), start flipping through the pages, see the Conca in its colours and… yes it’s him, let’s buy it! Unfortunately, they received the package at home, tried to install it and realised that the hinges do not fit. That’s right, the Conca is fitted with hinges with a 45° angle to fit perfectly into the riser it has at the back (see photo of the Conca vase at the beginning of this article), whereas for the Velara the hinges are standard and suitable for a perfectly horizontal plane.
If you have any doubts send via e-mail or WhatsApp (3341288978) to our staff photos of the toilet bowl and they will assess whether it is Conca or Velara for the correct purchase of the toilet seat. If you are sure you have a Velara toilet bowl in your bathroom and you are looking for the toilet seat cover in white or in the other colours produced by the ceramic manufacturer, you can access this LINK [ clik here ]
We have discovered that a rectangular WC is not necessarily the Conca from Ideal Standard. And the more we talk about it, the more we realise that an adaptable/universal toilet seat cover bought quickly and without much care in some mall or DIY store probably won’t be as accurate for your toilet bowl as originally thought. Apart from the aesthetic side, which will probably not look so good, the practical side also plays a not inconsiderable role; if the toilet seat is not accurate, its service life will be very short.
