Toilet Talk: Important Bathroom Decisions

Nobody stops mid-scroll to save a photo of a toilet.

You spend hours on Pinterest saving images of stunning walk-in showers, freestanding bathtubs, and beautifully lit vanities. You agonize over tile patterns and grout color. You debate whether the taps should be matte black or brushed gold. And then, somewhere near the end of the process, you point at a toilet in a catalog, say "that one looks fine," and move on.

You will use your toilet every single day, multiple times a day, for the entire life of your home. Whatever experience you have in that bathroom, comfortable, awkward, efficient, unpleasant, that toilet is a significant part of the equation. And unlike the tiles or the vanity, which you mostly look at, the toilet is something you actually use in a very specific, very personal way.

So... We need to talk about toilets: what they look like, special features, how they work, and why choosing the right one deserves attention.

Let's Establish Something First

Nobody goes to the bathroom to admire the view. The toilet exists to perform a function, and that function is not glamorous. The sooner we acknowledge that plainly and move on, the better the decisions we make.

This matters because most people, when they finally get around to choosing a toilet, are primarily thinking about aesthetics- the outer shape of the toilet and mostly how sleek and modern it is.

Aesthetics matter - but the right starting point is: what do I actually need this toilet to do, how do I need it to do it, and how do I need it to feel when I use it? Once you have answered those questions, the aesthetic piece follows naturally. And when you choose a toilet that works beautifully in every sense, the design element takes care of itself.

Rimless only

Traditional toilets have a rim, which is the lip that runs around the inside of the bowl. Water flows from the cistern through holes in that rim to flush the bowl. This is the typically the standard toilet you will find in more home in Israel. The problem with this design is that the rim creates a hidden surface that is extremely difficult to clean properly. Bacteria accumulates under the rim in a way that is invisible and largely unreachable with standard cleaning tools. You can scrub the visible surfaces of your toilet regularly and still have a hygiene problem you cannot see.

Rimless toilets eliminate that rim entirely. The flush uses directed water jets to clean the entire inner bowl surface in a single pass, and because there is no hidden ledge for bacteria to hide under, the bowl is dramatically easier to keep clean. You can actually see and reach every surface.

Today almost all new toilet designs are rimless and self-wash. The only real argument for a rimmed toilet is cost, and even that gap has narrowed considerably.

The Tank Question: Concealed vs. Exposed

The toilet tank holds the water used for flushing. An exposed tank sits behind or above the toilet bowl, visible in the room. It is the traditional configuration and still common in older homes. These kinds of toilets are called “monoblock”. It works reliably, is easy to access for repairs, and is less expensive than the concealed tank.

A concealed tank is built into the wall, with only the flush plate visible on the surface. This is the standard choice in contemporary bathroom design, and for good reason. It frees up floor space, creates a much cleaner visual line, and makes the toilet much easier to clean around since there is no tank sitting on the floor.

When concealed tanks first were made, it was a big deal to fix problems- you had to open the wall up to fix it. Today, this is not a common occurrence with quality products- make sure you choose a reputable brand toilet tank.

One practical note for Israeli renovations specifically: concealed tank installations require proper planning at the structural stage. If you are doing a full renovation, this needs to be in the conversation early on.

Wall-Hung vs. Floor-Mounted

Related to the tank question is the question of how the toilet itself is mounted.

A floor-mounted toilet sits on the floor and connects to a drain in the floor. It was once the most common configuration, simpler to install, and easier to retrofit into an existing space. Today this is almost obsolete, replaced with wall concealed tanks and wall mounted toilets.

Aesthetically, a wall-hung toilet creates a floating effect that makes a bathroom feel larger and more open. The uninterrupted floor line is one of those small visual choices that has a surprisingly large impact on how spacious a room feels, particularly in smaller Israeli bathrooms where every centimeter counts.

Practically, a wall-hung toilet is significantly easier to clean around. There is no base sitting on the floor, no crevice between the toilet and the tiles where grime accumulates. You can mop underneath it in a single pass.

The height of a wall-hung toilet is also adjustable at installation, which is something most people do not think about until it is too late. The standard floor-mounted toilet is manufactured at a fixed height that was designed around an average body. A wall-hung toilet can be set at whatever height is most comfortable for the people actually using it, which over the course of a lifetime of daily use is not a trivial consideration. (Building code in Israel has wall mount toilets at 42 cm height from the floor)

The Angle of the Matter

The angle and shape of the toilet bowl affects the experience of using it in ways that are directly related to physiology. The depth of the bowl, the angle of the back wall, the position of the seat relative to the drain: all of these affect posture, comfort, and frankly, efficiency.

If you are choosing between two toilets that are otherwise comparable, the bowl geometry is worth paying attention to. Pay attention to how the seat height and interior angle and depth of the bowl.

Wash Functions: The Bidet Question

Bidet toilets and bidet toilet seats are standard in much of Asia and increasingly common across Europe. In the US and parts of the English-speaking world, they are still seen as a novelty or a luxury. 

The options range from a simple bidet seat that retrofits onto your existing toilet bowl, to fully integrated smart toilet systems with adjustable water temperature, pressure, and direction, heated seats, dryers, and automatic flush functions.

For a renovation, the time to plan for this is at the beginning, not the end since there are plumbing specifications unique to these products. The cost range is wide. A basic bidet faucet is minimal cost. A top-of-the-range integrated system is a significant investment but one that tends to be deeply appreciated by everyone who uses it daily.

Water Efficiency

Modern toilets use a fraction of the water that older models consume per flush. Dual-flush systems, which offer a reduced flush for liquid waste and a full flush for solid waste, are now standard in most quality toilet ranges and mandatory in Israeli building codes for new construction. If you are replacing an older toilet, the water savings over time are meaningful.

Putting It All Together

A bathroom design that ignores the toilet is an incomplete design. The toilet is not a footnote. It is a central fixture in a room built around human function, and treating it as such from the beginning of the design process produces better outcomes on every level: hygiene, comfort, practicality, and yes, aesthetics too.

The best toilet for your bathroom is the one that has been chosen the same way you choose everything else: with intention and understanding.