This is not going to be a real ranking. We have decided to select the best sanitaryware and their representative WC seats in the rectangular shape category. They have been selected on the basis of several elements: aesthetics (quality jury/industry insiders/media vote), market success in terms of number of sales (popular vote) and mention by the team Sintesibagno and Copriwater.it (artistic direction vote). We’re going to list ten that we’ll consider to have all come in second (and not tenth from the bottom) and a single winner who will take the top step of the podium! Well let’s start by looking at these ten incredible rectangular sanitaryware and their toilet covers.
CONCA series by Ideal Standard
Il sanitario più leggendario di tutto il mondo arredobagno. Uno dei papabili vincitori di questa speciale classifica: Conca. Ha introdotto talmente tante novità che ne abbiamo parlato in tanti post precedenti: “The CONCA toilet bowl and toilet seat and its ‘brothers‘”, where we saw how almost all ceramic companies competing with Ideal Standard took their cue from the Conca shape and its incredible sales success to create very similar series. See CLIO by Globo, DUCCIO by Senesi, POLO by Catalano, ADDA di Facis to name a few. We saw in the post:: ”The toilet seat cover CONCA. Find out which product is perfect for the Ideal Standard toilet (the ultimate version)” all the features the perfect Conca toilet seat must have. We have talked about some specific features in these posts:: “Ideal Standard toilet seats and sanitaryware old models (part 1)”, “Sanitaryware rectangular shapes. Why do all toilet seat covers for this toilet look the same?“, “White as white can be! So why is white different in Ideal Standard sanitaryware?”, “The colours of sanitary ware and toilet seats: green, pink, light blue, blue, brown…(part 2)”, “Sanitaryware with a raised top. WC seats with 45° fixing hinges (part 1)”, where we saw her particular curve and rear elevation introduced by her. “Why are sloping bumpers needed on some WC seats? (part 2)”. All these peculiarities have made the Conca series go through the last 40 years of bathroom furniture history and arrive until today. In the Ideal Standard catalogue it is still available. Clearly in the Sintesibagno store you will find all the Conca WC seats in all colours, in all materials (even the thermosetting wraparounds) and in all price ranges… at the following link [ open LINK ]
VELARA series by Ideal Standard
Let’s stay in the “house” Ideal Standard with this series proposed in the 70s / 80s that was called: Velara. Still very common in the bathrooms of many houses in Italy and often mistaken for Conca. Very squared shape both in the upper part and in the body of the sanitaryware, unlike Conca, however, the hinges are not inclined at 45° but parallel to the plane, so you have to be careful to buy the correct cover because otherwise you can not mount it. It’s a sanitaryware clearly out of production for a long time, however, are available toilet seats like the old originals in all colours at the following link [ open LINK ]
EBLA Dolomite series sanitaryware
Among the discontinued rectangular series that deserve to be included in this special ranking is certainly this Dolomite sanitary ware, called Ebla. It was rightly a great success, the upper part is the first example of a rectangle with almost 90° angles, but also the body itself is made with markedly square geometric cuts. Here are the links to the Dolomite section in our shop where you can easily find spare parts for the Ebla model! At the following link [ open LINK ]
RIO series by Ceramica Dolomite
Another Dolomite sanitary ware, again rectangular in shape, but with slightly rounded corners. Designed by the architect Giorgina Castiglioni, it was an attempt to enter (successfully) the market sector of CONCA and sanitary ware with rectangular form by Ceramica Dolomite. An important sanitary ware, its square shape with wide curved corners set the standard in the industry. It was produced in white, champagne, grey and green and the toilet seats are all available in the store at the following link [ open LINK ]
EMILIA series by Vavid
A series out of production from the 1970s produced by Vavid: Emilia. Two very slight curves were added to the classic rectangular shape on the long sides of the sanitary ware, making the design new and distinctive. It obtained a great success with the public in that period. All toilet seats, in the official colours: white, champagne, mink and brown, you can find them in the Sintesibagno store at the following link [ open LINK ]
TERRA series by Ceramica Flaminia
Let’s leave aside the old, discontinued series and their toilet covers and start looking at the more modern, rectangular-shaped sanitaryware series. Let’s start with Terra by Flaminia ceramics. We talked about it in the post: ”The FLAMINIA design series. Not just WCs and bidets, but LINK, SPIN, TERRA…. and their original toilet seats.” (where we also saw LINK and SPIN) and from there we quote a passage to make you understand the importance that this Flaminia series has had in the evolution of modern bathroom design: “”We are at the beginning of the 2000s, it is a time of great ferment in the bathroom sector. Many companies in the sector want to oust Ideal Standard and Dolomite from their throne of market supremacy. The ceramics companies of the Civita Castellana district understood that the public was looking for new forms and design and great designers entered the bathroom. One of the companies that best interprets the trend of the moment is certainly Ceramica Flaminia that presents one after the other ceramic series that have all become best-sellers (see Link and Spin) and among them we find Terra. With this series, the company strikes again and achieves another sales success and breaks new ground in ceramic shapes. The upper shape of the vase, which is precisely rectangular with slightly rounded corners, and its change of depth towards the floor make it unique at that time. It is still beautiful today almost twenty years after its presentation. Here are the links to the Flaminia section in our shop where you can easily find spare parts for the Terra model! At the following link [ open LINK ]
