If you're like most Americans, you probably don't pay much attention to your toilet, ascribing to it-as I do-the most utilitarian of qualities apropos of the phrase "out of sight, out of mind." My experience has been that the trepidation around the aesthetic and functional potential of the w/c betrays a cultural bias. Case in point: European cultures from Spain, to France, to Italy seem to be much more at ease with the toilet as an A&D object, always in mind of the hygienic feature of the bidet (a concept that makes many Westerners shudder in horror).

Aqualet. Designed by New Linea Italia.

New toilet designs like Vitra's Freedom and Toto's Washlet meld high-function with a slim, space-saving aesthetic. And another lovely loo with a "let" suffix is making the rounds out of Italy: Aqualet by New Linea Italia is a wall-mounted number that's easy on your floor space. And its many programmable hygiene modes will give you a daily dose of hygienic harmony.

Aqualet's true innovation is its hidden, subtly integrated bidet. Contrary to traditional bidets, this feature does not require an additional 200 lbs of ceramic, but only the slight protuberance of a retractable plastic wand. The term "wand" works well in this regard, since Aqualet's easy cleansing act has a magician's gift for the quick change (if you're in need of a visual check out the Aqualet Video). A side-mounted control panel gives you the power to oscillate among Aqualet's multiple cleansing settings and other useful features: specified wand angles for "posterior" or "feminine" uses, adjustable water pressure, aerated spray or intensive impulse functions, continuous water heater, automated warm air dryer, automatic wand cleansing, heated seat, soft-close lid–there's even a "massage" function (I'll leave it to readers to speculate).

Aqualet is available in several different models (6210, 6235, 6035, and M400), each of which has slight differences in programmability and number of features. The M400 is the bare bones economical version, but even that model has an operator friendly control panel and variable water pressure options–which may be all you need to bring your morning ritual to a most fortuitous conclusion.

Via Trendir.