Caroma basins buying guide
Caroma basins here cover every mounting type, from above counter and inset to under counter, semi-recessed, wall hung and freestanding, in ceramic made from vitreous china or fine fire clay. The ranges differ in shape, rim and what comes in the box, and each basin has its own tap holes, overflow and plug and waste. This guide maps the ranges to the types, tells you what to check on a basin before you order, and links to the page for each range.
About the brand
Caroma is an Adelaide-founded Australian bathroom brand with a long history in sanitaryware. The Contura II range is Australian designed and engineered. Origin and manufacture differ by range and by model, so ask us for the origin of the specific product if it matters to you.
Caroma basin types
The type decides how the basin meets the bench or the wall, so it comes before the range. Above counter basins sit on the bench and take a tall basin mixer or a wall mixer. Inset basins drop into a cut-out. Semi-recessed basins project past the front of a shallow vanity. Under counter basins fit beneath a stone or solid benchtop. Wall hung basins fix to the wall and leave the floor clear, and freestanding basins stand on the floor. Wall hung basins need fixing to a support beam fitted between the studs, with noggins added before the wall is sheeted, and in-wall frames are sold as frames and kits for wall mounted basins.
Liano II
The Liano II basins come in round and pill shapes with a thin rim, as above counter, inset, under or over counter and hand wall basins. A matching ceramic pop-up plug and waste is included, with metallic wastes sold separately as an option, and the colours include matte white, matte black, matte grey, matte green, matte pink and matte speckled. Some Liano II basins have an overflow and a chrome overflow dress ring, and others are non-overflow only, so read the title. See Caroma Liano II basins.
Contura II
The Contura II range has inset, above counter, under counter, hand wall and freestanding basins with a thin rim, in white and matte clay. Each comes with a flush fitting plug and waste. The freestanding Contura II is 900mm high, 530mm long and 380mm out from the wall, and the hand wall basin has one tap hole. See Caroma Contura II basins.
Urbane II
The Urbane II basins have a thin rim and an integrated ceramic pop-up plug and waste that sits flush with the bowl when open. Optional metal wastes come in chrome, matte black, PVD brushed nickel, PVD brushed brass and PVD gunmetal. The range covers wall hung, inset, above counter, semi-recessed and under counter basins, in fine fire clay. See Caroma Urbane II basins.
Luna, Tribute and Artisan
The Luna range has soft curves and comes as wall hung, above counter, inset and semi-recessed basins. Several Luna basins come with no tap hole or one, and some are made without a tap landing for wall taps or taps on the bench. Each includes a white plug and a chrome flush fitting waste. See Caroma Luna basins. The Tribute basins are fine fire clay with a thin rim, as above counter, inset and wall basins, with shelf versions on the wall basins. See Caroma Tribute basins. The Artisan above counter basins have a slim rim, including a 600mm rectangle. See Caroma Artisan basins.
Riviere, Opal, Carboni II and the shelf basins
The Riviere range has traditional contours in matte or gloss white across inset, wall hung, above counter and under counter basins. The inset Riviere with overflow has one tap hole and includes a plug and waste. The Opal and Liano Nexus wall basins come in left hand and right hand shelf versions, which put a flat shelf beside the bowl for a small room. The Carboni II wall basin is square with one tap hole.
The numbers by range
The nominal sizes, litres and fixing for the Caroma ranges are easier to compare in one place. The Contura II 530 above counter basin is 530mm by 360mm with 120mm above the bench and holds 9.2 litres. The Contura II 530 inset is the same footprint, 182mm high, and holds 10.5 litres. The Contura II 530 inset with a tap landing is nominally 530mm by 400mm, with one tap hole, and holds 3.9 litres. The Contura II under counter basin is nominally 578mm by 408mm and 182mm high. All four have no overflow, and the colours are white, matte white and clay.
The Luna ranges are smaller. The Luna above counter 450 is 450mm by 320mm and 143mm high and holds 7.7 litres. The Luna inset without a tap landing is the same 450mm by 320mm and holds 2.4 litres to the overflow, and the Luna hand wall basin is nominally 450mm by 250mm and holds 3 litres to the overflow, with no tap hole or one. The Luna semi-recessed basins are 450mm by 320mm and 450mm by 380mm. The Riviere gives 530mm by 370mm and 8.6 litres for the inset with no tap holes, and 595mm by 430mm and 3.5 litres for the inset with a tap landing.
