What do we look for in a bathroom? The question tends to return the same set of priorities – efficiency, hygiene, quietness, sense of order – but in practice these qualities are rarely addressed simultaneously, and even less often through a single element. The bathroom remains a space where performance and spatial constraints intersect in a particularly obvious way, requiring luminaires that are not only reliable but also able to adapt to increasingly compact layouts without adding visual or functional complexity.
Roca’s Avant toilet is positioned as a compact and carefully resolved response to the persistent spatial and functional limitations of modern bathrooms, where the demand for efficiency increasingly overlaps with expectations for comfort, quietness and visual clarity. Rather than relying on overt stylistic gestures, the project works by improving the typology of the toilet itself, starting with a structural revision: the integration of the cistern directly into the bowl.
With its all-in-one configuration, Avant eliminates the need for external elements that traditionally occupy physical and visual space, resulting in a more contained volume that can be more easily adapted to a range of bathroom layouts, from compact urban environments to more generous residential environments. The reduction in depth – about twenty centimeters compared to conventional toilets – becomes particularly important in projects where every centimeter has an impact on usability and circulation.
At the same time, the absence of an exposed faucet or, in the wall-mounted version, a visible sink plate contributes to a quieter visual field, in line with a wider trend towards minimal, discreet bathroom environments where fixtures are expected to recede rather than dominate. This formal neutrality is intentional: the Avant toilet does not impose a specific aesthetic language. Instead, it adapts to different interior scenarios, acting as a background element that supports rather than defines the overall design.
Roca’s Avant toilet © Roca
Roca’s Avant toilet © Roca
Roca’s Avant toilet © Roca
Roca’s Avant toilet © Roca
Roca’s Avant toilet © Roca
The technical dimension remains integral, but is framed as part of a wider effort to ensure adaptability. Avant is available in both non-electric and electric versions, responding to different infrastructure conditions without altering the overall design language. The standard model operates without electricity when the mains water supply meets the minimum requirements, while the Avant-E version introduces an electrical connection to ensure stable performance where these conditions are not guaranteed. This dual approach allows the system to remain flexible without introducing unnecessary complexity, maintaining a balance between functionality and clarity of use.
Flexibility is further enhanced by the availability of two configurations – a floor-standing model and a wall-mounted version scheduled for release at the end of last year, 2025 – each responding to different architectural and installation logics while maintaining the same integrated principle. Beyond its spatial qualities, Avant deals with a more subtle but increasingly relevant aspect of bathroom design, which is acoustic comfort.
We know that conventional toilets often produce a level of noise that can be annoying, particularly in smaller homes or in spaces where bathrooms are closely connected to living or sleeping areas – so by rethinking the internal mechanisms of the flushing system, the Avant toilet reduces noise by around fifteen percent, contributing to a discreet user experience and control.
This improvement is achieved through the application of the Venturi effect, which regulates the flow of water within the integrated tank, resulting in a flush that is both efficient and more limited, with reduced swirling and splashing. Developed in collaboration with the French company SIAMP, this system highlights how the project relies on precision engineering to support everyday comfort.
Attention to use continues in water and sanitation management. Avant incorporates a dual-flush system that allows users to adjust water consumption as needed, while the Rimless Vortex dispenser directs water in a controlled, circular motion, improving coverage and reducing splashing. The absence of a traditional rim simplifies cleaning by eliminating areas where dirt tends to accumulate, and the Supraglaze treatment applied to the interior surfaces further facilitates maintenance by limiting particle adhesion. These elements do not introduce new visual features, but instead reinforce the idea of a product designed to remain effective and distinctive over time.
Maintenance and installation are approached with the same logic of simplification. The design allows for easy access to internal components, an aspect that is often secondary to formal integration, but essential over the life of the product. The sealless flushing system reduces the risk of leaks, while, in the wall-mounted version, the integrated cistern minimizes the extent of wall intervention usually required for concealed systems, simplifying installation and reducing its overall complexity. These decisions contribute to a system that is not only compact, but also consistent and predictable in long-term use, and that meets European standards by integrating elements into the design rather than treating them as an added feature.
The wider significance of the Avant toilet lies in its attempt to reconcile multiple, often competing requirements – space optimization, acoustic comfort, water efficiency, ease of maintenance and formal neutrality – in a single, cohesive object, reflecting the brand’s effort to remain true to its principles. It does not propose a radical departure from the conventional toilet in visual terms, but instead improves its internal logic to produce gradual but tangible improvements in everyday use.
In this sense, the work reflects a realist approach innovationwhere design works through adaptation and calibration rather than visible disruption. For designers and specifiers, this translates into a product that can be integrated with relative ease into different types of projects, offering specific benefits without requiring major changes to existing design strategies.
With over a century of industrial activity, Rocket operates at the intersection of manufacturing and designing bathroom solutions for architecture, construction and interior projects. Founded in 1917, the company has maintained a consistent set of principles – innovation, technical expertise and a steadfast focus on environmental responsibility – that inform its development processes at every stage, from production to final application.
This approach translates into the adoption of advanced manufacturing techniques and materials, alongside a constant effort to reduce water and energy consumption and to simplify product assembly. Today, this operating model spans seventy-eight factories worldwide, supporting a distribution network that reaches more than 150 countries. Within this global context, Roca is a leader in Europe and Latin America, while maintaining a consolidated presence in China, wider Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Africa.
