The water closet is a private bath concept that originated in sixteenth - century Europe and has become more and more popular in the United States .
Paul Dyer
The bathroom has many names : washroom , lavatory , loo , pulverization way , latrine , john , toilet , toilet facility . Outside the United States , you might see a bathroom designated as a " WC . " The abbreviation stand for " piss closet , " a 16th - century concept making a comeback in modern-day expression . The enclosed space separates bathroom fixtures , extend an attractive lineament for homeowner who desire privacy and practicality . So what exactly is a piss closet , and how is it unlike from a privy ?
Credit:Paul Dyer
What Is a Water Closet?
A water closet is a small room within a bathroom that house the stool and sometimes the cesspool . Using the toilet is the sole purpose of the infinite , and tucking it in its own way , often with a door , provide an extra layer of privacy . In a historical home , a water closet may be altogether separated from other bathroom fixtures ( shower , tub , sink , etc . ) by a wall or hall . New water closets often have apocket doorentrance , half - wall , or shelving unit as a partition between the toilet and the rest period of the bathroom .
Awater closetis a small room or enclosure with a toilet . Water closets are typically locate within a bathroom and class from the cesspool , tub , and shower .
Emily Minton - Redfield
Credit:Emily Minton-Redfield
A Brief History of the Water Closet
According to the British Association of Urological Surgeons , the first water supply cupboard was invented in the tardy 1500s as indoor toilets and plumbery were insert in European royal manse . Before the connection between sanitization and public health was better understood , outhouses , pots , and communal privies were the norm . The construct of a H2O cupboard , an indoor space housing a moneyed gutter , was ab initio a luxury available exclusively to the elite .
With clip and forward motion in plumbing , privy became routinely fit with pee loo , most commonly in the United Kingdom . In the United States , outhouses were wonted well into the 1950s , and a 2019 field discover that many Americans still rely on them . However , many upscale hotels and mansion incorporated the European water closet model in the early 1900s when indoor plumbing became more popular and accessible in American cities .
Why Is It Called a Water Closet?
When the piddle wardrobe was invented , it was called the " wash - down cupboard . " Over fourth dimension , the name was shorten to " water system closet . " The meaning finally got drop off as piddle closets and bathroom were merged in modern base construction to save blank . Because of this , the two terms are ordinarily used interchangeably but still are n’t quite the same thing .
Is a Water Closet the Same as a Half-Bath?
Many home now boast a advanced spin on the urine closet with ahalf - bathroom conceptthat combines a toilet and sink , ordinarily for guest use on ground floors . These small bathrooms are very standardized to water closet but are n’t quite the same due to the lack of nested privateness .
Benefits of a Water Closet
There are many good reason to consider building or reforge your bathroom to feature a water closet .
Hygiene
A water loo is hugely beneficial in a bathroom for hygienic reasons . Toilet plume(microscopic airborne droplet sprayed from the bathroom when scour ) contains a broad array of source and can circulate more than 5 feet in diameter . Airborne bacteria can contaminate other surfaces and objects in the privy , let in sinks , toothbrush , towels , and more . A water closet isolates the toilette in an enclosed area so those tiny atom ( and unpleasant odors ) are contained .
Privacy
A water closet is a vast secrecy bonus for avid hosts or those with gravid families . Having discrete spaces facilitates increased ease for those in need of the loo .
Multi-use Functionality
Water W.C. are ideal in bathroom suite , like a primary bathroom , because they take into account multiple people to practice the bathroom at the same time . This means one someone can apply the toilet while another dries their hair , showers , or brush their teeth . A piddle closet yield a much more effective use of the bathroom blank space .
Design and Installation Considerations
If you ’re considering adding a water cupboard to your current bathroom , it ’s authoritative to determine whether your bathroom has the space usable to hold the feature film . regard the room ’s dimensions , how a water loo would fit into the current catamenia of the quad , and the arrangement of the partition or door .
Properly placed plumbingand electrical systems are necessary for a functional water closet , and an exhaust buff is also a must . Other practical detail , such as a weewee - effective toilet , should also be factored intoyour undertaking budget .
If you buy a historical home , you may find that the plumbing system and rampart divisions are already in spot for a water closet . In such eccentric , it may make more sense to spruce up the original level architectural plan with shelving or lighting rather than endeavor to knock down walls for a more modernistic look . You may find that older rest home have a cesspit inside the body of water press , making the blank space look cramped — but there are design pickle tomaximize tight spaces .
Credit:Emily Followill
retrieve , any major changes to your plumbing will ask to encounter building codes and regulations . Check with local authority and house contracting experts in your surface area before breaking ground on your water water closet .
Kim Cornelison ; Interior excogitation : Tish Key
Decor Ideas for a Water Closet
retrieve of a water loo the same fashion you would apowder elbow room . It might be small , but it ’s subject of wee-wee an outsize design assertion . Do n’t just settle for paint the bulwark the same colour as the rest of the lavatory . Instead , try abold , saturated colorthat complement the remainder of the wall in the infinite . A water closet is also a good spot for awallpaperyou love . A tiny distance like this can wield a design that might calculate like too much across a larger surface area , so think this your permit to go for it .
" A abbreviated History of The Flush Toilet . “The British Association of Urological Surgeons .
Roller , Zoë et al . " Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States : A National Action Plan . " 2019 , Dig Deep and US Water Alliance , pp . 8 .
Credit: Emily Followill
Goforth , Madison et al . “Impacts of lid law of closure during stool flushing and of toilet bowlful cleaning on viral contaminant of surfaces in United States restrooms . “American Journal of Infection Control ( AJIC ) , vol . 52 , no . 2 , 2024 , AJIC . doi:10.1016 / j.ajic.2023.11.020
Credit:Kim Cornelison; Interior design: Tish Key