The Urbane II range runs to 500mm by 330mm and 10.9 litres for the above counter and inset basins. The under counter basin is 540mm by 370mm and holds 10.2 litres, the wall and semi-recessed basins are 500mm by 400mm, and the shelf wall basins are 600mm by 440mm. The Tribute range has the 405mm round at 8.3 litres, the 530mm by 340mm inset at 12.5 litres and the 400mm square inset at 11 litres. The Opal wall basins are 720mm by 450mm and 900mm by 450mm at 9.5 litres, with the Opal Sole 550 at 9 litres and the corner basin at 6.5 litres. Each of these has its own page: Urbane II, Tribute, Artisan and Opal.
Tap holes, overflow and waste
Across the range the tap hole count is none, one or three. A basin with no tap hole takes a mixer on the bench or a wall mixer, a basin with one takes a basin mixer on the bowl, and a basin with three takes a three-piece set. Most Caroma basins are non-overflow only unless the title says with overflow, and most come with the plug and waste, either a flush fitting chrome waste or a matching ceramic pop-up. That differs from the basins of several other makers, which sell the waste separately, so check before you add fittings. See Caroma taps and Caroma wastes and traps, or basin mixers.
Material, colour and care
The basins here are ceramic, either vitreous china or fine fire clay, and the Liano II, Urbane II and Tribute basins are fine fire clay. The finishes resist staining and are straightforward to keep clean. Wipe ceramic with a soft cloth and a weak non-abrasive detergent and dry spills, because a scratch in glazed ceramic cannot be repaired. The colours run from white and matte white to matte black, matte clay, matte green, matte grey, matte pink and matte speckled.
Accessible and care basins in the Caroma range
The Caroma range for accessible bathrooms groups its basins into care basins, semi-recessed basins and wall mounted basins. The wall mounted basins include the Opal 720 and 920 with left or right hand shelves, the Opal 900 Twin and the Opal 510. The range also has the Liano Nexus 750 with a left or right hand shelf, the Care 500, 600 and 700 basins, the Caravelle wall basin and the Tribute Rectangle 600. The semi-recessed basins include the Concorde 500, the Caravelle 550, the Cosmo and the Urbane II. This is a list of what the range offers, not a statement that any basin complies with AS1428.1 in your bathroom, so confirm heights and clearances with your designer. The Opal basins are covered in detail on the assisted living basins page.
Matching Caroma tapware and accessories
The ranges are designed to pair with their own tapware. The Tribute basins are intended to pair with Luna tapware, and the Urbane II basins are designed to match the Urbane II tapware and bathroom range. The Liano II metal dress rings and the metallic wastes match the Liano II and Urbane II tapware, and the Opal basin mixer has an interchangeable AS1428.1 extended care handle and an antibacterial laminar flow aerator. Because tapware is not included with any Caroma basin, the pairing is your choice, and the finish of the tap, the waste cap and the dress ring should be settled together. See basin mixers.
Which Caroma range for which room
For a compact ensuite or powder room, the Luna 450 above counter or inset basins and the Luna hand wall basin take the least bench and the least wall. For a main bathroom with a stone top, the Contura II 530 and the Urbane II give a larger bowl and a wider rim of bench around it. For a traditional room, the Riviere has the softer contours. For a bathroom that must serve all ages, the Opal wall basins with a shelf and the Care basins are the ranges built around reach and support. For a feature basin, the Liano II pill in a matte colour does the most with the least, because the thin rim lets the colour carry the look.
How to choose
- Choose the type from the vanity or the wall: an inset basin for a finished bench, a semi-recessed basin for a shallow cabinet, a wall hung basin where floor space matters.
- Pick the range for the rim and the colour you want.
- Read the tap hole line and plan the mixer, then read the overflow line.
- Check the plug and waste, since most Caroma basins include one.
- For a small room, see small hand basins, and for a round shape see round basins.
The bathroom basins page sets Caroma beside the other makers, assisted living basins covers basins for accessible bathrooms, and bathroom vanities covers the cabinets that carry the bench.
