Who said that everything must always be in sight? Monty Ravenscroft, a British engineer, invented Hidealoo, a toilet that disappears inside a piece of furniture when not in use, freeing up space in the bathroom.
Necessity sharpens the toilet
The idea was born when Monty had to install a toilet in his father's bedroom due to health problems. To maintain decorum, necessity stimulated ingenuity: with 25 years of experience, he felt he had a good idea in hand. It turns out to be a toilet that "hides" and closes in a piece of furniture as if it were a waste bin, or any built-in appliance.
Eureka At that point what do you do: do you stop? Certainly not. Together with the designer Sebastian Conran, Monty founded Hidealoo, the company that bears the name of the ghost toilet. Now the start-up is ready to launch its product on the market.
Durable and reliable
Hidealoo is rock solid – it has a steel frame capable of holding up to 400kg (882lbs). Even the flexible drain hose is no joke: it has been tested for 250.000 opening/closing cycles, guaranteeing a duration of at least 45 years, even if used 15 times a day (I don't wish you that).
Installation is also far from a Herculean undertaking. The company claims that “any competent DIYer or professional plumber can install it in just a few hours.” Hidealoo is compatible with any standard wall-hung toilet and easily connects to the waste pipe.
Oddity or new standard?
I find the Hidealoo a nice idea, especially for those who live in small apartments or want to optimize the use of the bathroom. I can already see this "switchblade" toilet appearing in some IKEA catalog among the space-saving solutions. Pozzetto would certainly have found him in the legendary Milanese apartment of "The Country Boy". Taaac.
But will it remain a boutade or will it teach? We will find it in all futures tiny house? The bathroom environment will become a "living room" dedicated to well-being, with bathroom fixtures transformed into appliances that can appear or disappear based on need.
Mysteries of design. Time will tell.
