Shopping for Toilet Brushes – The New York Times

The toilet brush may be one of the least glamorous things in your home, but it’s still worth having one that isn’t completely off-putting. That’s because it’s a tool that — like it or not — is always on display, sitting beside the toilet.

If you care about how your bathroom looks, “you want it not to be this ugly thing, sitting there,” said Scott Henderson, a Brooklyn-based industrial designer who has created cleaning products for companies like OXO and Casabella.

Fortunately, many designers and manufacturers have moved beyond utilitarian scrubbers and are now making toilet brushes with more appeal. Some are even in the Museum of Modern Art’s collection — like the Excalibur Toilet Brush that Philippe Starck designed for Heller in 1993, which shields a user’s hand from splashes like a sword guard. (Sadly, it’s no longer in production.)

“That was a very inspirational piece for me, as a young designer,” Mr. Henderson said. “The goal is to transform the mundane, so it becomes something you want, as opposed to something you just need.”

• Should your toilet brush be a statement piece? That depends on your creative vision, Mr. Henderson said. Some designs offer a bright color or touch of humor, while others recede into the background.

• How will it fit beside the toilet? Mr. Henderson suggested looking for “the most contemporary, but also the smallest and easiest to tuck away.”

• Do you mind seeing the brush? Some storage canisters are open, while others have a cover, and some work like a clamshell when you lift the brush.

Merdolino Toilet Brush

Plant-shaped toilet brush by Stefano Giovannoni

$62 at Alessi: us.alessi.com

About $30 at CB2: 800-606-6252 or cb2.com

About $16 at OXO: oxo.com

From about $38 at Build with Ferguson: 800-375-3403 or build.com

About $7 at Ikea: 888-888-4532 or ikea.com