In this Coastal French powder room makeover, we started with finding a tiny vanity to make this half bath feel bigger and more inviting. The other major component was finding a small, but stylish toilet to fit the space — a shallow depth toilet. That doesn’t mean how deep the water is. ‘Shallow depth’ refers to how far it extends from the wall. Talk about things you don’t ever think about. Or want to think about!

Finding a tiny, yet sturdy toilet was tough because the 40-something commode in the space stuck out less than 27″ from the wall. Most toilets these days are ‘elongated’, easily extending 30″. We didn’t have room for that — physically, or by code!

For that reason, we shrunk our potty search to ’round’ toilets under 27″. The pool (haha) of candidates quickly shrunk!

We also wanted something that looked nice, was easy to clean, and would LAST. It also needed to flush efficiently and thoroughly — it’s a guest bathroom after all!

Shallow Depth Toilet Search: The Contenders

Thinking they’d be most reliable, we narrowed the search to three brand-name options. I researched all their pros and cons — on the internet and in showrooms. Do NOT take retailers under 27″ claims at face value. I found a pdf for each model’s ‘Spec Sheet’ buried on these websites, and you should look for them, too.

Despite a lot of marketing verbiage, the mechanics of all these toilets were comparable according to reviewers. It really boiled down to which one we liked the look of most.

Toto Drake (26 3/8″) and Drake II (26 1/2″) + NEW Drake Transitional 26 3/8″

There were two simple Totos in the running – the Drake and the Drake II. They are reputable models, but the Drake is so plain it borders on ugly. It bugged me that the lid didn’t overhang the tank, even a little — you could see the where the porcelain coating stopped. The Drake II has a more appealing look, but I didn’t love the way the Toto seat lids connected to the back of the bowl. No bueno with three boys in the house. It would NEVER be clean. There is also a good-looking new ‘Drake Transitional‘, but I fear it probably has the same sort of attachment.

Kohler Cimarron – 26 13/16″

The Kohler Cimarron was small enough, but we just didn’t like the trapezoid shape of the tank. We also wanted a one-piece look, and a skirt (when the porcelain walls extend straight down from the top of the bowl to the floor, hiding the floor bolts and trap). The seat lid connection on this Kohler is a standard hinge. Not great for cleaning, but better than the Toto design.

Our Pick: DXV Fitzgerald – 26 7/8″

We landed on the DXV Fitzgerald (as in F. Scott/Great Gatsby). It isn’t necessarily coastal, nor French in style (maybe some echos of Belle Epoque) .. we just liked it. It’s a two-piece which is usually less attractive and more messy, but the design elements here are respectively, distracting, and well-thought out. (The elevation of the base piece under the tank is smart — see Toto’s for comparison .. yuck). Two pieces are also easier to transport and install. Annnnd it’s under 27″. Like all of the models, you have to add a one-inch gap between the wall and the back of toilet, so we were safely under 28″ overall.

Cleaning Fitzgerald’s many Art Deco skirt facets is annoying, but DXV’s more simplistic Wyatt or Cossu models don’t come in round bowl options. Boo hiss. If you have the room for an elongated bowl, they look great. However, they don’t come in skirted two-piece options, so they’re a lot pricier, too.

DXV toilets come with a lid (should this be special?), and have a clever feature built in where the entire lid can be removed from the bowl for more thorough cleaning. This is A+ design for a boy mom. That said, it’s plastic (they all are these days, ugh) and therefore creaky. It also has too many caverns on the underside of the seat. When it’s time to replace the lid, I’m hoping there’s a DXV model that has a smooth bottom (pun totally intended).

Over a year in, I can say the DXV Fitzgerald is a small, but stylish shallow depth toilet I can recommend for a coastal French powder room. It does its job and even looks good doing it. Can you really ask more from a commode? Or this discussion? The End!

We’ll choose tiles and a mirror next … subscribe to emails so you know when those posts come out!