Ideal or Standard

Even hotels that are proud of being different are similar in a way. Ideally there might be different experiences to be had, but somehow they are all standard. At least in the bathroom.

Have you ever noticed? For some reason hotels around the world love to use products from the same company in their bathrooms. And one seems to be especially popular: Ideal Standard. If I move this mixer left and right I can change between hot and cold water, but I have to wonder: what happens if I move it up and down? Can I change between Ideal and Standard? Is this some magic switch that transports me from my standard world into an ideal one? One with unicorns? Who named the company Ideal Standard? Did he see the contradiction in terms? Did he choose the name for the contradiction it contains? Or maybe there were two companies called Ideal and Standard, respectively, that merged at some point? I have seen many of those mixers in hotel bathrooms over the years and keep wondering…

Update: Thanks to Tom Hughes who send me a link (Update: now defunct) I now know everything about the name “Ideal Standard”. Apparently the companies American Radiator, Ideal Boiler Company, and Standard Sanitary Manufactoring Company merged and now use the name “American Standard” in the US and the name “Ideal Standard” outside the US.