My hit tail

Floor tile
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Browsing a very useful web marketing tool the other day I was interested in seeing how people get to my blog, and more especially what they are looking for.
It seems that they overwhelmingly want to know about two things: Toto Nexus toilets and Porcelanosa Ferroker tiles.
Although they'll find photos and brief descriptions on the blog I've never given product reviews. Until now.
Firstly, I absolutely love the three Toto Nexus toilets we put in this year. I will take a detour in this house so I can use them rather than the flimsy Kohler we have in the master bath, or even the 38 year old solid as can be one-piece American Standard in the powder room that used to be my WC of choice.
Because it is a couple of inches higher than standard US toilets, I find the Nexus just more comfortable. And their elongated shape makes cleaning the outside a simple task. As for the inside, a wider trap means no clogs and the flush is well, really reassuring.
Of course I bought them for their sleek design, and being slimmer makes them less intrusive in the bathroom. Or it should, but every time I see the maple wood toilet seats, I stop and think to myself: Man that's a good-looking toilet. The only regret is that I bought one with the basic plastic softclose seat. It saved a whopping $100, but it's not nearly so handsome, nor as comfortable as the other two. I will remember this when we do the master bath makeover and I think we'll go for the new Eco version then.
The Ferroker Copper tile, which we used on the boys' bath floor has even more people googling it, and I'm not surprised. It is a thing of beauty. I worried it would be too dark, that it would be too heavy to install, that the large tiles would look weird in such a small space and mostly that they would crack if I stood on them in the wrong place. I could have saved myself a lot of sleepless nights because they have been a joy. They anchor the room, they were challenging but not really difficult to install, they actually make the room look larger than before and they seem to be steady on the mud base. The most lovely thing about them, apart from the amazing coppery tone, is that they feel warm underfoot. All the other tiled rooms in the house are definitely chilly in the morning but these never do, in fact they feel cozy, almost soft. Is that psychological or does Porcelanosa have a secret heat retaining porcelain process I don't know about?
Whatever it is I'd recommend them to any remodeler, and for designer tiles they were less expensive than we'd thought (although still more than the original budget allowed!).