When husband and wife Kristina and Terry Itameri- Kinter, architectural designer and engineer, respectively, teamed up to redesign and renovate the outdated “Ski House” bathroom in their 1990s home, they chose a Geberit in-wall system.
The Challenge
The “Ski Capital of the East”, Stowe, Vermont has long been known for winter recreation and is home to the famous Stowe Mountain, Mount Mansfield, and Spruce Peak resorts. “Ski House” homes traditionally have very steep roofs that go past the exterior walls, enabling rain and snow to fall off easily.
Built on a hillside, Kristina and Terry Itameri-Kinter’s home had limited exterior space to expand. From the loft, the master en suite overlooks the great room with wood-burning stove and includes an outdated, 5 foot x 8 foot bathroom. The bathroom had a conventional tank-type toilet, outdated fiberglass tub and shower, and baseboard heating. The Itameri-Kinters wanted to open up the existing space as much as possible and bring in the look and feel of natural wood, a popular finish in this type of home.
The Solution
Kristina is originally from Europe, where Geberit in-wall systems are widely used. She is familiar with in-wall systems for bidets as well as toilets. As an architectural designer and salesperson at Close to Home, a decorative plumbing and hardware showroom in Burlington, Vermont, she specifies Geberit products in many of her clients’ projects.
“We wanted space savings, modern design, and ease of cleaning, all crucial factors in going with the Geberit in-wall system in our own home,” Kristina says. “Our bathroom is very small, and we needed to make the best use of space available. We removed the baseboard heating and replaced it with electric floor heat and replaced the swing door with a sliding barn door. We created several perspective drawings and came up with a tile size 48” x 12” and a pattern that would enhance the feeling of space in our small bathroom.”
The ceramic wall tile pattern flows from the floor to the shower walls to create an image of depth and space in the bathroom. Stikwood® caramelized light brown bamboo tile modified by the Itameri-Kinters complements the ceramic tile and creates a wide-open, “woodsy” feel.