The history of the bathroom has been rewritten time and time again. It is usually fuelled by technical achievements, material innovations or develops in line with people's needs and the architectural framework. Product traditions and aesthetic archetypes developed from the personal hygiene culture and technical equipment. For example, a wash bowl with a water jug on the dresser in the bedroom was for a long time a style-defining furnishing element for the morning toilet. The triumph of the floor-standing WC is based solely on the technical conditions of the domestic installation. And the installation of wall-hung WCs or bidets was only possible with the installation of a stud frame and is now standard in modern house construction.

Nevertheless, the installation of wall-hung washbasins and vanity units is still a challenge today. The use of a pre-wall makes installation much easier. If the furniture combination has to be fixed directly to the wall, the need to use larger wall plugs can prove problematic. Water and power lines as well as the drainage pipe can influence the installation and make it more difficult. Porous brickwork is also not a good basis for installing washbasins on the wall. Bathroom furniture manufacturers generally provide their own fixing systems for this purpose, which allow fine adjustment during installation. The interplay of forces in conjunction with point suspension on the wall should ensure stable wall mounting. Used storage space, furniture, ceramic washbasins, fittings and other loads must be absorbed.

Installing WCs, shower toilets or bidets is no challenge in the modern bathroom. Standardised stud frames disappear into the wall and accommodate the necessary tank for a sustainable dual flush. The sanitary products can be firmly and stably installed by a specialised company and easily replaced if necessary (e.g. for hygiene reasons when tenants change). This has certainly contributed to the fact that wall-hung products have become established on the market: In the German-speaking market, it can be assumed that around 90 per cent of the branded products on offer are designed for wall mounting in the bathroom.

Wall-hung washbasins and ceramic products are particularly useful in smaller bathrooms, as the seemingly floating fittings make the room appear larger. But larger bathrooms also benefit from the light look. Larger washbasin units, such as the currently popular double washbasin units, appear much more airy. The floating effect can be further emphasised with integrated LED lighting. Cleaning is also easier with wall-hung sanitary products - at least as long as the base area under the products is not used to store boxes, cleaning products or scales. Even in the event of (limited) water damage, the bathroom products initially remain unaffected by the flooding.

A barrier-free bathroom cannot be realised without wall-hung sanitary products. The term "barrier-free" guarantees a certain quality of equipment and is precisely defined for flats in DIN 18040-2: The living space is considered barrier-free if it is accessible and usable for people without assistance and without particular difficulty. A washbasin that can be driven under with a wheelchair is therefore a basic requirement for a barrier-free bathroom. But even without the requirement for Din-compliant bathroom planning, the following applies: wall-mounted sanitary products generally support easy accessibility.

It is almost impossible for tenants to change permanently installed sanitary products. As a rule, the new tenant will find a wall-hung ceramic washbasin - usually without a vanity unit or other bathroom furniture. From a practical point of view, the use of floor-standing bathroom furniture to complete the existing sanitary equipment makes sense, especially in rented flats. However, many cost-effective solutions for the already installed washbasin are supplementary solutions with no particular design signature.

Floor-standing bathroom furniture is certainly suitable as an architectural statement. In contemporary sanitaryware design, minimalist washbasin combinations make a convincing statement as a living object in upmarket bathroom fittings. Interior designers particularly like to use floor-standing ensembles in hotel bathrooms or luxurious flats: sculptural washbasins emphasise both the homely and the architectural.

The fact that more floor-standing washbasin combinations are being used again in interior design is primarily for aesthetic and conceptual reasons. They quote furniture such as chests of drawers and tables or use metal frames to evoke the industrial style. They can create a desired vintage look or a classic ambience, emphasise the historical character of old buildings and architectural monuments or serve as zoning objects in modern, loft-style rooms.

Particularly in the contract sector, a bathroom can be enhanced in many ways with a floor-standing washbasin combination. Renowned creatives such as Cécile Manz and Philippe Starck also rely on this sturdy piece of furniture as a design statement in the bathroom. As the ceramic does not necessarily have to be connected to the wall, the design freedom at the washbasin is often more varied with a floor-standing washbasin combination. This trend development has its origins in southern Europe - the type of fittings and installation is also characterised by regional traditions and architectural conditions.

In addition to inexpensive vanity units for the already installed ceramic washbasin in rented flats, a trend towards floor-standing sanitary products can be observed in the upmarket commercial sector and in sophisticated private bathrooms. Due to high technical standards, many bathrooms in Germany are fitted with wall-hung washbasin combinations, cabinets and WCs. Wall-hung installation is not only a visual benefit in terms of interior design and makes cleaning easier, but is also essential for barrier-free bathroom planning. Wall-hung bathroom fittings often look modern and progressive, whereas floor-standing sanitary fittings often refer to historical models and intensify the furniture character of a sanitary product.