Wednesday, February 19, 2014

ToTo USA = Royal Flush!


Chasen West Photography
 Where have I been?  If you have been reading the blog, you know I was in Las Vegas with Modenus Blogtour  having the time of my life at KBIS learning about fabulous products from legendary brands.  It was an action packed week spent learning who's who and what's what in the kitchen and bath industry.  One of the lines that I was most impressed by was TotoUSA.  Are you familiar with Toto?  Now I'm not talking about Dorothy's dog from the Wizard of Oz, so don't confuse this with that.  Toto is the world's largest plumbing manufacturer. (Click here to continue reading….)

I have to admit the first time I heard about Toto toilets was from Oprah Winfrey.  Let's face it, when Oprah talks about a product we all listen, right?  Oprah was quite amusing talking about how much she loved her Toto toilet.  I figured if it was good enough for Oprah, it was good enough for me.  Oprah is known for only having the best so it had to be good, right? One glance at the Toto website made me realize this wasn't just any toilet.  This website had a plethora of sleek products with amazing attention to detail.   If you could call a toilet sexy, this was definitely sexy. 

 As a designer, you know I am into the details, so finding Toto was sheer Heaven for me.  In my line of work, I often hear clients with new construction say "I hate water saving toilets" so I'm hoarding old toilets, that I want to install in my house after inspection. That's when I say, allow me introduce you to Toto. Toto high efficiency toilets, faucets and showers lead the industry in water and energy conservation while also offering an amazing first-rate user experience.  Their commitment to environmental sustainability goes "beyond government compliance."  Products like Toto make me look good as a designer.  That's why my clients love me!  After all, don't' we all want products that make our lives more efficient?


 After almost a century of being in the business   Toto has perfected the art of plumbing.  They amazingly don't stop with perfection but continue to push the boundaries of cutting edge design by continuing to introduce new products that wow. They are committed to maintaining the perfect balance of form, function and design.  Not only does Toto have high efficiency products, that actually work without double flushing, but their products are top quality,luxury with the latest technology across the board.  

Via

Toto introduced the next generation Neorest at KBIS. The ultra high efficiency Neorest 750H cleanses itself using  breakthrough  ActilightTMand eWater+TM Technologies

Chasen West Photography
The Neorest 750H brought home the Best of Show KBIS silver award for this latest version of high-efficiency toilets.
This product uses no more than one gallon per flush.  High-efficiency coupled with self-cleaning made this toilet a prime candidate  for winning the KBIS Best of Show. This model won't be on the market until April or May,so it was exciting to see it first hand at the show. (Did I just admit to being excited about a toilet? )  Yes, it was exciting!  Toto exhibited a dissected version at the show so we could see exactly how each feature of this "state of the art" toilet works.  Did I mention it has a motion-activated lid?  

Chasen West Photography
  The most important part of the Toto design concepts begin with their philosophy of "people first" innovation.  In other words, they think first about what people need then design accordingly.  At KBIS 2014, they shared their thought process through three vignettes in their exhibit.   

At KBIS we learned that Toto is more than just toilets. Their exhibit revealed how versatile Toto Products are.  Their exhibit addressed their "Toto Everywhere motto," which was to communicate a Toto Global presence everywhere from home to commercial spaces.  There were four vignettes featured at KBIS.  To create these vignettes, Toto partnered with Crossville Tile for tile and Villeroy & Boch for mirrors and vanities.  The three lifestyle vignettes demonstrated at the show were built to explain the company's approach to
 "Total Design".   Take a look at the vignettes at KBIS:

Chasen West Photography 

Universal Design Master Suite
  • Testament to the TOTO Total Design Principle – we believe that great design, like great performance, is for everyone.  We strive to make our products as inclusive as possible.
  • The vignette represented a bathroom for a family with varying needs that incorporates Universal Design principles without sacrificing design.
  • The Connelly Faucet featured lever handles that are easy to turn for someone that may have limited range of motion in their hands.
  • The custom vanity was mounted at ADA height and the shower had no threshold, to allow someone in a wheelchair easy access. 
  

The custom vanity was mounted at ADA height and the shower had no threshold, to allow someone in a wheelchair easy access which works beautifully for an "aging in place" style bathroom. 

Chasen West Photography
 The only separation between the vanity area and the shower was a glass panel to contain the water in the shower area. The shower fixtures were placed at heights appropriate for a person in a wheelchair.  The hand held fixture allows for the user to shower comfortable without standing.  

Chasen West Photography
The tile floor of the shower meshed seamlessly with the tile of the rest of the bathroom.  With no thresholds dividing the two spaces allowed for ease of mobility with the wheel chair.  The bench style seating in the shower was perfect for an all ages but especially nice for the elderly or handicap to sit on, while enjoying a relaxing shower.  

Chasen West Photography
  • Featured the Neorest 750H with Actilight Technology.  The Neorest 750H is Universal Height to allow for comfortable use for everyone. 
Chasen West Photography
  • Urban Micro Bath
    • Bathrooms with a smaller footprint are becoming more popular.
    • Inspired by a small bathroom in a metropolitan area like New York or Tokyo.
    • Featured the Maris Wall-Hung Toilet that saves up to 9 inches of space versus a traditional floor mount toilet.

Photo Credit Via
Luxury Guest Suite
  • Designed to look like a luxury hotel room.
  • Featured the Keane Faucet Collection launching this Spring. Includes faucets, showers and accessories.
Chasen West Photography

This vignette featured the Nexus Freestanding tub with a floor mounted tub-filler.


The Nexus tub offers enamel cast iron construction.  Did you know if your tub is made of cast iron the water stays warmer longer?  The exterior of this tub is made of an acrylic composite which makes it easier to keep clean.


Everyone at KBIS was talking about the Luminist Sinks in the luxury public spaces.



  • Luxury Public Space
    • Featured the Luminist Lavatory with LED lighting.
    • Featured the Helix EcoPower Faucet. EcoPower faucets require no electricity or routine battery replacement because they’re powered by the force of running water.  
    • Urinals paired with EcoPower Flush Valves used 1/8 GPF



These sinks were fabulous!  If you notice the sink in the first picture has a black drain cover that fits into the sink allowing just the rim to shine.  These sinks would give a sophisticated glow to a residential or commercial space.   Made from durable, scratch resistant epoxy resin, this vessel style sink gives the look of translucent glass.  So beautiful!


There were so many awesome new Toto products at KBIS. There isn't enough room to talk about all of them here.  Make sure to visit their website to see all Toto's great products and to read more about this company's commitment to excellence and cutting edge technology.  


If you would like to keep abreast of new products at Toto make sure to follow them on all their social media channels:

Have I gotten you excited about Toto?  Are you already a Toto convert? If so do tell which Toto products you have and love?  If not, would you like to be?  Here's how you can be a Toto Waterlet s350e owner….


make sure you fill in all the necessary information like
name, email, etc where appropriate!!  Register to win today!

I'm sure if you have Toto products, you will agree, that 
Toto = A Royal Flush.  Their products are built of the highest quality and have products that appeal to everyone!

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