FROZEN series by Ceramica SIMAS
It’s impossible to get any more square and angular than that. With Frozen, Simas shows off its craftsmanship, which has now become a major industry. Being able to have such precise planes and angles with a ceramic product is truly a challenge for few. We are almost at the perfection of the (rectangular) shape. The culmination of design trying to create a product that is always mentioned when talking about the category it belongs to. That’s right, in the bathroom sector, when it comes to modern square/rectangular sanitary ware the point of reference is this series produced by Simas. It could only be called Frozen. In terms of sales, it has been quite successful. Not a best seller, but this was only due to the high cost of the elements which was amply justified given the production costs, but not affordable for everyone. The original toilet seats for this sanitary ware, both the first version in white coated wood and the version in wrap-around thermoset (also available with slow motion hinges) can be found at the following link [ open LINK ]
OUTLINE series by Althea
Also from that period (early 2000s) we like to remember a series by Althea: it was called Outline. Perhaps the most revolutionary and courageous, from a formal point of view, sanitaryware of the last 20 years. Strictly rectangular shape, but here the strong element was the emptying of the central part of the body of the sanitary ware, leaving in sight the siphon of the toilet bowl and that of the bidet, not to mention the colours and decorations presented by the company. Here are the links to the Althea section in our shop where you can easily find spare parts for the Outline model! At the following link [ open LINK ]
SPACE STONE series by Ceramica Globo
They were part of the broader Open Space project by Ceramic Globo, which we talked about in the post: ”The OPEN SPACE ceramic Globo project. Modern sanitary ware and their covers”. Rectangular in shape with corners softened by wide curves on the front (a line much imitated by other competing companies), it was produced both floor-standing and suspended, but above all, as we say in the post just mentioned, in two different depths 54.36 and 45.36, and this explains the success they both achieved with designers and architects who, and I quote the post: “Same shape DNA but reduced overall dimensions. A dream for architects, who while maintaining the stylistic thread can insert the same elements in much smaller spaces (see second bathrooms)” Here are the links to the Globo section in our shop where you can easily find spare parts for the Stone model! At the following link [ open LINK ]
EGO series by Kerasan
Another interpretation of the rectangular shape. Kerasan is in love with rectangular shapes and here this shape reaches its maximum expression. The upper surface of the vase is perfectly rectangular, which may remind us of other competing ceramic series, but it is in the body that the novelty lies. The idea comes from designer Simone Anzellini: Ego can be defined as a rectangle without corners. The company describes it as a ‘rounded square’. You can find its toilet seat, like the Orginale, in thermoset with wrap-around lid in the Sintesibagno store at the following link [ open LINK ]
DIAL series by Hidra Ceramica
Only master ceramists could manage to start with a rounded body and end up with a rectangular shape on the upper level. Dial is a small revolutionary and innovative masterpiece from a formal point of view. The ability to create a sanitary ware with a rectangular top without any corners immediately won over the market and the taste of modern bathroom customers. This led the company to also offer a slightly smaller version which it clearly called Mini Dial. Be careful when buying a toilet seat because the two models, similar in shape, are different in size and measurements. Both original toilet seats for these Hidra series can be found in the store at the following link [ open LINK ]
In our opinion, these rectangular sanitary ware represent the rectangular shape category at its best. We had promised ourselves to choose a winner, but after careful consideration we decided to put them all on the same level and leave it to the public who have chosen them to put in their bathroom over the years to judge which is the best! What is certain is that if you have to change the toilet seat to any of these toilet seats and you don’t know the name, it could be easy to make a mistake in your purchase. If you can’t find the right toilet seat or have any doubts about the compatibility and accuracy of the toilet seat to buy, just 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:
